Chapter 9
605words
On the surface, the project looked promising, but in reality, it was plagued with a bunch of holdouts. Even if he could recoup his investment, it would take a long time.
And that was exactly the trap Chris and I set for him.
The old Felix might have seen through it, but the man he was now was nothing more than a gambler. He was just throwing everything he had into a desperate bid for a quick return.
Who knew if he would last that long.
Two months later, Felix was completely broke. He sold his house, cars, watches, and antiques. He even set his sights on the expensive jewelry he had bought for Madison.
That scared her so much that she packed up and ran away in the middle of the night.
Now, Felix was truly ruined, with nothing left.
He was stuck in a shabby rental, working a dead-end job, enduring the scorn of his superior day after day.
The last time I saw him, he was bowing and smiling apologetically.
I gave him a faint smile and rolled up the car window.
As the car drove past him, I knew that our lives would never intersect again. We were on separate paths, moving further and further apart.
……
When it was all over, inspiration struck me.
I spent the entire night in my studio, creating a pair of perfect rings.
I named them "Rebirth."
The upward curve of the rings resembled a pair of wings, symbolizing freedom.
I was completely free now.
By the time I was ready to sleep, the sun was already high in the sky.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
I opened the door to find Chris standing there with a big smile.
"To celebrate your new beginning, I’ve brought you a new baby."
"Huh?"
I looked at him, confused.
He pulled out a fluffy, snow-white Persian kitten from behind his back.
The tiny kitten, as adorable as a little snowball, let out a soft "meow."
My heart melted instantly.
I gently took the kitten from him, and it was just as soft as I had imagined.
The little kitten kept nuzzling my hand and licking me affectionately.
Seeing my smile, Chris relaxed and said, "I know we may never have a child of our own. But since I bought this kitten, I’m its dad. By extension, that means we kind of have a kid together."
He paused, then added, "Or, maybe you could give me a chance to become its legal dad?"
I smirked and said coldly, "I’m going to sleep."
With that, I went back inside. Cuddling the cute kitten, I slept through the day.
When I woke up, the kitten was gone.
I walked into the living room and found that, in just one afternoon, Chris had turned my living room into a full-fledged cat playground.
The tiny kitten looked especially adorable standing in the middle of its new playground.
I played with the kitten as Chris casually sat beside me and said, "You know, you’re not just Felix’s one true love. You’re mine too."
I looked up and met his gaze, filled with such obvious and intense affection that it almost overflowed.
In that moment, my heart skipped a beat.
Finally, I decided to name our cat "Stella."
For the constant light, like a star that would never fade.
……
**Epilogue:**
Ever since he gave me the cat, he confessed to me every single day.
And every single day, I turned him down.
