I watched the traffic and asked him, "Betting with the name on the wedding invitation. Was that fun?"
There was a beat of silence on his end, then the clink of glasses again. Felix sounded like he was laughing. "The invitations haven't been printed yet. I'll change it back tomorrow, it's nothing. Kate just got back from overseas, everyone was only teasing her for fun."
I said, "So my dignity is just a chip you all throw down to keep her happy?"
Felix clicked his tongue. "You're about to become Mrs. Gilbert, and you can't even find this much room in your heart? Kate's health is fragile. She only wanted to wear a wedding gown once, to have that dream come true."
On the other end, Kate spoke up softly. "Felix, please don't fight with Stacy because of me. I'll just take off the gown and give it back to her."
Felix's voice went gentle at once. "It's not your fault. She's been in a mood lately."
I looked down and saw Kate's post had updated again. Beside two movie tickets was Felix's hand resting on the steering wheel.
That Cartier watch on his wrist. I'd bought it after half a year of working side jobs on top of my hours at the pet rescue shelter, grinding through night after night.
The caption read: 【For all the days ahead, thank you for always being the one I can fall back on.】
When Felix spoke to me again, his patience was gone. "Stacy, can you stop being such a killjoy? You're out of your mind."
The call cut off. Standing there at the corner, I wiped out three years of photos from our joint account in one tap.
My phone buzzed again. Felix had sent over five thousand two hundred dollars, with a note: "Buy yourself a bag. Quit making a scene."
Standing in front of the subway turnstile, I sent the transfer back, then set Felix's profile to Do Not Disturb.
A message came through fast. "Stacy, that's enough. I'm handing you a way out, so take it. Don't push me till I lose my patience."
I gave a cold laugh and didn't reply.
That night I went back to the newlywed apartment and started packing up my things.
Boxes were stacked in the corner. I tossed my shelter ID badge into one of them.
Because of one line from Marina—"a Gilbert daughter-in-law hanging around with strays all day is beneath us"—I'd handed in my resignation to Rachel just last week.
Looking back now, it was almost funny.
I was bending down to dig out the tape when Felix's video call suddenly popped up.
I hit accept. On the screen were the warm-lit shelves of an upscale pet store.
Kate stood beside him holding a ragdoll cat, and Felix had a bag of imported cat food in his hand, his brow slightly furrowed. "Why won't you take the money?"
I ripped off a strip of tape. "Don't need it."
Felix's voice turned cold. "You don't need it? Is that salary of yours enough to cover the breakup penalty? Don't make yourself look pathetic just to spite me."
Kate leaned in toward the camera, her eyes reddened at just the right moment. "Stacy, is it because I tried on the wedding gown yesterday that you're angry with Felix?"
I looked at the cat in her arms and said quietly, "There's discharge in its ear. You shouldn't just be busy taking pictures. Get it checked first."
Kate's expression stiffened for a second, and Felix immediately blocked the camera. "Can you not talk to a person like you're training some animal?"
My hand on the tape went still.
He used to love watching me tend to animals' wounds. He said that when I bent my head over them, my whole self seemed to glow.
Kate bit her lip. "It's all my fault. My health isn't good, and I got fixated on wearing a wedding gown. I'll delete the photos right now."
Felix reached up and pulled her in by the shoulder, his tone softening. "Delete nothing. You did nothing wrong."
When he turned back to me, he went cold again. "Stacy, look at how understanding Kate is, then look at yourself. So petty it wears everyone out."
I closed the box and said, "The two of you suit each other."
Felix acted like he hadn't understood. After two seconds of silence, he laughed. "Fine, keep up the act. Tomorrow I'll have my assistant reprint the invitations."
I hung up the video. A new message popped up in the Gilbert family group chat.
