My Cat Exposed My Cheating Fiance

For my birthday, my best friend gave me an orange tabby. In the middle of the night, it looked at me, shook its head, and sighed.

Pretty enough to look at. So why's the head not working? Getting stabbed in the back by your best friend and your boyfriend, and you didn't even notice.

I thought I'd misheard. I pulled the resignation form out of the drawer, ready to quit with no notice and go traveling with my best friend.

"You're busy resigning, while Daphne Summers is busy taking your place and getting promoted to General Manager."

"I have to hand it to your boyfriendthat plan of his is genuinely vicious."

"Shame, really. Word from the other cats is that the company you work at is about to close a ten-figure round of funding. There's a fortune waiting down that road."

The voice came into my head again.

My pen stopped. I tore the resignation form to pieces.

I'd just dropped the scraps into the trash when a message came in from Daphne.

Mila Henson, just put down next Monday as your resignation date!

She even sent a photo of her own resignation form.

Right after, my boyfriend Ronnie Gilbert messaged too:Did you fill out the form yet?

I stared at the screen, still not fully able to accept this thing called "betrayal."

After all, the three of us had grown up together.

Daphne had trailed after me since we were kids, and I'd looked after her like a little sister.

When she couldn't get a job anywhere, I brought her into the company, taught her everything hands-on, handed her my client accounts.

She was always thanking me in front of other people.

Ronnie had been saying he'd marry me since we were children, confessed to me at eighteen, and we'd been together ever since.

Almost seven years, all told.

"That birthday bag Ronnie gave you? It's a castoff Daphne didn't want. There's a mark on the inside."

"He's been in love with Daphne since they were kids."

The cat's voice came through.

I hurried to the closet, dug out the bag, and checked it carefully. Sure enough, scratched into the bottom were the letters:xww

Daphne's initials!

In that instant, the last thread of hope in my chest snapped.

So the love and friendship I'd cradled in my hands.

All of it was nothing but empty bubbles

"But that bag is hiding a three-million-dollar prize."

The cat's voice rose again.

My head whipped around.

It had jumped up onto the windowsill, licking a paw, muttering on to itself: "The big white cat at the shop said the brand ran a serial-number giveaway. The winning number is the one on that bag."

"Ronnie didn't leave a phone number at the shop."

"And there are only three days left before the deadline!"

I pulled myself together and scrolled fast through my chat history with Ronnie until I found the address of the brand's store.

I'd claim the prize tomorrow after work.

Ronnie had said he wanted me to put a million down on a place, and he'd cover the rest of the mortgage.

Now I didn't need him for it. I could pay the whole thing myself!

Then, all at once.

Ronnie called: "Mila, are you asleep? Why aren't you answering my and Daphne's messages?"

"Did you finish the resignation form? Daphne says Hawaii's amazingI've already booked our tickets for next week, so don't you dare back out."

Listening to Daphne again.

He'd explained it to me himself once: "We're a couple. Daphne's all on her own, so we should take extra care of her, give her some slack."

I'd trusted them both, so I'd never thought twice about any of it.

"All done. I was just in the shower."

I answered offhandedly.

"Good. We can finally make our childhood dream come true and see the world together!"

Ronnie laughed. "Get some sleep. Love you forever! Love you for ten thousand years!"

His voice was as gentle as ever.

Like he was soothing a baby.

Once upon a time, hearing those late-night sweet nothings would have warmed me through and through.

Now it just made me sick to my stomach.

Starting today, I wouldn't waste one more scrap of time or energy on rotten love and rotten friendship!

The next day.

I set out half an hour earlier than usual, and I'd barely parked the car when I spotted two familiar figures.

Ronnie bent to press a soft kiss to Daphne's forehead, doting as he murmured, "You worked so hard last night."

"Hmph, when do I not work hard? You're like a wolf, like you want to devour me whole."

Daphne let out a coy little laugh.

My hand curled into a fist.

So they'd been tangled up together every single night.

"By the way, tricking Mila into quitting like this, isn't it kind of awful?"

Daphne asked.

"Every man for himself, or heaven and earth will strike you down! Besides, Mila's tough. She'll just find another job. And she's sentimental. She won't blame you."

Ronnie chuckled, then added, "Once we're married, I'm going to use her money to keep you comfortable too."

The hair on my arms stood on end.

This was the man who'd sworn over and over he'd love me for the rest of his life. More venomous than a snake.

Thank god for the cat's warning in my head.

None of it was too late!

I didn't charge over there to have it out with them. I quietly recorded a video instead, then hung around the parking garage another ten minutes before going up.

