My Boyfriend's Sassy Cat Exposed His Cheating Ass

In our Snapchat group chat. Maya sent a voice note, her voice sickeningly sweet and babyish: "Chloe, what am I going to do when I move to Chicago? I'm going to miss you so much!" Ethan immediately followed up with a text, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "We should pitch in and help Maya rent a nice apartment. It's not safe for a girl to live alone in a new city." I didn't reply. They just kept chatting away without me. "Ethan, you're not Chloe's husband yet! Don't you dare touch my bestie's money, even if it's for me!" "Oh, stop pretending. Who was the one crying on FaceTime last time because some creep followed her after a night shift? Let's get you a safe place so you don't cry again." "Hmph, and who was the one who used 'chasing away a creep' as an excuse to drink half my bottle of Cabernet, pass out on my couch, and force me to drag him back?" I quietly closed the app. Maya was my college roommate for four years. She came from a poor background, so I constantly helped her out financially. Her favorite catchphrase was always, "What would I do without you?" And Ethan was my childhood sweetheart of over ten years. The only reason they even knew each other was because of me. My phone suddenly buzzed. It was a notification saying my car allocation had been approved. I had been eyeing that dream car for over six months. Finally, I could buy it. As I was planning the payment, the cat's voice drifted over lazily in my head: "Why waste money on a depreciating car? Buy real estate! It's way better!" I froze. "Property in this city? I don't even have enough for a down payment." The cat rolled its eyes, its tail swishing imperiously. "Who said anything about buying luxury condos? Buy the pigsties!" "Yours truly has connections in the feline world. A fat orange cat from the city planning commissioner's house told me that area is about to be acquired for a massive Disneyland expansion. Eight hundred thousand dollars will turn into ten million. Do you get it, dummy?" I stared at the "Congratulations, you're approved!" notification for five seconds, then resolutely canceled my car reservation. Ethan's call came through a second later. He demanded, "Why did you cancel the car reservation?" I realized that since he knew more about cars, I had used his phone number for the reservation updates. Then, his tone shifted effortlessly. "Actually, since Maya is moving to a new city, commuting will be tough for her. Why don't we use that money to buy her a car instead?" Wow. They really were leeching off of me and me alone! How did I never notice this before? Looking back, when Ethan and Maya first met, they acted like enemies, both complaining that the other was stealing my attention. But at some point, their dynamic shifted. Ethan started buying duplicates of everything for Maya. He even invited her to our holiday dinners, Valentine's Day dates, and anniversaries under the guise of "loving me so much that he loved my friends too." Back then, I thought he was incredibly sweet and considerate. Now I realize I was just the shield. On the phone, Ethan was still rambling, making plans for my money. "Out of that $300,000 you saved, give Maya $100,000 for her rent, and use the other $200,000 to buy her a decent car. That should be plenty." I casually replied, "Sure, go ahead and look at apartments and cars for her. I need to take a shower. Talk to you later." Ethan clearly didn't expect me to agree so easily. His voice filled with pure joy. "Chloe, you are so understanding! You're the best—" In the past, when he praised me for being "understanding" and Maya chimed in with "thank you, bestie," it warmed my heart. Now, looking back, that wasn't gratitude. It was them gloating over how easy I was to exploit. My stomach churned, and I felt physically sick. I hung up, opened my laptop, finished the fellowship application, double-checked everything, and hit submit exactly one second before the midnight deadline. Whew. As the "Submission Successful" notification popped up, I took a deep breath. Want to use my spot to get a promotion and a raise? Want to use my money to move in together and play house? In your dreams!

