Chapter 3
By the time the IV drip was done, it was already 1 AM.
I didn't have the energy to go home, so I checked into a hotel nearby.
Before I went to bed, I checked the camera in Mittens' room. He was curled up in his bed, sound asleep.
I remembered I'd filled his food bowl and changed his water before I left, so I finally felt at ease and drifted off to sleep.
But just as I was drifting off, my phone buzzed with a flurry of WhatsApp messages.
It was a long voice message from Alex.
"Lily, Mittens got out," he said.
"We went downstairs and looked everywhere, but we couldn't find him," he added.
Mittens was my cat.
His voice was heavy with worry, and I could hear Emily chiming in from the background.
"Lily, it's all my fault. I opened the door for a second and Mittens just ran out," she said.
"Please don't be mad at Alex," she added.
Her voice trailed off, all teary and guilty, like she was about to cry.
I didn't even bother listening to the rest of the message. The moment I heard Mittens was missing, my mind just went into a tailspin.
Who to blame, who to hate—I couldn't even think about any of that right now.
I threw on some clothes and rushed out, hailing a cab to head home.
On the way, I posted a lost cat notice for Mittens in the neighborhood group chat and on my feed, hoping someone might have seen him.
I checked the camera in Mittens' room again, and all I could see was Emily carrying him out about an hour ago. There were no cameras outside the room, so I just kept blowing up Alex and Emily's phones, desperate for any updates.
The ride felt endless. When I finally stepped out of the cab, huge raindrops smacked against my face, lightning crackling overhead.
I absently wiped my face, and honestly, I couldn't even tell if it was rain or tears anymore.
When I got to the apartment complex, I rushed straight home, holding onto a tiny bit of hope—maybe Mittens was still just wandering the hallway and hadn't made it outside yet.
I checked every floor, right up to my own front door on the sixth, but there was still no sign of him anywhere.
My heart sank.
In the heavy silence, the sound of the TV show inside felt jarringly loud.
When I opened the door, the whole place seemed calm and serene.
Emily had her arm linked with Alex's, the two of them sitting side by side.
She was watching her show, he was playing his game—completely at ease, as if nothing could disturb their peace.
Emily looked over at me, her expression anxious and a bit timid.
"Did you find him, Lily?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.
Before I could say anything, Alex walked over, frowning, his tone full of warning.
"Don't blame Emmy. She didn't do it on purpose," he said.
"She feels so guilty about it, she's been crying her eyes out," he added.
I stood in the doorway, feeling like a bucket of cold water had just been dumped over my heart.
As hopeless as I felt, I couldn't help thinking how absurd it all was. Seriously, this is the guy I fell for?
I looked up at Alex, who was staring down at me like he was the king of the world.
Fury exploded inside me—without thinking, I slapped him right across the face, my voice shaking as I spoke.
"Where's Mittens?" I demanded, barely holding back tears.
He stumbled back, staring at me in utter disbelief.
Emily heard the commotion and came over, just about to speak up.
Alex reached out and pulled her behind him, blocking her with his arm to keep her out of my way.
"Don't pay any attention to her—she's just being crazy," Alex snapped.
"Mittens ran off and now he's gone!" he shouted.
"If you're so capable, go find him yourself! Stop making a scene in here!" he yelled.
I was so choked up, I couldn't even speak.
I went back inside, grabbed Mittens' favorite snacks and toys, and hurried to the door.
As I walked past Alex, I caught a hint of regret in his eyes—his face softened, like he was starting to feel bad about the way he acted earlier.
He stood there for a few seconds, then started trailing behind me.
"I'll go with you to look for him," he said.