I Don’t Want the Annoying Cat or the Trashy Man

The young couple next door had a massive fight. In a fit of rage, the woman dumped their cat on my doorstep.
Seeing the poor thing, looking like it hadn't eaten all day, I took it in.
It wasn't friendly with me, but it wouldn't leave my husband alone, constantly rubbing against him and meowing.
That's when I started to get suspicious.
One night, when my husband claimed to be working late, I knocked on my neighbors door.
She answered, one hand resting on her slightly rounded belly. "Mrs. Hammond? What can I do for you this late?"
The challenge and triumph in her eyes told me everything I needed to know.
When my husband, Liam, tiptoed home in the dead of night, he found both our parents sitting in the living room.
And a set of divorce papers on the coffee table.

1.
"Divorce?"
Liam didn't even look at the papers. He snatched them up and threw them at the Ragdoll cat that was currently purring at his feet. "Catherine, are you seriously throwing away seven years of marriage over a stupid cat?"
"If you don't sign, we'll see each other in court."
I said it calmly, then turned to go back to our room.
Our parents stared, stunned.
They couldn't understand how a couple that had seemed so deeply in love just last month could suddenly be on the brink of divorce.
Liam looked down, hiding the panic in his eyes, his fists clenched and trembling.
His parents rushed to block my path. "Catherine, you can't just accuse Liam of cheating because of a cat! Some cats are just naturally friendlier with men. What does that prove?"
"We've all seen how good he is to you. When you had that terrible flu, he stayed by your hospital bed for 48 hours straight. When you fell from that cliff, he sold his company shares, spent a fortune to get you the best medical team in the country."
"Does all of that mean less to you than a cat?"
My own parents chimed in, their voices pleading.
"Where are you going to find another husband as good as Liam?"
"After your accident, you can't have children. Liam doesn't hold that against you. You should be grateful. Don't you see how lucky you are?"
Suddenly, Liam grabbed my hand, his eyes red-rimmed and full of a desperate, all-consuming love.
"Honey, we dated for two years, we've been married for five. We faced death together and never let go. How can you let a cat come between us?"
"Is it because I've been so busy with the company lately? Do you feel neglected?"
"I swear, I'll come home on time every night to be with you, no matter how busy I am..."
Everyone in the room, it seemed, loved me.
My in-laws were kind and educated, and had always treated me well.
My own parents were more practical; they just wanted me to have a comfortable life with Liam.
But the cold resolve in my eyes didn't waver. I pulled my hand from his grasp. "I'll say it again. If you don't sign tonight, we're going to court."
"This is the last shred of dignity I'm offering you."
Liam's eyes were bloodshot. "Catherine, how can you be so cruel?"
"It's simple. Because I don't care about you anymore."
With that, I pushed past them and walked out the door, not wanting to get dragged into any more drama.
I heard sighs of disappointment from our parents, but I didn't slow down.
The Ragdoll cat seized the opportunity and slipped out with me.
I was sitting on a park bench, staring into space, when I saw the cat chasing after its former owner, who was taking out the trash.
The woman, Maya, kicked at its head in disgust, but the cat wouldn't leave.
I couldn't just watch. I went over to intervene, but the cat arched its back and hissed at me.
Maya started to laugh.
"You know, Mrs. Hammond, people are a lot like cats."
"If they don't like you, they don't like you. You can't force it."
I looked at the smug challenge in her eyes, then at her swollen belly, and I understood.
"You're right."
"You can't keep a stray, whether it's a cat or a person."
Just then, Liam came running over, his face a mask of anxiety.
But it wasn't for me.
"Catherine, can you just be reasonable for once? I told you, it's a misunderstanding! The cat likes me, so what? It has nothing to do with our neighbor! It's one thing to make a scene at home, but how can you come out here and harass her? Can't you see she's pregnant?"
He didn't know what had happened.
He just saw me with Maya and instinctively jumped to her defense, casting me as the jealous, irrational wife.
A bitter smile touched my lips. Even if Liam did still love me, it was clear that his love for me couldn't compete with his feelings for Maya.

