Chapter 1

Clara's POV

"PayPal or Venmo?"

Jason Chadwick held Buddy in one arm while pulling up his payment QR code with the other.

Buddy started struggling because Jason was holding him too tightly.

"Put Buddy down! You're hurting him!"

I reached out to take Buddy, but Jason stepped back.

"Pay first."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

His chat history showed that he sent money to Sophia Johnston almost every day.

When she complained about getting caught in the rain, he immediately sent her 500 dollars.

When she said she couldn't get a table at the restaurant she wanted, he sent her another 900 dollars.

There were even more transfers for clothes and travel expenses.

The payment records between them were longer than all the messages we had exchanged during our five years together.

Buddy was a stray cat that Jason and I had rescued together in college.

We paid for his treatment and raised him for four years.

Now Buddy was old, yet Jason insisted he was my cat.

He held Buddy tightly and demanded that I pay him.

Buddy's cries became louder and sharper.

Panicked, I quickly pulled out my phone.

Before I could scan the code and pay, someone knocked on the door.

Sophia stood outside and handed Jason a fancy gift box.

"Mr. Chadwick, thank you for helping me out with those drinks last night. This is just a little thank-you gift."

Inside was a box of cute cartoon-shaped cookies.

Jason smiled with surprise and thanked her gently.

Sophia looked at Buddy.

"So this is Buddy? He's so adorable..."

The moment she praised him, Jason placed Buddy into her arms.

But Buddy had always been shy around strangers. He hated being held by people he didn't know, and Sophia clearly didn't know how to hold a cat.

Within seconds, Buddy scratched her twice.

She cried out in pain and let go of him.

Her eyes instantly filled with tears.

Jason grabbed her arm right away.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

The scratches were so light that they didn't even bleed. Still, he grabbed his car keys.

"I'll take you to the hospital."

As he rushed to the door, he turned back and said coldly, "This cat actually hurts people. If he's this impossible to control, then just give him away."

Buddy trembled in my arms as I held him close and tried to comfort him.

I listened to Jason's heartless words.

Looking at their tightly linked hands, I remembered all those payment records.

"Don't you know Buddy is shy around strangers? I'm never giving him away. Just leave. We're done."

Jason froze in shock.

He quickly softened his voice and gently brushed my hair back.

"I was too angry just now. We're getting married next month. Don't say things like that."

After a short pause, he continued, "But we don't need to keep a pet that hurts people. You need to apologize to Sophia for today. Then you need to find Buddy a new home. Since she got hurt, send her 800 dollars for medical bills and emotional distress."

After saying that, he slammed the door shut.

I slid down the wall and sat on the floor, holding Buddy as I cried.

I didn't know how long I cried before I finally stopped.

Then I stood up, saved copies of Jason's chat records from my computer, packed all of his things, left every box outside the door, and drove straight to the wedding planning company.

"Ms. Vernon, are you sure you want to cancel next month's wedding?"