The Cat Who Clawed Through His Lies

My neighbor abandoned her cat. I adopted him.
He was never affectionate with me, but he was always winding around my husband’s legs, a constant, purring presence.
That’s when I started paying attention. One night, when my husband, Mark, claimed he was working late, I knocked on my neighbor's door.
She answered, one hand resting protectively on her slightly protruding belly. "Chloe? What can I do for you this late?"
The challenge, the sheer triumph in her eyes, told me everything I needed to know.
When Mark tiptoed home in the dead of night, he found both our parents sitting in the living room.
And on the coffee table, a set of divorce papers.

1.
"A divorce?"
"Chloe, are you serious?" Mark’s voice was incredulous. "You're throwing away seven years of marriage because of a stupid cat?"
He didn't even bother to read them. He snatched the papers and threw them at the Ragdoll cat, who was currently rubbing against his leg.
"If you don't sign, we'll settle this in court," I said quietly, then turned and walked back to our bedroom.
Our parents stared, bewildered. Just last month, we were the picture of a happy couple, as affectionate as newlyweds. How had things escalated to divorce so quickly?
Mark hung his head, trying to hide the panic in his eyes, his hands clenched into trembling fists.
His parents rushed to block my path. "Chloe, you can't just accuse Mark of cheating because of a cat! Some cats are just naturally drawn to men. What does that prove?" his mother pleaded.
"We've all seen how good Mark is to you. When you had that terrible flu, he stayed by your bedside for 48 hours straight. When you had that fall, he sold company shares, moved heaven and earth to assemble the best medical team money could buy."
"Does all of that mean less to you than one cat?"
My own parents chimed in, their voices thick with disappointment.
"Where are you going to find a husband as good as Mark?" my father asked.
"Chloe, you can't have children after your accident," my mother added, her words a sharp sting. "The fact that Mark doesn't hold that against you is a blessing. You need to be realistic."
Suddenly, Mark grabbed my hand, his eyes red-rimmed and filled with a desperate, all-consuming love. "Honey, we dated for two years, we've been married for five. We faced down death together and never let go. How can you let a cat come between us?"
"Is this because I've been so busy with the company crisis lately? Do you feel neglected?"
"I swear, from now on, no matter how busy I am, I'll be home on time every night. I'll be here for you..."
The room was filled with people who, on the surface, all loved me.
My in-laws, educated and kind, who had always treated me like their own.
My parents, more pragmatic, who saw my marriage to Mark as a ticket to a secure life.
But my face remained a mask of cold resolve. I pulled my hand from Mark's grasp. "Let me say this one more time: if you don't sign these tonight, we're going to court."
"This is the last shred of dignity I'm offering you."
His eyes were bloodshot. "Chloe, how can you be so cruel?"
"It's simple," I said, my voice flat. "Because I don't care about you anymore. Not one bit."
Done with the pointless drama, I walked to the front door and left. The disappointed sighs of our parents followed me out, but I didn't hesitate. I just walked faster.
The Ragdoll slipped out of the open door behind me.
Later, as I sat numbly on a park bench, I saw the cat chasing after its former owner, who was taking out the trash.
The woman, Hailey, kicked at its head in disgust, but the cat stubbornly refused to leave.
I couldn't watch. I went over to intervene, but the Ragdoll arched its back and hissed at me, claws extended.
Hailey let out a laugh. "You see, Chloe? People are just like cats."
"When someone doesn't like you, they just don't like you. You can't force it."
I saw the taunt in her eyes, the smug superiority. I glanced at her pregnant belly, and it all clicked into place.
"You're right," I said. "You can't keep a creature that's determined to be unfaithful. Whether it's a cat or a person."
Just then, Mark found us, his face a mask of anxiety and panic.
But it wasn't for me.
"Chloe, can you just act normal for once?" he snapped. "I told you, the cat liking me is just a coincidence! It has nothing to do with our neighbor! It's one thing to throw a tantrum at home, but to come down here and harass a pregnant woman? Have you lost your mind?"
He didn't even know what had happened. He just saw me with Hailey and instantly assumed I was the jealous wife causing a scene.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. I realized that even if Mark still loved me, that love couldn’t hold a candle to whatever he felt for Hailey.

2.
Afraid I would cause more trouble for Hailey, Mark practically dragged me back to our apartment.
His parents' faces were grim. They had read the terms of the divorce agreement and had already thrown it in the trash.
"Chloe, what is the meaning of this?" his father demanded. "We've treated you well, haven't we? It's bad enough you want a divorce over a cat, but you want to leave Mark with nothing?"
"Have we been so kind to you that you think you can just walk all over us?"
My own parents were red with shame. "You've gone too far, Chloe," my dad said. "We can't support you when you're being so unreasonable."
I offered no explanation, just repeated my ultimatum. "If you don't agree, I'll see you in court."
A man who cheats deserves to lose everything.
Mark's voice trembled with desperation. "Chloe, is this about money? You know the passwords to all my cards. You can spend whatever you want. Isn't that enough?"
Not all his cards. Or, it used to be. Now, Mark had a few new cards, and I could only imagine how much he'd spent on Hailey behind my back.
I was about to point this out when there was a knock on the door.
Hailey stood there, the picture of innocence. "I'm so sorry to bother you all this late," she said sweetly.
"Downstairs, I saw Mr. Crawford and Chloe arguing because of me, and I just felt so terrible."
"Chloe wasn't really harassing me," she continued, her voice soft and apologetic. "She was just taking her anger out on the cat. I probably shouldn't have said anything. It's my fault. She can hit me or yell at me, it's okay."
My in-laws' faces darkened. "Chloe, you abused an animal and bullied this young woman?"
My parents looked at me with profound disappointment. "Chloe, what has happened to you?"
None of them noticed the one, glaring slip-up.
"Mr. Crawford?" I asked, a slow, cold smile spreading across my face. "So, you do know my husband, Hailey. You must have been biting your tongue all those times we passed in the hallway and you pretended not to know him."
Hailey's head snapped down, her eyes wide like a frightened deer. She darted a panicked glance at Mark, a silent plea for help. Her right hand, adorned with a sparkling diamond ring, went to her stomach.

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