The Priceless Cat and the Obedient Dog

I stared at the dog tag engraved with Julian Payne's name in my palm. The humiliation was so overwhelming that it felt hard to breathe.

"Here, doggy." Someone in the private room suddenly started whistling and calling a dog.

I looked up instinctively.

The room immediately exploded with laughter.

"She actually looked!"

"Celine really is a dog! She responds as soon as you call her."

One of them even held out his hand toward me and said, "Come here, Celine. Shake."

The smile on Julian's face disappeared. He slammed his glass down on the table and swept a cold look across the table.

"That's enough. Just because I make jokes about her, it doesn't mean you get to."

The room instantly fell silent.

Julian took my hand and softened his voice. "They've had too much to drink. Ignore them."

Mindy Sutton, however, chortled.

"Everyone's just joking around. Why are you taking it so seriously, Celine? Being compared to a dog isn't even an insult. Dogs are loyal. You can kick them away, but the second you call them back, they'll come running with their tails wagging."

Julian frowned.

"Alright. I'll keep quiet," she quickly said. Then, she stuck out her tongue, not looking sorry at all.

I pulled my hand away. All I could think about was getting out of there.

Someone called after me as I left, but I didn't stop.

I was 20 when I met Julian. Mom had just died, and he was the one who stayed by my side through every formality. For three months, while I woke from nightmares over and over again, he never left me alone.

Mindy was Julian's childhood friend. They had grown up together.

Mindy's father had died saving Julian's father's life. Because of that debt, no matter how Mindy acted, Julian had always treated her like a younger sister who needed indulging.

Our first three weddings never happened because of Mindy. The first time, she hid the rings. The second time, she took off with the wedding dress. The third time, at the ceremony, she cried and said it was the anniversary of her father's death, and that we shouldn't get married that day.

Every time, Julian would scold her for causing trouble. And every time, I was the one who had to deal with a postponed wedding.

Not long after I left the restaurant, my phone rang. Mindy's frantic voice came through.

"Celine, come back, quick! Julian's stomach is cramping, and he just coughed up blood. Where is his medication?"

Before I could even process whether it was true, I found myself already turning around. After all these years, worrying about him had become an instinct.

By the time I ran back to the restaurant and pushed open the private room door, my fingers were still shaking.

"Julian!"

Everyone inside was sitting exactly where they had been before, smiling at me. Julian, leaning back against the couch, nodded with satisfaction.

After a brief silence, the room erupted into laughter.

"Mindy wins!"

"11 minutes. She's even faster than an ambulance."

"Julian was right. No matter how far a dog runs, one call and it'll come right back."

I stood frozen by the door. It wasn't until I noticed the pile of cash on the table that I understood. The phone call had been fake. It was just a bet designed to prove Julian's point.

Mindy laughed, pulled a thick stack of bills from the pile, and tucked it into a waiter's pocket.

"Here. Get a few extra treats for tonight's best-behaved dog. And open two more bottles for her owner."

The room roared with laughter.

When Julian finally saw how pale I had become, his expression darkened. He stood, walked over, and gently wiped the sweat from my forehead before guiding me back toward my seat.

"Since you're back, stay. Sit with us for a while. When it's over, we'll go home together."

In the past, whenever he treated me with that kind of tenderness, I would've softened immediately. But this time, I suddenly felt that it no longer mattered whether I stayed or left.

For someone who had already decided to leave, staying a little longer wouldn't change the ending.