Chapter 1

I have to go on a business trip for a week, so I get a cat-sitter to come over and feed my cat Muffin while I'm away.

But on the second day, when I check the live footage from the living room surveillance camera, I see my fiancee, Kate Swanson's childhood friend Samuel Lambert enter the password for the front door and walk into the house. Then, he throws a grape into Muffin's bowl.

Samuel Lambert raises an eyebrow in the direction of the surveillance camera. "Hey, Jonathan. Muffin is a smart one, isn't it? It's not touching the grape at all."

Then, as I watch in horror, he unplugs the surveillance camera.

I feel my heart sink, and I immediately ask the cat-sitter to head back over and check in on Muffin.

Then, I call Kate and question her. "You gave Samuel the password to our house again, didn't you? Did you know he tried feeding Muffin a grape, and he even unplugged the surveillance camera in the living room?"

Kate answers with thinning patience, "But Muffin is fine, isn't he? Samuel was just messing around. He doesn't mean it. Also, he has already apologized to me. He said what happened with the surveillance camera was just an accident.

"Come on, you're a grown man, so stop making such a huge fuss over nothing. Samuel and I have known each other since we were in diapers. Am I not allowed to talk to him anymore after we get married? Well, I guess Samuel was right. You really are somewhat of a control freak."

That's the 38th time.

I've changed the password 38 times, which is also the number of times Kate has leaked the new password to Samuel.

For some reason, I don't think I'll change it a 39th time.

Chapter 1

After getting home from my business trip, I opened the door to find Kate Swanson and Samuel Lambert sitting in the living room, laughing and chatting away.

There was no movement at the door. Muffin wasn't rolling around by the door, demanding attention while welcoming me home like he always did.

I frowned. "Muffin?"

It was only then that Kate turned around from her seat on the couch to look at me.

She scoffed indifferently. "After a whole week away, you come home, and the only thing you care about is the cat. We have a guest, for goodness' sake. Muffin doesn't like Samuel, so I locked him up in his cage."

I set down my suitcase and went straight to the cat enclosure to check on Muffin.

The little guy looked a little weary, and he rubbed his head against my palm as he meowed his complaints.

When I crouched in front of the enclosure, I noticed that once again, there was a grape in Muffin's bowl in the corner.

"Muffin is a good boy. He never loses his temper for no reason." I took out the bowl, then dumped the kibble along with the grape into the trash can. I had a cold look in my eyes. "Unless someone is actively trying to hurt him."

Samuel's face turned pale, and he subconsciously looked to Kate for help.

Receiving the signal, Kate immediately frowned and looked at me. "Jonathan, it's not that big of a deal. Can you stop fussing over every little thing?

"Samuel was just messing around. Also, Muffin can get used to the smell of grapes so that he won't accidentally eat them in the future. This will do him some good.

"Come on, I'm Muffin's mom. Do you think I'd actually hurt him?"

I didn't bother arguing. Instead, I turned around and went to the kitchen. I opened the fridge, intending to whip up a meal for Muffin.

But when I peered inside, the three jars of pickles that should've been there were nowhere to be found.

In their place was a homemade grape-flavored cake.

I looked around, only to find that the three jars of pickles, which Dad had worked so hard to preserve and deliver, were in the trash can.

The glass jars were shattered from the impact, and the cucumber strips, which had been neatly sliced and arranged in the jars, were buried in between the shattered glass.

My heart sank as I remembered the phone call from Dad a week earlier.

"Jon, remember the cucumbers we planted back home? We just harvested them, and they look plump and juicy. I know you love pickles, so I preserved some and had them delivered to you. Don't worry, I cut out all the watery centers.

"No matter how busy you and Kate are with work, don't skip breakfast, okay? My pickles go best with scrambled eggs and toast."

But I didn't even get a bite of the pickles Dad had carefully preserved and delivered.

Turning around, I went out of the kitchen to see Kate and Samuel lounging on the couch, laughing and bantering.

