Chapter 2

Melanie tried every trick in the book to talk me into sharing my place, but no matter how much she begged or wheedled, I flat-out refused.

I was so desperate to shake her off that I even got the landlord to change the locks.

However, not even that could get rid of her.

Just a week later, she went and rented the apartment right next to mine.

"Ella, guess what? We're neighbors now. There's no escaping your fate as my kid's aunt, I promise," Melanie crowed, looking absolutely smug.

It was not like I didn't try moving out. I even looked into packing up my life and starting fresh in a different city, just to get as far as possible from both Melanie and Blaise.

But, of course, the damn plot just wouldn't let me go.

Every time I made plans, something ridiculous happened—missed buses, surprise work emergencies, broken leases—one named it. It was like fate was determined to keep me stuck here.

In the end, I just had to throw in the towel.

The day Melanie moved in next door, she was over the moon.

Melanie went out of her way to buy loads of imported cat food just to feed all the strays roaming around the building.

As Melanie dished out the food, she was practically buzzing with excitement.

She pumped her fist toward the sun and shouted like her life depended on it.

"Wow, isn't the sunrise gorgeous? My dear kitties, from today on, I'm joining your squad, and I swear we're going to live every single day to the fullest, making all this chaos totally worth it," she called out dramatically.

Hands shoved in my pockets, I watched the faded evening glow with a deadpan expression.

It was six PM, seriously. Where did she get the sunrise from? Melanie's melodrama made zero sense.

The pricey imported cat food vanished in an instant; the stray cats wolfed it down like they hadn't tasted a decent meal in years.

Melanie, meanwhile, was still riding her wave of chaos.

"Ella, promise me you'll never give up on kindness, no matter what," she said.

I felt my mouth twitch as I discreetly scooted back.

Yeah, in this book's twisted world, it was Melanie's so-called kindness that was supposed to land her Blaise in the end.

Seriously, if she let go of that, what else could she even count on? A trade school diploma in hair and makeup or her glorious resume as a club hostess?

But this time, I wasn't going to lift a finger for her.

Hopefully, when she was broke and couldn't buy formula for her kid, she wouldn't regret splurging on high-end cat food.

With Melanie finally off my payroll, my life was chill for once.

Every evening after work, I'd crash on the couch with a movie or wander around the night markets, stuffing my face and people-watching.

Honestly, I was living the dream.

Saving up wasn't even on Melanie's radar.

Money meant nothing to her. That was another hallmark of the female lead in the typical billionaire-romance novel.

For the next week, she kept up her cat-feeding routine religiously, and the strays in the neighborhood started looking downright chubby.

Then, one day, Melanie showed up at my door.

"Ella, can you lend me some cash for cat food? The kitties are starving," she said, looking all wide-eyed and desperate.

I barely glanced up from my binge-watching before shaking my head. "Sorry, I'm broke."

Melanie stared at me, wide-eyed. "You make 2,500 dollars a month. How did you blow through all that cash so fast?"

I waved a hand dismissively, making up a story on the fly. "My mom nabbed it; she's using it to help my brother get married."

Melanie narrowed her eyes. "Wait? Aren't you an only child? Since when do you have a brother?"

I paused, then mumbled, "My cousin, I mean."

Melanie's face twisted in outrage. "It's not even your brother. Why should he get your money? Call your mom and tell her to give it back; we need it for the cat food."

I stared at her like she'd lost her mind. "At least he's my cousin; those strays aren't my family at all. Why should I be the one buying their food?"

Melanie burst into tears in a split second.

"But those stray kitties are so poor. How can you be so cruel, so evil—just ignoring their suffering?" she wailed dramatically.

Was she even listening to herself?

Seriously, all I did was refuse to buy cat food. Was that really enough to call me evil?

And now she's dropping crocodile tears like I just broke her heart. I didn't even do anything to her.

My face turned cold.

"Seriously, I'm flat broke. If you can't stand to see those strays go hungry, why don't you hustle up a second job—or even a third?" I said, not bothering to hide my annoyance.

Melanie stared at me like I'd just kicked a puppy.

"How could you say something like that? You know I'm pregnant. I can't exactly juggle a bunch of jobs," she protested, voice wobbling like she might cry any second.

I let out a cold laugh and shoved her out of my room. "Either way, I'm not about to bust my ass feeding your cats."

Once the door was shut, I took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

In my previous life, I'd worked three jobs just to keep Melanie afloat. I'd always wondered why her expenses were so damn high.

It wasn't until recently that it hit me that she'd been blowing my hard-earned cash on cat food,

Back then, I'd been so busy, leaving before dawn and coming home after midnight, that I had no clue what she was up to.

She'd been out there scoring points for being an animal-lover, using my hard-earned cash, no less.

My fists balled up, the frustration practically making my veins pop.

Now, she wouldn't get another penny from me. I would sit back and watch how her kindness held up—how she managed to feed those stray cats then.