My Husband’s Ex Lived in My House for Three Years Chapter 02
Meanwhile, I had already started a new life and settled into a steady routine at my family’s company.
That evening, when I walked out the front doors after work, I saw a black Maybach parked at the curb.
Lucas climbed out with something cradled in his arms and came striding toward me.
A second person trailed behind him. It was Hannah.
She wore a cream trench coat and jogged after him in her heels.
It wasn’t until Lucas stopped in front of me that I realized what he was carrying.
It was Duffy.
The Ragdoll lay curled in the crook of his arm with his blue eyes half shut.
His coat had gone dull, and he’d lost weight all over. He drooped there limply, and he didn’t even twitch his tail.
“Caroline, something’s wrong with Duffy lately. He won’t eat,” Lucas said, his voice tight with worry.
“He was fine when he lived with us. The second his home changed, he ended up like this. Can you take a look and figure out what’s going on?”
Hannah caught up and stood at his side. She reached out and stroked Duffy’s back gently, her face full of concern.
“That’s right, Ms. Langley. He won’t even touch the food I used to feed him. You were always the one who took care of him, so you must know what to do, right?”
I looked at the two of them and kept my voice cold. “If the cat’s sick, take him to the vet. I’m not an animal doctor.”
Lucas’s frown deepened. “Caroline, now isn’t the time to be stubborn.”
“You were always the one who looked after Duffy. You know what he eats, what he drinks, where his medicine is…”
He didn’t get to finish.
Duffy suddenly struggled upright in his arms, kicked his legs at the air, and with one hard twist, he leaped free.
“Duffy!” Hannah cried out.
Duffy landed lightly on the ground, stumbled a step, and then walked toward me.
He was so thin that his gait wobbled, but he made it to my feet anyway, rubbed his head against my shin, and let out a small, hoarse meow.
That cry sounded like it was asking why I’d taken so long.
I looked down at him. Animals held on to the past better than people did.
I crouched and ran my hand over Duffy’s head. His ears twitched, and he pressed into my palm and let out another soft meow.
“You’ve lost so much weight,” I said quietly, my voice nothing like it had been a moment ago.
Then I lifted my head and looked at Hannah.
“A cat can’t eat too much canned food, especially one that never had much before.”
“You’ll wreck his stomach. Soak the kibble until it’s soft, and keep the water warm, not too hot and not too cold.”
“Every morning he needs a quarter of a stomach tablet, crushed and mixed into his food.”
When I finished, I moved my hand off Duffy’s head.
After three years with Duffy, how could I not feel anything for him?
He just wasn’t mine.
Hannah stepped up, bent down, and lifted Duffy straight out from beside my feet.
Her grip squeezed his body too hard, and he let out a low, uncomfortable cry and kicked his legs a few times, but she didn’t loosen her hold.
She clutched the cat tight against her chest with a polite smile fixed on her face.
“Ms. Langley, thank you for telling me all this. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Then she turned to Lucas. “Lucas, let’s go back.”
Lucas’s gaze stayed on me. He looked like he wanted to say something and couldn’t.