I asked, "Who threw out the pickles in the fridge? They were from my dad."

Samuel casually turned to look at me. "Sorry, Jonathan. Your fridge is just too small. I can't leave my homemade cake out at room temperature, so I had to make space somehow.

"It's all Kate's fault. When you guys were just moving in, I told her to get the double-door fridge so that I could stock up more of my favorite sports drink and stuff, but she disagreed. She said you've already planned the whole kitchen layout, and it can't be changed, so I'll have to make do with it."

As he spoke, Samuel gave Kate a complaining yet playful punch.

Chapter 2

Samuel continued, "Also, here's some advice, Jonathan. We young people should cut back on preserved foods. The nitrite levels in those pickles are way too high, so you'll get sick if you eat too much. Your parents are getting old, though, so it's fine if they gorge on them a bit.

"Jonathan, you and Kate are getting married soon. Eating too much of this stuff isn't good for your health. Even if you don't care about yourself, think about Kate. You have to be in prime condition to have children, so that your parents can get a grandchild soon, right?"

I stood at the side with a cold expression on my face. I was about to fly into a rage when Samuel suddenly walked up to me.

He grinned, holding a paper bag in his hands. "Jonathan, congratulations on your engagement. Here's a little something for you. See if you like it."

The bag held two bottles of men's maca and zinc tablets.

Samuel continued, "Jonathan, we men wear ourselves out at work every day, so these supplements are perfect for you. You should get your body in perfect condition while you can. When Kate gets pregnant later on, the baby will be healthy too, right? Ah, I can't wait to be a godfather!"

I shoved his hand away. "Thanks, but no thanks."

For some reason, the bag in Samuel's hands dropped to the floor, and the two bottles of supplements fell out.

When Kate saw that, her expression instantly turned cold.

Holding Samuel's arm, she stood next to him and spoke up for him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She looked like she had forgotten that I was her fiance.

She said, "Jonathan, why are you acting like a spoiled brat? Samuel is being nice, isn't he? He specially picked these out for you, and this is how you treat him?"

I stared at the two bottles of supplements on the floor, then let out a chuckle.

I unlocked my phone, then navigated to the neighborhood homeowner's group chat. I tapped open the chat window and slid my phone in front of Kate. "He specially picked these out for me, huh? Isn't that just leftover stock from the pharmacy downstairs that was on sale?"

Looking at the price list the pharmacy staff sent in the chat, I laughed bitterly. "Ten dollars for two bottles, huh? How thoughtful of you, Samuel."

Samuel's face turned pale, and he subconsciously tugged at Kate's sleeve. "Kate, I had no idea…"

Kate seemed a little insulted. "Enough, Jonathan. You're a grown man. Do you have to fuss about every single thing? Samuel's gift may not cost much, but it's the thought that matters. He got you something because he cared.

"Also, what's wrong with ten-dollar supplements? Didn't you literally buy that snack trial pack for Muffin, which cost like a dollar and a half? You've always treated Muffin like your own son, right? If he can eat cheap snacks, why can't you take cheap supplements, too?"

My gaze turned completely cold. I couldn't believe that this woman, who used to care about me so much that she would stay up just to make soup for me when my gastritis was acting up, would say such hurtful things to me.

I took a deep breath, finding the whole thing utterly absurd. "Kate, do you also think I only deserve to take expiring pills that went on sale for ten dollars?"

Kate froze. When she noticed my cold gaze, she instinctively tried to explain. "Jonathan, I don't mean it like that."

The tension was almost palpable. Just then, Muffin jumped out of his enclosure and stopped right beside my feet. He rubbed against my pant leg with worried affection.

Taking out a gift box, Kate opened it and handed it to me. "Jonathan, let's just stop fighting, alright? There are lots of things to settle for the wedding, and I know you're really stressed. That's why I specially picked this out for you while you were on your business trip."

I looked at the exquisite obsidian tie clip lying in the box. I was about to reach out and take it when I lowered my head and noticed something. Samuel was wearing the same tie clip on his shirt, just in a different color.

