Before she could finish, a figure on the sofa caught her eye.
Victoria froze, staring at the man, momentarily forgetting how to react.
Hearing her voice, Dawn left Elias's side and trotted over to her, letting out a soft "meow."
She had thought Elias was long gone.
Maybe she was imagining it, but every ache in her body suddenly felt sharper. Victoria pressed her lips together and glanced at Dawn's food bowl. It was filled to the brim with kibble.
And…
From the time she had spent with Dawn, she knew the cat wasn't friendly with everyone. When Sunny had come over once to pick up some files, Dawn had hidden under the sofa and refused to come out.
But this same shy cat had just been rubbing against Elias's hand.
That meant Dawn knew him.
Victoria's thoughts raced. She turned back to Elias, her voice hoarse. "That night… you were the one who brought her to my door, weren't you?"
When Victoria didn't pet her as usual, Dawn stood up and tentatively pawed at her leg.
Victoria was only wearing a thin house dress. Though Dawn's claws weren't sharp, they still stung, leaving faint red marks on her fair skin.
Elias's eyes darkened. He stood up, grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck, and lifted it.
"I was."
His confirmation made Victoria's heart sink. Her hands, hanging at her sides, clenched into fists. "Why?"
Elias looked at the wriggling cat in his hand. "I got bored of it."
"Meow!" Dawn cried out as if understanding his disdain.
Watching the cat struggle, Victoria was suddenly struck by an image of herself the night before—resisting, yet powerless.
For a moment, she saw her own reflection in Dawn.
And she thought she understood why Elias had left the cat with her.
Because…
He found her boring, too.
In his eyes, she was no different from this cat—a disposable object.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Abandoned Wife Dumped Him First (Victoria and Elias)