The next morning, I took the subway to the hospital. When I pushed open the office door, Maya was already sitting inside. There was a breakfast spread on her desk—a gourmet sandwich and an iced latte. She was sipping it with a lazy, content smile. Seeing me walk in, she put down her cup and waved her breakfast box at me with a smirk. "My secret admirer sent this over first thing in the morning. He even remembers all my dietary restrictions." As she spoke, she intentionally brushed her hair back, revealing a fresh, dark hickey right above her collarbone. Her voice dripped with braggy sweetness. "Chloe, do you think I should finally say yes to him?" I put down my bag and replied flatly, "Well, you have to take the horse out of the stable to see if it actually runs." Her smile stiffened for a fraction of a second, but she quickly recovered her cute persona, though a trace of smugness lingered in her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll definitely introduce him to you eventually!" Before I could reply, the hospital WhatsApp group buzzed with a notification: The fellowship candidates have entered the final evaluation stage. Results will be announced within two days. Maya glanced at her phone, and the corners of her mouth practically reached her ears. She slid over and grabbed my arm, her tone incredibly light. "Chloe, out of everyone, you and I have the best shot. Since you're not competing with me, I practically have this in the bag. Ethan said he wants to celebrate early tonight. Are you coming?" I pulled my arm back and said coldly, "I'm busy. I have outpatient clinic duty today." She blinked, sensing my sudden coldness. "Why are you acting so weird today?" I walked to the door and threw a glance over my shoulder. "It's time for your rounds." With that, I walked out, not bothering to look at her face. The morning sun beamed through the hallway windows, casting a bright light on my white coat. I quickened my pace toward the clinic. At the end of my shift, Ethan was waiting for me. He leaned against my office doorframe, putting on his usual "peacemaker" attitude. "Chloe, don't be a party pooper." "Even though Maya is leaving for the fellowship, she's going to be all alone there. As her friends, we should celebrate for her and talk about pitching in for her rent." I closed the medical chart in my hands and looked up at him. "The list isn't even out yet. Are you guys popping champagne already?" Ethan choked on his words. Before he could speak, I took a step forward. Catching Maya completely off guard, I ripped open her shirt collar. The dark red hickey on her collarbone was instantly exposed under the bright fluorescent light. "Since Maya has such a passionate admirer who brings her breakfast and leaves hickeys every day, I don't think she needs you running around worrying about her rent," I said calmly, looking back and forth between their pale faces. "If you have that much free time, Ethan, maybe worry about your own business." Maya's face went completely white. She scrambled to pull her collar back together. Ethan's expression froze, and a brief flash of guilt crossed his eyes. I didn't waste another second on them. I turned and walked straight out of the office. Leaving the hospital, I took an Uber straight to the outskirts of the city. I had passed by this area before but never paid attention to it. Now that I was here, it looked even more desolate than I imagined. Abandoned warehouses stood tilted, their rusty metal roofs full of holes. Broken bricks and wild weeds covered the ground, showing faint traces of an old, abandoned livestock farm. A few collapsed animal pens still barely held up their wooden structures, and the air smelled faintly sour. According to the real estate agent, the previous owner wanted to make a fortune raising livestock, but a massive disease outbreak wiped out his inventory, leaving him bankrupt. This land had been a hot potato on the market for two years. I knew exactly what I was doing. I didn't just throw in the $300,000 I saved for the car; I scraped together every penny of my personal savings and even borrowed $400,000 from my parents. With a total of $800,000, I bought this entire desolate farm lot. The moment I signed the contract, the agent handed me the keys, giving me a look that suggested he thought I was the biggest idiot on earth. I took them. They felt heavy in my hand, but for the first time in my life, I felt completely secure.

When I got home, I locked the contract safely in the deepest drawer of my desk. I opened my phone and saw that Maya had just posted on Instagram. Her grid showed a lavish Italian dinner. Wagyu steaks, lobsters, and beautifully plated desserts. Ethan sat opposite her, showing only half of his side profile. Her caption was pathetic: "Is this how friendship ends? We just drift apart? So heartbroken." Underneath, Ethan had already left a comment: "It's okay. I'll always be by your side." As if that weren't enough, he quickly added another comment: "Chloe was out of line today. I apologize on her behalf." Their little back-and-forth made me want to gag. I was about to close the app when the Maine Coon, who was busy devouring premium wet food, suddenly let out a lazy thought: "Short on cash, are we? What's the rush? Did you forget the designer solid gold jewelry set you lent to Maya?" I slapped my forehead. How could I have forgotten about that? Back when we first started working, Maya complained that she was worried her colleagues would look down on her, so she wanted some high-end accessories to boost her confidence. Ethan had chimed in, urging me to lend her my solid gold bracelet, necklace, and earrings for a while. He promised he would buy me a brand-new set later. I hadn't thought much of it at the time, so I handed them over. But Ethan's promises, like all his other lies, were always deferred to "next time." Meanwhile, Maya wore them everywhere without shame, eventually stopped mentioning them altogether, and even secretly bragged to others that they were a gift from a "rich admirer." Gold prices had skyrocketed recently. That set weighed over fifty grams. At today's market value, it was worth a fortune. Since I had lent it to her without a formal agreement, getting it back wouldn't be easy. But I wasn't the pushover I used to be. Whatever belongs to me, they're going to spit it back out! I took an Uber to Maya's rented apartment. The hallway was dead quiet. Just as I reached the door, I heard their hushed voices coming through the thin wooden panel. "Ethan, do you think Chloe noticed something? The way she acted today was really off." "Don't worry. We've been together for two years, and she never suspected a thing. She's incredibly gullible. She's probably at home right now feeding my cat for us." The two let out a low chuckle. Maya's voice turned sweet and smug. "So, do you think she'll really lend me that $300,000? I'm dying to move into that loft with you." "Of course she will. She always does what I say." "Oh, good. I feel so much better now." "So, how are you going to thank me? Hmm? Just with words?" Then came the rustling of clothes, followed by muffled, breathless giggles that made my stomach turn. I sneered and banged on the door with all my might. BANG! BANG! BANG! The loud noise echoed through the empty hallway, triggering the motion-sensor lights on the entire floor. "Who the hell is that?" Ethan's voice rasped, clearly annoyed at being interrupted. "Me! Chloe!" I shouted. Instantly, a chaotic scramble erupted inside. Chairs knocked over, followed by panicked, hurried footsteps. A moment later, the door swung open. Ethan stood there, his shirt buttons completely mismatched. And there were fresh hickeys on his neck.