"Mila."

"Let's go hand in our resignations."

Daphne was already waiting outside my office door, all smiles as she tugged me off toward the president's office.

I didn't argue.

I planned to play this little scene out to the end!

When we reached the door of the president's office, Daphne smacked her forehead. "Oh no, Mila, I think I forgot my resignation form. You go in first, I'll run back and look for it."

"Sure."

I nodded and walked into Mr. Finch's office.

I clearly heard Daphne let out a breath of relief.

She thought the plot had worked.

Mr. Finch waved me warmly into a chair and asked, "I heard you want to resign? You're not here to hand me a resignation letter, are you?"

So Daphne had already leaked the news that I was quitting.

Laying the groundwork to fan the flames for her own promotion.

"Of course not."

I shook my head and handed him a folder.

Inside wasn't a resignation letter, but a marketing proposal for a new product.

Mr. Finch read, nodding again and again, and at the end he gave me a thumbs-up.

"This is good work! Run with it exactly like this!"

"Also, the General Manager of Marketing position has been sitting empty. The company discussed it and decided the role is yours. The appointment notice goes out Monday."

"And if this campaign blows up the way I think it will, the last Executive President slot is yours, no one else's. You'll get a cut of the company's profits too."

I got quickly to my feet. "Thank you, Mr. Finch. I won't let you or the company down."

Walking out of his office, I felt both thrilled and a little shaken.

If I hadn't heard the cat's voice in my head.

I'd have thrown away a bright future.

And by then, who knew how Daphne and Ronnie would have squeezed me out, how they'd have kicked me while I was down.

I went back to my own office.

Daphne used dropping off some documents as an excuse to ask, "Mila, what did Mr. Finch say?"

"Nothing much."

I shook my head.

"He didn't even try to keep you? Wow."

Daphne looked like she was pouting, but a flash of smugness crossed her eyes.

I didn't call her on it.

At the end of the day.

Ronnie had been waiting in the parking garage a long while.

Daphne slid into the passenger seat like she always did, propping her feet up on the dash.

Showing off her legs for all she was worth, not the least bit worried about her skirt riding up.

I used to think the three of us had grown up together, that there could be pure friendship between a man and a woman, and I never read into it.

Now, with even a little attention, I caught Ronnie sneaking glances at Daphne's legs, his eyes greedy!

"Mila."

"Daphne says there's a new steakhouse that's supposed to be great. I sent you the address. Let's go try it."

Ronnie spoke up with a smile.

"You two go ahead. I'm not coming."

I shook my head.

Ronnie blinked, then asked, "Whatever it is, it can wait. Dinner with Daphne comes first."

"Right, right. If you don't come, what kind of best friend are you?"

Daphne was playing the spoiled card.

Before, I might have let myself be talked into it. But now, the way she put it, it sounded no different from emotional blackmail.

"Never mind."

"Something came up at home."

I didn't bother reading their faces. I turned, walked to my car, and drove straight to the brand store that sold the handbag.

"Hello."

"Could you check the serial number on this bag for me? I want to know if it won a prize."

The clerk took the bag, checked it, then smiled. "That's right. Congratulations, you've won three million dollars. Please come with me."

The whole process took less than a minute.

A bank text hit my phone. After taxes, two point seven million had landed in my account.

Still, Ronnie and Daphne would find out about this money soon enough.

Next week, the store would put a sign out front and use it for promotion.

So I called a real estate agent right away and bought the waterfront condo I'd been eyeing for ages.

Paid in full, cash.

Once everything was settled, I took the deed home and filled my parents in.

When they learned Ronnie and Daphne had been together all along, they were shocked, but they believed me.

They told me to do whatever felt right to me.

I'd barely finished dinner with them when Ronnie and Daphne pulled me into our group chat.

Daphne sent a chirpy voice message.

*Mila, you ditched the steakhouse dinner with me tonight, so your punishment is you're paying the bill!*

Ronnie chimed right in. *It's not much. Just three thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight. Just send the transfer.*

Once, I would have figured it didn't matter between friends and just sent it.

But this time I said nothing and went to get ready for bed.

Pretended I never saw it.

By the time I finished my shower and came back, the chat was at 99+.

Daphne: *Mila, why aren't you saying anything?*

Ronnie: *It's been ten minutes. The restaurant's waiting on us to pay.*

Daphne: *Wow, the feelings have really cooled. Can't even bother to reply.*

The last one was from Ronnie. *Mila Henson, you're being so cheap. Forget it, we'll pay for ourselves!*

Only after seeing that did I reply.

