Philippine Civet Cat

Elena had once believed that silence could mean safety. That a gentle hand and a warm cup of tea placed quietly on her desk every morning could be a form of love. Lucien was never cruel—not in the obvious ways. He remembered how she liked her eggs, noticed when she swapped her perfume, and sent flowers on days he knew she wouldn’t expect them. He raised her like one would raise a pet—softly, without question. And Elena, foolish in the way only the very lonely can be, mistook his quiet affection for devotion. She told herself he was reserved. Mysterious. That love didn’t always wear its heart on its sleeve. But when the old flame returned—the one who spoke his language without needing to try—Elena saw it. The difference. He looked at her like a man who had found his lost religion. And Elena? She had simply been convenient. No tears, no scene. Just papers on the breakfast table, beside the eggs he cooked perfectly. She didn’t accuse or beg. She only asked for freedom. He didn’t sign. He chuckled. A soft, dismissive sound. “A cat raised indoors doesn’t know how to survive on the street, Elena. You’ll come back." But she didn’t. She disappeared, like smoke—except she didn’t vanish, not really. She lived. She wore colour again. Laughed at bad jokes. Let strange men hand her coffee and ask for her number. Lucien? He watched. He watched her become someone without him. And it drove him mad. The night he cornered her outside the gallery, rain in his hair and desperation in his eyes, he looked like a man undone. "Elena," he breathed, "please. Look at me. Just once." She did. Calm as ever, and her love already gone.

Didorong oleh keputusasaan dalam mencari bayinya yang diculik, Adrianna mengumumkan pencarian seorang pria yang dijuluki "Kucing Hitam" untuk menemukan putranya. Reputasi pria itu sama sekali tidak baik, dia adalah pembunuh bayaran yang tidak pernah gagal menemukan targetnya dan kemudian mengeksekusinya. Dengan mempertaruhkan keselamatannya sendiri, Adrianna bertemu dengan Kucing Hitam dan setuju untuk mencari bayinya yang diculik. Seiring perjalanan mereka yang semakin dekat satu sama lain, ada perasaan tersembunyi yang tumbuh di hati Adrianna. Namun, proses pencarian tidak pernah mudah, meski satu per satu benang kusut terurai, Adrianna harus mengetahui kenyataan pahit tentang dalang di balik penculikan anaknya, nyawanya sendiri dalam bahaya besar. Kehadiran The Black Cat membawa secercah harapan ke dalam kehampaan hidup Adrianna yang hampir kehilangan segalanya.