C04
My three–year–old cat. Dash, nuzzled against my hand, waking me up.
10:29 AM
Trapped in a Marriage Fueled by Revenge
I stroked his fur gently and sighed. “Dash, what will you do when I’m gone? Do you think Clive will take care of
you?”
“Meow,”
He rubbed his head against my palm as if trying to reassure me.
Then the door suddenly swung open. The sound of high heels echoed against the floor as Tamara strutted in, her oversized dog trotting beside her.
“This is my home,” I said coldly. “Get out.”
But she only took off her sunglasses and gave me a sideways glance filled with amusement. “Not for long,” she said, smirking. “It’ll be mine soon enough. Buster, go explore.”
With a flick of her wrist, she let go of the leash. The massive dog dashed around the room, sniffing and knocking
things over in excitement.
fast.
“Tamara, leash your dog!” I snapped. “My cat’s getting anxious!”
She scoffed. “Like owner, like pet. Both ugly and deserve to die.” Then she flicked her fingers. “Buster, go.”
Buster’s ears perked up before he turned toward us, teeth bared.
Dash shrank against me, trembling.
Panic surged through me as the dog lunged. I flailed my arms, trying to block him, but he was too strong, too
Then, when the dog was about to bite me, Dash swiftly launched himself from my arms with a sharp yowl, slamming straight into Buster.
“No! Tamara, call off your dog!” I screamed, desperate. “Please, I’m begging you!”
Dash fought fiercely, but he was too small. Buster pinned him down and bit Dash brutally.
I tried to pry the dog off, but I wasn’t strong enough. So I could only desperately begged Tamara to do it. But she just stood there, frozen, watching in shock.
“Buster, stop!” Clive’s voice suddenly cut through the chaos.
In a blur, he rushed forward, grabbing Buster’s collar and yanking him back. The dog let out a yelp as he was pulled away.
Meanwhile, Dash collapsed onto the floor, his tiny body trembling, his breathing shallow. Deep, bloody gashes marred his once–soft fur.
He looked at me weakly and let out a faint meow as if saying, ‘Mom, I protected you.‘
Tears streamed down my face.
“Dash, stay with me,” I choked out. “You’re all I have left. I’ll take you to a vet, okay? Just hold on.”
I scooped him up and bolted out the door, racing to the animal hospital down the street.
“Dash, everything will be fine.”
But God was so cruel.
I had already given up on my own treatment. Was that not enough? Why did He have to take Dash, too? “Courtney. What happened to Dash?”
C
As soon as I heard Clive’s voice, I turned to him, rage surging through me. Without thinking, I slapped him across the face.
“Dash is dead,” I spat, my voice shaking. “He died protecting me.”
He stood there, stunned, and for the first time, he seemed shaken upon seeing much hatred in my eyes. His gaze then shifted to the lifeless body on the table.
But to my surprise, he replied, “It’s just a cat. You can get another one.”
Something inside me snapped upon hearing that. I lunged at him and pounded my fists against his chest. Even
10:29 AM
Trapped in a Marriage Fueled by Revenge
so, he didn’t fight back, he just kept stepping backward under the force of my blows.
“Clive, Dash wasn’t just a cat!” I sobbed, my voice breaking, “He was the only kitten of the cat we secretly raised at the orphanage.”
After that, I collapsed onto the floor with tears blurring my vision.
Just then, Tamara stormed in and cried dramatically, “Clive, I swear, I didn’t mean to!”
She was wailing like she’d lost something precious.
“I–I didn’t know! Courtney called me over, I thought she wanted to apologize! I had no idea this would happen-”
She then buried her face in his chest, making her sobs muffled.
I stared at her in disbelief. “You’re still lying?”
Fury burned in my veins. I grabbed the nearest thing–an animal headband from the vet’s counter–and hurled it
at her.
She shrieked and ducked, cowering behind Clive.
“Clive, save me!” she whimpered.
She looked up at me with wide, tear–filled eyes. “It was just a cat! I’ll buy you a new one!”
I turned and my gaze fell on Dash’s still, lifeless body. Then a buzzing filled my ears and I screamed like crazy.
“That was my Dash! Not just any cat–he was my only family!”
Fury surged through me as I raised my hand, but Clive caught my wrist before I could strike. My vision blurred with tears, my nose stung, and before I knew it, I was crying so hard that laughter slipped through.
“Clive, I’m already dying. Are you still going to keep pushing me?”
His pupils shrank for a moment, but he quickly masked his emotions, his expression turning cold.
“Courtney, stop crying. I won’t feel sorry for you anymore.”
Just then, something dripped. When I looked down, I saw that it was blood. I was having a nosebleed, staining the back of his hand like a small, blooming flower.
This time, it was worse than before.
My legs buckled. The world around me spun. Then, everything went black.
Fortunately, Clive quickly shoved Tamara aside and caught me in time.
“Doctor! Someone, help!” he shouted panicky.
His face turned red, his eyes wide with desperation, but he could do nothing as the blood kept flowing. He tried to wipe it away, but it was useless. In no time, his white shirt turned crimson.