*Just got out of the shower.*

But no one answered.

Something like this had happened before, actually. Afterward I'd sent Daphne and Ronnie a thousand dollars each.

That was what smoothed things over.

Looking back now, I'd been so stupid.

This time, I had no time to coddle them. I fed Tangerine a handful of freeze-dried treats and turned to open my laptop and work.

Refining the marketing proposal, prepping for the presentation at Monday's meeting.

Tangerine hopped onto the desk, stared at my screen, and started up in my head again. "Your company's cat says the chairman loves cute pets most, but he keeps up that cold, aloof image, so he's too embarrassed to show it."

"He's always going on about how great it would be if someone put together a cute-pet marketing campaign."

Inspiration hit me all at once.

If that was the case, then I'd give him what he wanted and work cute-pet elements into this proposal.

I worked through the night into morning.

I was about to rest for a bit when Ronnie called.

"Mila, you went too far last night. You actually wouldn't pay. That really hurt."

"Daphne was so upset she cried."

"I hear she had her eye on a necklace at the mall. You should buy it for her."

I almost laughed from sheer anger.

He really was carrying his one guiding principle straight through to the end: spend my money to keep Daphne.

Ronnie kept going. "This is all to protect what the three of us have. Taking a small loss won't kill you."

"Just cover the cost, Daphne stays happy, and I won't be upset with you either."

If I were still in the dark, sure, losing this bond would've broken my heart.

Too bad I knew everything now.

I pushed the feeling down.

"I pulled an all-nighter for work yesterday," I said. "I don't have the energy to go to the mall. You go take a look."

"Great!"

Ronnie thought I'd pay up like a good girl and hung up, laughing.

At the same time, Daphne's message came through: Mila, you're the best! I'm not mad at you anymore, love you, love you! Mwah!

I didn't reply. I tossed the phone aside and went back to sleep.

That evening.

When I woke up, a few more messages were waiting.

Daphne: I found an even prettier one, $28,000. Buy it for me, okay?

Ronnie: No answer, so I'll take that as a yes. Daphne will set up the installment plan for now, and you can come by another day to pay it off early.

Daphne: If it's cleared within a month, there's no interest! Mila, don't forget!

She'd already posted it to her feed to show it off.

Same as always, no mention of who'd paid.

The comments underneath were all envy.

Someone asked if she'd struck it rich, what her salary was.

She replied: Oh, it's nothing special!

Ronnie replied: Daphne's amazing.

Anyone who didn't know better would think Daphne actually had talent.

When really, she'd just been bleeding me dry.

And the necklace I wore myself only cost a thousand or so, while Daphne went straight for a $28,000 one.

Big spender.

She and Ronnie never spent their own money, so they had no idea how much it stung.

But I didn't call it out right away.

I acted like I hadn't seen a thing.

I wasn't going to pay for it anyway, and I wanted to see how a girl who spent every paycheck the day she got it would settle the bill.

Monday.

Daphne wore that $28,000 necklace to work, and made a point of asking me loudly, "Mila, does it look good?"

"It looks good."

I smiled.

Other coworkers caught wind and crowded around her, asking, "How much was this necklace?"

"Twenty-eight thousand."

Daphne answered while gripping my hand.

Her way of telling me not to expose her, to save her face.

Before, I'd cared about our sisterhood and would've kept quiet.

Now there was even less reason to say anything.

Because I wasn't the one paying.

"God, twenty-eight grand?! Daphne, I never would've guessed you were this rich."

"I wish I had your kind of talent."

"Mila, look at your little sister here, then look at yourself. She's way ahead of you."

"Right? You may have brought her into the company, but her necklace alone is worth twenty-eight grand. And you? You've got nothing."

The coworkers chattered over each other, one flattering, one stepping on me.

Daphne didn't say a single word in my defense. She just soaked it up, pleased with herself.

I only smiled.

"Ahem, ahem!"

"Everyone, quiet down!"

Just then, Mr. Finch walked in.

"I'm here to announce the appointment for General Manager of Marketing."

Daphne's smile widened, her eyes lit up, and she couldn't hide her excitement.

She thought the promotion was hers.

The coworkers all turned to look at Daphne too.

Just as certain she was about to be promoted.

After all, word that I was quitting had already spread everywhere, and with the help I'd given her, Daphne ranked second in the department.

But the next second, Mr. Finch looked at me and said, "Effective today, Mila Henson is promoted to General Manager of Marketing."

In that instant Daphne's smile froze, and her head snapped around to stare at me.

Nothing but shock in her eyes.