2.
Fearing I would cause more trouble for Maya, Liam dragged me back to our apartment.
His parents looked furious. They had read the terms of the divorce agreement and had thrown it in the trash.
"Catherine, what is the meaning of this? We've treated you like a daughter. It's bad enough you're divorcing Liam over a cat, but you want to take everything from him?"
"Have we been too good to you? Do you think you can just walk all over us?"
My own parents were flushed with shame. "You've gone too far. We can't support you in this."
I didn't bother explaining. "If you don't agree, then we'll see you in court."
A cheater deserves to lose everything.
Liam's voice trembled with desperation.
"Catherine, are you doing this for the money? You have the passwords to all my accounts. You can spend whatever you want. Isn't that enough?"
Not all his accounts.
He used to give me access to everything, but recently he'd opened a few new cards. I had no idea how much he'd spent on Maya.
I was about to point that out when there was a knock on the door.
Maya stood there, looking innocent and sweet. "I'm so sorry to bother you all this late."
"I saw Mr. Hammond and Mrs. Hammond arguing downstairs, and I felt terrible, thinking it was my fault."
"Mrs. Hammond wasn't really harassing me. She was just upset with the cat, and I tried to intervene. It was my fault for getting involved. She has every right to be angry with me."
My in-laws' faces turned thunderous. "Catherine, you were abusing a cat and bullying our neighbor?"
My parents just shook their heads in disappointment. "Catherine, what has gotten into you?"
They all missed one crucial detail.
"Mr. Hammond?"
"Maya, I didn't realize you knew my husband. All those times we saw each other and you never said hello it must have been so hard for you to pretend."
Maya immediately looked down, like a startled fawn, peeking up at Liam with a look of innocent panic, silently begging for help.
Her right hand, adorned with a sparkling diamond ring, moved to rest on her belly.
A flash of panic and affection crossed Liam's face before he masked it. "I do know Maya. She's a junior employee at my company. I've seen her around."
"I didn't think it was important, and I didn't want you to get the wrong idea, so I just treated her like a stranger. Catherine, honey, please don't overthink things."
I almost laughed.
If he had nothing to hide, why was he so worried about me "overthinking things"?
And how could a junior employee afford a luxury apartment in the city center?
Seeing my silence, Liam's father stood up, his voice booming. "Catherine, if you have proof, I won't say a word about the divorce. But if you're trying to ruin my son based on suspicion alone, I'm warning you, you're dreaming!"
Before I could reply, Maya spoke up, her eyes wide. "Take everything? Mrs. Hammond, isn't that a bit extreme?"
"You may not have been to the office, but everyone there knows how much Mr. Hammond dotes on you, how much he loves you. Mrs. Hammond, could it be that you have another man, and you're using me as an excuse to take Mr. Hammond's money?"
At that, I raised my hand and slapped her, hard, across the face.
"Watch your mouth."
"Liam may put up with your nonsense, but I won't."

3.
In that instant, I saw Liam's hands clench into fists, his eyes burning with a rage I had never seen directed at me.
But he quickly composed himself and turned to Maya with concern.
"Are you okay?"
Her eyes were already red with tears. "I'm fine. I misspoke. Mrs. Hammond was right to hit me. Please, don't be angry because of me."
After seven years together, it was the first time Liam had ever gritted his teeth at me. "Apologize to her. Now."
I sneered. "Why should I?"
"She deserved it."
Suddenly, Liam raised his hand and slapped himself across the face with all his might. Half his face immediately swelled up, red and angry.
"I'll take that for you."
"Catherine, I'm begging you. Please, stop this."
"After your accident, I took care of you, you've been at home all this time maybe it's gotten to you? Maybe you're not well? I promise, no matter what, I will never abandon you."
"I'll give you anything you want. Just please, don't talk about divorce anymore."
"No," I said, without a moment's hesitation.
"Liam, every second I spend with you makes my skin crawl."
His pleading, my stubbornness.
It was the last straw for our parents.
Liam's parents stood up, their faces grim. "If you insist on a divorce, fine! But you won't get a single penny from our family. We'll fight you with everything we have to make sure you walk away with nothing!"
My parents just sighed. "Catherine, you're the one in the wrong here. When you have nothing left, you'll regret this."
But was I really the one in the wrong?
No.
The person I had paid off at Liam's company quickly sent me a surveillance video.
I was watching it in the guest room when Liam knocked.
Fearing he would see it and destroy the evidence, I quickly put in my wireless earbuds and tucked my phone away.
"Catherine, what's the point of this divorce?"
"You can't have children. No family with my kind of status would ever accept you."
I laughed coldly. "And why can't I have children, Liam?"
Because of the accident, in the second year of our marriage.
Liam loved thrills, extreme sports. He always wanted me to join him.
One time, we were rock climbing. He slipped. I took a risk to save him, grabbing his hand. He managed to find a foothold, but I was exhausted and fell.
Everyone said Liam was a hero, that he'd risked his life for me.
Now, he just looked down, guilty and silent.
Through my earbuds, I could hear his voice, intertwined with Maya's flirtatious laughter.
"Liam, that was so amazing! Skydiving is the best. But you know, just taking me out for fun once in a while is enough. Making me move in next door to you isn't that a little risky?"
After the sound of a long kiss, Liam's voice, husky. "That's what makes it exciting."
"Catherine has gotten so boring these last few years. You're the only one who makes me feel alive..."

