- 5.
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Purchase completed
My entire family was in the living room when I got back to my parents‘ house. Dad threw a slipper at my feet the second he saw me. “What’s gotten into you?! Breaking up with Matt over something so trivial? Are you out of your mind?!” His chest heaved. My stepmom, Gail, rushed to soothe him. “Calm down, Tom. Lily must have her reasons. Let her explain.” She gave me a pleading look. “What reasons could there possibly be? Matt’s a great guy! He’s always so helpful to us. You’d be hard–pressed to find a better man!” Dad fumed, clutching his chest. After a long silence, during which I just stared at him, Dad sighed. “Lily, honey, good men are hard to find. Someone who’ll take care of you. When Gail and I are gone, it’ll just be you and your brother. He can’t look after you forever. You need someone to look out for you.” He paused. “Matt’s a good kid. He called and explained everything. It was just a few texts, and he gave his ex a ride home. What’s the big deal?” “Dad…” I started, but all I could manage was a weak laugh. A single, raspy sentence escaped my throat. “They slept together.” The room fell silent. “He…what…? He…!” Dad sputtered, clutching his chest again. “That… that son of a bitch!”
760
12.16
2
285 iVouchers
The next day, I went to the vet clinic and picked up Buddy, the fluffy white puppy Matt and I had adopted together. His eyes were like black beans. He’d been at the clinic for a few days because he’d been sick. Now that we were broken up, Buddy was coming with me. I could live without a man, but not without my dog. Before I left for the clinic, I got a friend request: Nina. I accepted without hesitation. Out of habit, I checked her social media. Her profile was set to only show the last three days of posts. The most recent one was a picture of Matt cradling a white cat with an injured leg, a tender smile on his face. The caption read: “Poor kitty. You’re family now.” My heart clenched. The first pet I’d wanted was a white Persian cat with emerald green eyes. I’d loved it, but Matt was terrified of cats. He’d been scratched by one as a child and hated anything remotely feline. So, we’d compromised and gotten Buddy. I silently liked the post and then closed the app, calling a ride to the clinic. When I arrived, a tall, broad–shouldered man was standing at the reception desk with his back to me. Something about his posture seemed familiar. Hearing the chime of the door, he turned around. “Hi, can I help y–Lily?!” His face lit up. “Josh Miller?! You’re back?!” I blurted out, shocked. He was my high school lab partner.
