Chapter 4

Watching Frank's back as he walked upstairs, I stood there with tears burning my eyes. My legs gave out, and I almost lost my balance.

I remembered when we first bought this house. Frank had excitedly picked me up and spun me around the living room twice.

“Willow, we finally have a home of our own! I'll fill this home, little by little, with our love.”

For two whole years, I had poured my heart and soul into furnishing this home.

I thought it was a little world that belonged to just Frank and me, until the first time Frank gave Rachel the door passcode.

The first time, she was picking up some documents for him. The second time, she was making food for his mother in his place...

Then, little by little, I began noticing my home slippers, new shirts from my walk-in closet, and brand-new jewelry I'd just bought, still unopened, showing up on Rachel.

Frank kept explaining that Rachel was his childhood friend. I kept changing the door passcode, and he kept sending Rachel the new one.

It was like we were trapped in a vicious loop.

And now, Rachel had even moved into my home with a “Limited-Time Pre-Wedding Girlfriend Experience Card.”

This relationship I'd once been so certain about seemed to have reached a dead end.

In the evening, the doorbell rang. I came out of the kitchen and opened the door. An installer was standing outside.

“Excuse me, are you Ms. Rachel Sullivan? The smart shoe cabinet you ordered online has arrived.”

Rachel came running downstairs in a strappy nightgown.

“Finally! Now I'll have somewhere to place my high heels!”

Rachel watched the workers install the shoe cabinet, then ushered me back into the kitchen.

“Willow, Frank said you're really good at making garlic butter shrimp. I'll leave dinner to you tonight!”

Right after that, the doorbell kept ringing.

A new dehumidifier, projector, mattress, and other things were brought into the house...

Before dinner, the new double-door refrigerator Rachel had ordered was delivered. She directed the deliverymen to move my refrigerator out of the kitchen.

The narrow space somehow managed to squeeze in the double-door refrigerator.

“Willow, consider this refrigerator my wedding gift to you! Next time your mom sends you pickles, you won't have to throw them in the trash.

“And now there's room for the drinks and face masks I like!”

As she spoke, Rachel had already taken a picture of my refrigerator and listed it for sale on a secondhand marketplace.

The price was only 500 dollars.

I watched from the side with an indifferent expression as the refrigerator scraped a deep mark into my carefully customized cabinets.

“Rachel, this is my home. I don't need any of this.”

I was about to speak when Frank came downstairs and put an arm around Rachel's shoulders.

“Not bad, Rachel. As expected of my best buddy. You bought everything I like.”

The two of them put their arms around each other and left the kitchen to play a two-player game in the living room, leaving me standing there alone, looking disheveled in my apron with a spatula in my hand.

When Monday came, I was plunged into my final stretch of busyness before taking time off for my wedding.

I was revising a proposal on my computer when Caryn Kirk, my coworker, suddenly tapped my desk.

“Willow, doesn't this little cat look just like your Pipi?

“A male cat with Pipi's quality would probably cost more than two thousand dollars for one breeding session, right?”

I turned to Caryn's phone in shock.

On a secondhand marketplace listing was a carefully photographed picture of an adorable little cat. The deion read:

[One-year-old male cat, raised on premium cat food and homemade cat meals, healthy and gentle. Stud service: 2,000 dollars per session.]

The background in the photo was unmistakably my living room. Pipi's favorite little fish toy was even lying inside the cat house.

Pipi was being held by a hand, staring helplessly at the camera with wide eyes.

I immediately opened the seller's profile.

There, three days earlier, the seller had posted another secondhand listing:

[Refrigerator, 98% new, special clearance price: 500 dollars.]

It was my old refrigerator.

It was Rachel!

A new comment immediately appeared beneath the breeding-service listing.

[Can you deliver to Florence Residence for the breeding service? Unit 23. My cat has a bad temper. If the breeding is successful, the price is negotiable.]

The seller immediately replied:

[Anytime. I have medication for male cats at home. Guaranteed successful breeding. DM me if you're interested.]

I shot up from my desk, took off my employee ID badge, and opened the security camera for the living room at home.

However, the app showed that the camera had gone offline ten minutes earlier.

“This is my Pipi. Someone sent him out for breeding without my knowledge!”

I immediately got up to take leave, and Caryn went with me as we hurried straight to Florence Residence.

On the way, I was frantic with worry and called the police.

“Hello, I'd like to report a burglary!”