Chapter 3

Curled up against me, Pumpkin purred softly, leaning into my touch. Meanwhile, Logan sent dozens of texts, none of which I answered. Instead, I simply emailed him a draft of a divorce agreement.

Unable to call through, he texted back: [Nicole, I will never divorce you!]

Staring at the text, an icy chill ran down my spine.

Pumpkin seemed to sense my distress. She meowed softly and nudged her head into my palm. Warmth filled my chest, and holding her close, I finally drifted to sleep.

Early the next morning, I got up planning to look for a new apartment. But the moment I walked out of the hotel lobby, I ran straight into Logan—along with my parents, my in-laws, and several close relatives.

The sight of them made my fists clench. My mother marched right up and slapped my arm hard!

"You foolish girl! What on earth are you doing?! Logan told us you're dead set on divorcing him! Are you having an affair?!"

My mother’s face was red with fury. I snapped, "No! You're my mother—don't you know what kind of person I am?!"

"Then why the hell are you doing this?! Logan says it's all over a cat! Is an animal more important to you than your own husband?!"

Her voice was so loud that a crowd of onlookers quickly formed around us.

My mother-in-law pointed an accusing finger at my face. "You treat that cat better than anything else in the world! We begged you two to have a baby, and you refused! We asked you to travel and visit us, and you refused!"

"Look at what that beast did to Logan’s face! You don't feel an ounce of sympathy for him—instead, you demand a divorce! This is beyond disgraceful!"

I looked past her at Logan. He had brought an entire mob to corner me, yet he stood quietly in the crowd, watching with cold, detached eyes. This version of him felt utterly foreign.

I took a sharp breath and yelled, "Enough! All of you, shut up! Logan, are you even the same Logan I married?!"

"Since you got back, Pumpkin hates you. I can't live with you anymore. We are getting divorced!"

The moment the words left my lips, my mother raised her hand and slapped me across the face!

Smack!

"Nicole! You've lost your damn mind!"

"You had a great life, and you're throwing it all away! You're tearing this family apart over a damn beast!"

"She's right, Nicole," another relative chimed in. "Don't ruin your life over nothing. Where else are you going to find a man this good?"

Surrounded by their relentless lectures and scolding, my head felt like it was going to burst.

My mother grabbed my arm forcefully. "You're coming home with us right now! You have a home—why the hell are you sleeping in a hotel?!"

Inside her carrier, Pumpkin had entered a state of acute stress, howling and thrashing against the mesh.

Seeing this, Logan’s temper flared. "It's all because of this damn animal! If I kill it, you'll finally come home!"

With that, he lunged forward, ripped the pet carrier from my hands, and slammed it viciously onto the concrete!

Crack!

Pumpkin let out a bloodcurdling shriek as the plastic cracked open. As she scrambled to crawl out, Logan raised his boot to stomp on her!

"No! Stop!"

I threw myself over the carrier. "Don't touch her! I'll come home! I'll go back with you!"

I screamed hysterically, wrapping my entire body around Pumpkin. Logan couldn't pull his kick back in time, and his heavy boot slammed into my ribs. Pain exploded through my side.

My mother froze. Logan also stood stunned for a second before hissing defensively, "You're the one who threw yourself in front of that beast!"

Cradling Pumpkin, I glared up at him. Logan looked slightly guilty and softened his tone. "Nicole, come home with me. We don't have to divorce."

I screamed at the crowd around us, "Why won't any of you believe me?! I refuse to live with him!"

"Nicole!" My mother raised her hand again, though she didn't bring it down this time.

"Choose right now: the cat, or your family! If you get divorced, consider us done. We will cut you off completely!"

Hearing my own mother say those words, I wiped the tears from my cheeks. Pumpkin whimpered softly against my chest. I looked around at the circle of bystanders; every single gaze was filled with judgment and scorn.

"Throwing away her family for a pet? That woman is insane."

"Putting an animal over her own husband... look at the poor guy's face. That cat should be put down!"

"Leaving her husband for a cat today—tomorrow she'll abandon her own parents!"

I closed my eyes. When I opened them, I stared directly at the man standing before me.

"I am divorcing you."

"Because you are not Logan."