I said, "Kate, that's very thoughtful of you. You got gifts for both your fiance and your male best friend."

Chapter 3

Instead of accepting Kate's gift, I crouched down and petted Muffin's head to comfort him.

Kate frowned. She had lost all patience, and she was about to explode in anger.

"Jonathan, will you stop making a scene?

"I'm a busy woman, so I don't have time to waste on picking out gifts for men. Samuel was the one who took on the job and helped me pick out your gift. He even said you'll look distinguished in a suit with the obsidian!

"He's helped me so much, so as his best friend, of course I'd get him a gift as thanks. Did that somehow offend you too?

Can't you just let things go for once? Look, I'm fine with your cat, and he can't even talk! I even take care of him like he's my own child, so why are you so upset about my friends?"

After venting her anger, Kate grabbed Samuel, turned around, and left.

I slowly stood up. As I watched them leave, I felt my gaze turn cold.

Kate knew very well that Muffin wasn't just a cat to me. He was family.

He was the only keepsake that I could remember my late grandmother by, so I cherished him a lot.

At 2:00 am, I received a check-in message from Samuel.

In the video, Kate's face was flushed from drinking, and she was lying slumped in the booth. Under the dim lights, I could make out Samuel holding her chin.

"Don't worry, Jonathan. I'll teach Kate a lesson for you. I'll bring her home tomorrow to apologize to you, and she'll swear she'll never lose her temper at you again." Samuel was speaking with an intimate and forceful tone as he tapped Kate's face. He looked very much like her partner instead. "Well? Have you learned your lesson? Are you going to make Jonathan mad again?"

Kate muttered, slurring her words, "I've learned my lesson. No, I won't make him mad ever again."

I felt my heart grow ever colder as I listened to their conversation.

Kate only came home late in the afternoon the next day.

She was holding a takeout box from my favorite restaurant, and there were some rashes on her neck, which were a mild allergic reaction to alcohol.

I never let her near any alcohol because of her allergy.

However, I could see that someone had kept her company as she went all out last night.

"Honey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things about you and Muffin. Consider this my peace offering for you and Muffin." Aside from the takeout box, she had also brought a bag of premium cat food Muffin usually ate.

My expression relaxed a little, and I was about to say something when Samuel invited himself in with a suitcase in tow.

"Kate, did you tell Jonathan about it? You lost the draw to me at the bachelorette party last night." Samuel was holding a pink dare card in his hand, and the suggestive text read, "Stay with your male best friend before your wedding."

"Well, here I am!" With that, Samuel turned to look at me. "Jonathan, it's just a joke between friends. We just wanted to liven things up a little. You wouldn't mind, would you? Kate had promised last night that I could move in today and stay with you guys until the wedding.

"In our circle, we call this a housewarming ahead of time. It's a gesture of goodwill, you see. You're welcome, Jonathan."

Samuel gleefully lugged his suitcase to the second floor as if he owned the place.

I turned to look at Kate, my expression darkening.

Kate hastily took my hand and explained, "Jonathan, please don't get the wrong idea. It's just a card drawing game between friends. It should've been another friend who got the card, but Samuel is really just that lucky.

"Still, I never thought of him as a man, and it's just a bestie thing. No one really takes it seriously. It's the perfect time for you to try and get along with Samuel too, right? You can prove that Samuel and I are really just friends, and nothing will ever happen between us."

Before she had finished talking, Samuel's voice rang out from upstairs. "Kate, what are you spacing out down there for? Come upstairs and help your temporary roommate with the bedsheets!"

Chapter 4

As I watched Kate go up the stairs, I clenched my fists so hard that my knuckles turned white.

I remembered that when we just bought this house, Kate had excitedly hugged me from behind. "Jonathan, we finally have a house of our own! Bit by bit, I'm going to fill this home with our love."

For an entire two years, I painstakingly had this home renovated.

I had always thought this was a private haven for Kate and me. That was, until Kate started telling Samuel the password for the front door.

