Chapter 4

As I watched Kate go up the stairs, I clenched my fists so hard that my knuckles turned white.

I remembered that when we just bought this house, Kate had excitedly hugged me from behind. "Jonathan, we finally have a house of our own! Bit by bit, I'm going to fill this home with our love."

For an entire two years, I painstakingly had this home renovated.

I had always thought this was a private haven for Kate and me. That was, until Kate started telling Samuel the password for the front door.

The first time she did it, she had asked him to get some documents for her. The next time was when she asked him to get a gift for a client.

Then, I slowly noticed that over time, Samuel was putting on my sports shoes, my hoodies in the closet, and even the cologne I had just bought and was yet to open.

Kate kept explaining that Samuel was her childhood friend. I kept changing the password, and she kept sending the new password to Samuel.

It felt like we were stuck in an infinite loop.

And now, Samuel was using that dare card to move into my marital home.

I used to be completely certain of my relationship with Kate, but by the looks of it, our relationship seemed to have hit a dead end.

In the evening, the doorbell rang.

I left the kitchen and opened the door to find an assembly technician standing at the entrance. "Are you Mr. Samuel Lambert? I'm here to assemble the gaming chair you ordered online."

Samuel hurried downstairs in loose loungewear. "It's finally here! I now have a proper place to sit while I play my games!"

Samuel watched the technician assemble the chair, then nudged me in the direction of the kitchen. "Jonathan, I heard from Kate that you make the best beef stews. I'll leave today's dinner in your capable hands!"

From then on, the doorbell seemed to ring without end.

Soon, there was a new dehumidifier, a new projector, and even a new mattress in the house.

Just before dinner, the new double-door fridge Samuel had ordered was moved in through the door. Samuel directed the deliverymen to move my fridge out of the kitchen.

And thus, a double-door fridge was squeezed into the tight space.

"Jonathan, consider this fridge a wedding gift from me to you. We won't have to toss your dad's pickles in the trash anymore. It can even fit my favorite soft drinks and beer!" As Samuel spoke, he had already snapped a photo of my fridge and listed it on a secondhand marketplace.

The price was listed as a mere 100 dollars.

I stood nearby, watching indifferently as the fridge left a deep scratch on the kitchen cabinet I had so carefully customized.

I was about to open my mouth to say, "Samuel, this is my home. I don't need these things."

But then, Kate came downstairs and threw an arm around Samuel's shoulders. "Good job, Samuel. I expect no less from my best friend. Everything you bought is right up my alley."

With each other in a brotherly hug, they went out of the kitchen and headed to the living room to start a two-player game. I was left all alone in my apron, holding a spatula in my hand.

On Monday, I was caught up in the final rush before my wedding leave.

I was editing a proposal on my computer when a male colleague, Ryan Smith, suddenly tapped on my desk. "Jonathan, doesn't this cat look like Muffin? For a male cat of Muffin's caliber, stud service should easily go for over a couple hundred dollars, right?"

I was stunned as I turned and stared at his phone screen.

There was a carefully taken photo of a cute cat on a certain product page, and the details read, "1-year-old purebred male cat, fed on premium cat food and homemade meals, robust physique and gentle temperament, 500 dollars per stud service."

The background of the photo was none other than my own living room, and I could even see Muffin's favorite toy in the enclosure.

A hand was gripping Muffin, and he was helplessly looking at the camera with widened eyes.

I immediately tapped into the seller's page.

There it was, the secondhand listing posted three days ago that read, "Barely used fridge, priced to clear at 100 dollars."

It was my old fridge.

The seller was Samuel!

A new comment instantly popped up on the stud service post. "Can you do outcall stud service at Eternia Heights? I'm in Building 23. My female cat has a bad temper, but as long as the breeding works out, we can negotiate the price."

The seller immediately replied, "Anytime. I have the necessary supplements for the stud cat, and I can guarantee a 100% success rate. Message me if you're interested."

I sprang to my feet at my desk. Tearing off my work badge, I opened the surveillance camera app to see what was going on in my living room.

But according to the app, the surveillance camera had gone offline ten minutes ago.

I said, "This is Muffin himself. Someone sent him out for breeding behind my back!"

I immediately asked for time off, and Ryan accompanied me as I rushed to Eternia Heights.

On our way there, I had a cold look on my face as I called the cops. "Hello, I'd like to report a crime. Someone broke into my home and is abusing my pet!"