I placed Cheese in the carrier and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Alex blocked my path.
I ignored him and changed direction.
He grabbed my hand, his expression strained. "Alright, Serena, it was wrong of me to bring Cheese here without telling you. I won't do it again. If I do, you can beat me to death."
He took my hand and made it pound against his chest.
He used to say things like this back when we were good—back when I'd playfully raise my fist and pretend to hit him.
Now I just shook him off.
Alex frowned. "Lily and I both apologized. You should be satisfied now, right, princess? It's hard to get a car right now, and most drivers won't take pets. I'll drive you back."
I checked the ride-hailing app—orders were backed up for miles. In the end, I got in his car.
But just as Alex opened the front passenger door, Lily slid in ahead of me.
"Serena, I get carsick. You don't mind if I sit up front, right?"
Watching how natural she looked, I thought of yesterday—how the front seat had already been adjusted when I sat there.
Then I looked at the four words stuck to the dashboard: Wife's Exclusive Seat.
Back when I helped Alex buy this car, he'd put that sign there himself. Promised me no one else would ever sit in that seat.
He'd probably forgotten all about it.
"Serena, it's not convenient for you anyway," Lily added. "Sitting in back is perfect—you can look after Cheese."
I ignored her and spoke only to Alex. "Drop me and Cheese off first. She's stressed."
Alex grunted in acknowledgment, but halfway there, Lily suddenly asked him to pull over.
"Alex, the doctor said Salad's not doing well. Let me off—I need to go check on her. I won't be able to relax otherwise."
Alex sighed and eased the car to the curb.
Lily cried and fumbled with her seatbelt, flustered—yet made no move to actually get out.
Sure enough, Alex caved. "Serena, how about we take Lily back to the hospital first, then head home? She's a girl, and she's not in a good headspace right now. I can't let her go back alone."
I said nothing. I just opened the back door and stepped out.
Someone who actually wants to leave doesn't hesitate like that.
"No need to drive me. I'll get there myself." I slammed the door shut.
Alex sighed. "What are you making a fuss about now?"
Before I could respond, Lily cut in, voice trembling. "Serena seems upset. Go comfort her. You spoiled her."
Alex rolled up the window, hit the gas, and sped off in a cloud of dust.
I blinked back tears and opened the app again.
After adding a hundred-dollar tip, I finally got a ride to Cheese's regular vet. A familiar doctor ran a full panel of tests.
"She's anemic, and there are signs of mild recurring inflammation around her pancreas. Combined with the blood donation, her body's stress response is significant." The doctor pulled up the results. "It's not critical, but she'll need to stay for observation—two days, IV fluids, nutritional support."
I exhaled slowly.