The first time she did it, she had asked him to get some documents for her. The next time was when she asked him to get a gift for a client.

Then, I slowly noticed that over time, Samuel was putting on my sports shoes, my hoodies in the closet, and even the cologne I had just bought and was yet to open.

Kate kept explaining that Samuel was her childhood friend. I kept changing the password, and she kept sending the new password to Samuel.

It felt like we were stuck in an infinite loop.

And now, Samuel was using that dare card to move into my marital home.

I used to be completely certain of my relationship with Kate, but by the looks of it, our relationship seemed to have hit a dead end.

In the evening, the doorbell rang.

I left the kitchen and opened the door to find an assembly technician standing at the entrance. "Are you Mr. Samuel Lambert? I'm here to assemble the gaming chair you ordered online."

Samuel hurried downstairs in loose loungewear. "It's finally here! I now have a proper place to sit while I play my games!"

Samuel watched the technician assemble the chair, then nudged me in the direction of the kitchen. "Jonathan, I heard from Kate that you make the best beef stews. I'll leave today's dinner in your capable hands!"

From then on, the doorbell seemed to ring without end.

Soon, there was a new dehumidifier, a new projector, and even a new mattress in the house.

Just before dinner, the new double-door fridge Samuel had ordered was moved in through the door. Samuel directed the deliverymen to move my fridge out of the kitchen.

And thus, a double-door fridge was squeezed into the tight space.

"Jonathan, consider this fridge a wedding gift from me to you. We won't have to toss your dad's pickles in the trash anymore. It can even fit my favorite soft drinks and beer!" As Samuel spoke, he had already snapped a photo of my fridge and listed it on a secondhand marketplace.

The price was listed as a mere 100 dollars.

I stood nearby, watching indifferently as the fridge left a deep scratch on the kitchen cabinet I had so carefully customized.

I was about to open my mouth to say, "Samuel, this is my home. I don't need these things."

But then, Kate came downstairs and threw an arm around Samuel's shoulders. "Good job, Samuel. I expect no less from my best friend. Everything you bought is right up my alley."

With each other in a brotherly hug, they went out of the kitchen and headed to the living room to start a two-player game. I was left all alone in my apron, holding a spatula in my hand.

On Monday, I was caught up in the final rush before my wedding leave.

I was editing a proposal on my computer when a male colleague, Ryan Smith, suddenly tapped on my desk. "Jonathan, doesn't this cat look like Muffin? For a male cat of Muffin's caliber, stud service should easily go for over a couple hundred dollars, right?"

I was stunned as I turned and stared at his phone screen.

There was a carefully taken photo of a cute cat on a certain product page, and the details read, "1-year-old purebred male cat, fed on premium cat food and homemade meals, robust physique and gentle temperament, 500 dollars per stud service."

The background of the photo was none other than my own living room, and I could even see Muffin's favorite toy in the enclosure.

A hand was gripping Muffin, and he was helplessly looking at the camera with widened eyes.

I immediately tapped into the seller's page.

There it was, the secondhand listing posted three days ago that read, "Barely used fridge, priced to clear at 100 dollars."

It was my old fridge.

The seller was Samuel!

A new comment instantly popped up on the stud service post. "Can you do outcall stud service at Eternia Heights? I'm in Building 23. My female cat has a bad temper, but as long as the breeding works out, we can negotiate the price."

The seller immediately replied, "Anytime. I have the necessary supplements for the stud cat, and I can guarantee a 100% success rate. Message me if you're interested."

I sprang to my feet at my desk. Tearing off my work badge, I opened the surveillance camera app to see what was going on in my living room.

But according to the app, the surveillance camera had gone offline ten minutes ago.

I said, "This is Muffin himself. Someone sent him out for breeding behind my back!"

I immediately asked for time off, and Ryan accompanied me as I rushed to Eternia Heights.

On our way there, I had a cold look on my face as I called the cops. "Hello, I'd like to report a crime. Someone broke into my home and is abusing my pet!"