Chapter 2

It was not until I saw the piles of cash on the table that I understood. That phone call was nothing more than a bet they made to prove Jocelyn's point.

Marvin casually pulled a thick wad of bills from the pile and stuffed it into the collar of a nearby waiter's shirt.

"Here.

"Get the obedient little puppy a few extra dishes tonight, and open two more bottles of his owner's favorite wine."

The room erupted in laughter.

When Jocelyn noticed how pale and angry I had become, her expression finally darkened.

She stood up, walked over to me, wiped the sweat from my forehead, and led me back to my seat.

"Since you came back, you might as well stay.

"Sit for a while. We will go home together when this is over."

In the past, whenever she coaxed me like that, my anger would melt away almost immediately. This time, however, I suddenly realized that it no longer mattered whether I stayed or left.

Once someone decided to walk away, sitting around a little longer would not change how things ended.

I sat quietly amid the noise and opened my phone.

Our fourth attempt at a wedding was in seven days.

The ceremony was scheduled for the evening. There would be no traditional pickup procession, and we had agreed to leave for the hotel together from our new home.

I booked a one-way flight departing that afternoon.

By the time the drinking session ended, it was already two in the morning.

Instead of taking Marvin home first, Jocelyn brought him straight back to our house.

The moment Marvin walked in, he tossed his bag into the entryway and flopped onto the couch. His dress shoes went flying in opposite directions.

He squinted at me and beckoned with one finger.

"Come here, little puppy.

"Fetch my slippers. Let me enjoy some of the perks of being your owner."

Jocelyn clicked her tongue. Then, she turned to me and gave an order.

"Bobby, put his shoes away and get him a pair of slippers."

I did not move.

"Doesn't he have hands of his own?"

Jocelyn froze for a moment.

All those years, whenever something involved Marvin, I took care of it before she even had to ask twice. She clearly had not expected me to refuse.

Marvin suddenly slapped a hand against his forehead.

"Oh, no! I forgot to feed my kitty!"

He pulled out his phone and opened his house’s security camera app.

"Didn't you say I was like a cat? Well, I’m basically my cat’s servant!

"How could I leave him home alone?"

Jocelyn glanced at the time. "You’re too drunk to drive yourself home." Then she looked at me.

"Bobby, go over there.

"You know the door code. Feed Marvin’s cat, then bring him back with you."

I refused outright.

"No. He insisted on getting that cat, so he should take responsibility for her."

Six months earlier, I had found the injured stray outside my old apartment building. I had carried her to the vet, stayed through her surgery, and contacted a rescue organization to arrange her adoption.

I named her Marshmallow after her snowy-white coat.

When Marvin heard about Marshmallow, he insisted on taking her. Jocelyn had persuaded me to give in.

"Marvin has never really had anything of his own to care for. If he likes the cat, just let him have it."

However, after he took Marshmallow away, his interest lasted barely two weeks. Soon, he could not even remember where he kept the cat food.

"Fine. Don't go, then."

Marvin rolled his eyes in annoyance.

On the security camera feed, Marshmallow was sitting beside her empty food bowl, meowing over and over. She scratched desperately at the cabinet door, her cries growing hoarse from hunger.

My fingers curled into fists as I watched. My heart ached for the little thing, so I still grabbed my jacket and headed out.

When I arrived at Marvin's house, Marshmallow saw me and immediately stumbled into my arms.

I fed her and refilled her water bowl. However, she kept biting my sleeve and refused to let go. In the end, I could not bring myself to leave her behind, so I took her back to the house.

The moment Marvin saw her, he scrambled up from the couch.

"There's my baby! I missed you so much!"

Ignoring the fact that Marshmallow was still trembling, he poked at her belly, then grabbed both her front paws and lifted them into the air.

She struggled wildly, terrified.

"Don't touch her." I reached out to stop him. "She’s already stressed out."

Marvin dodged away with Marshmallow in his arms.

"It's my cat. I can play with it however I want."

He had clearly noticed my wedding plans spread across the coffee table, yet he deliberately laid Marshmallow’s teaser wand on top of the booklet and waved it around.

Startled, she lunged at the toy. Her sharp claws tore across the paper. The seating chart on the top page was slashed in several places, and several invitation samples were knocked onto the floor.

Marvin glanced down at the damage and burst out laughing.

"Wow. I guess cats and dogs really are natural enemies.

"Your stuff is just as much of an eyesore to it as you are."

Jocelyn did not scold him. Instead, she crouched down and picked up the torn wedding plans for me.

"I’ll have someone recreate everything from the original tomorrow."

In the past, even a single dirty mark on that booklet would have upset me for ages. Now, as I looked at the torn pages scattered across the floor, I felt nothing at all.

"Don't bother. I won't be needing them anyway."