4.
After gathering enough evidence, I went to Liam's office to check on the company's financials, to make sure he wasn't hiding or transferring assets. The senior partners knew who I was and cooperated fully.
Only Maya, emboldened by Liam's favor, tried to cause trouble, luring me to an outdoor smoking area.
We were alone. She dropped the act. "Catherine, why can't you just be a good little housecat?"
"A useless woman like you who can't even have children Liam keeping you around is a kindness. Why do you have to make things so ugly for yourself?"
I laughed. "Fine. I won't divorce him."
Maya looked stunned. "What?"
I laughed harder. "You're not just a homewrecker, you're an idiot. You're trying to provoke me, to push me into divorcing him so you can take my place, right?"
"But after you marry him, you'll get nothing but a mountain of debt."
"Remember that Ragdoll cat? Your fate will be worse than hers."
Maya must have seen the cat.
It had come back to our apartment, starving, and I had shut the door in its face. It had to fight with strays for scraps of food and was now covered in infected bites, a truly pathetic sight.
The comparison must have struck a nerve. With a snarl, she lunged at me. "You're the one who's about to be thrown out! How dare you curse me?"
I sidestepped her, disgusted.
She lost her balance and fell, clutching her stomach and crying out in pain.
The commotion attracted others. Liam rushed back as soon as he heard, grabbing my arm and trying to force me to apologize to her.
I refused. "She fell on her own. The security camera will prove it."
Liam gritted his teeth. "What are you talking about? There's no camera in the smoking area."
I was about to tell him there was, but Maya started sobbing. "Mr. Hammond, it's not her fault. It's my fault for living next door, for causing a misunderstanding."
"Please, ask her to forgive me. She can do whatever she wants to me, but she can't hurt my baby!"
Liam's eyes widened. "Catherine, you would attack an unborn child? The baby is innocent!"
"Innocent?" I sneered. "We don't even know whose bastard it is"
Before I could finish, his hand cracked across my face.
"You're incorrigible!"
"Catherine, you brought this on yourself! You want to sue? Fine. I'll have my lawyer arrange a court date for tomorrow."
"My family doesn't need a twisted, inhuman monster like you!"
In that moment, we weren't just a couple on the verge of divorce. We were enemies.
And everyone, including my own parents, was on his side.
Before the hearing, they were still trying to reason with me.
"Catherine, are you sure you're not the one who's been cheating?"
"The internet is full of stories about you, saying you're a gold-digging adulteress. Your reputation is ruined."
"Please, come to your senses before it's too late."
Liam's parents wouldn't even look at me. "A snake is a snake. You can't change its nature."
"Liam, when she's left with nothing and comes crawling back, don't you dare take her back!"
Liam himself looked down on me with an air of finality. "Apologize now, and we can pretend this never happened."
"Otherwise, you'll end up homeless and alone."
I said nothing, just looked at the judge, waiting for the proceedings to begin.
And with a single sentence, the judge wiped the confident smirk off Liam's face and sent a shockwave of disbelief through the courtroom.
"What... how is that possible?"
"Liam, what have you been hiding from us?"

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