Chapter 35
Curtis couldn’t stand another minute in the room. With a huff, he announced, “I’m crashing into the guest room.”
Leanne called Laura for help. When Laura arrived and saw the kittens, she gasped, “Holy cow, how did they get in here with the door shut tight?”
Together, they herded the kittens back downstairs, only then noticing a window that had been cracked open at some point.
“The mother cat must’ve figured out how to open the window and snuck in from the garden. She’s so clever.”
The mother cat inside was scratching at the door, its howls eerie and forlorn.
As soon as Leanne opened the door, the cat’s cries turned into purring sweetness.
Leanne couldn’t help but soften as the cat nuzzled against her hand, looking for affection. She sighed and said, “Planning some murders on Curtis without even giving me a heads-up, huh?”
Laura’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull in shock, thinking she might have heard
wrong.
“Maybe we should just find them new homes. Mr. Curtis is allergic. It’s no small matter. Cat hair gets everywhere, and no amount of cleaning can keep up with it.”
Some colleagues at the hospital had reserved a kitten, and Joy was blasting social media daily to find them adopters, but three were still unclaimed.
The kittens weren’t even a month old, too young to be given away. The mother cat was no spring chicken, which only made finding her home even harder. There was no quick fix for their situation.
Leanne was worried.
“Tomorrow we’ll get some childproof locks for the windows,” she mumbled, stroking the cat’s docile head, her chin resting on her knees.
“It shouldn’t be for too long.”
She and Curtis were on the brink of divorce. If she hadn’t found homes for the cats by then, she’d take them herself.
Laura misunderstood. “Have you already found someone to take them?”
Leanne said, “Change the bedding in the bedroom and give it a thorough clean.”
After washing up and changing, Leanne got herself a glass of water and took an antihistamine to the guest room, tapping gently on the door.
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12:15
“Come in.”
She then pushed the door open to find Curtis stripping down for a shower.
His shirt was undone to the last button, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of his well-defined abs beneath the fabric.
He always kept in shape. Once, Leanne had sneaked a peek at his abs during a quick change and got caught.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “I know you’ve got your eye on my body, but can you keep it together during the day?”
His tone was stern like a paragon of virtue, but by night he’d be guiding her hand, tracing the contours of his muscles.
Leanne set the tray on the dresser near the door, careful not to step inside.
“Take your medicine.” said Leanne.
With the final button undone, his shirt slid off, revealing his muscular upper body. It was a blend of strength and masculine allure.
He didn’t even glance at her as he replied, “I’ll take it later.”
Leanne handed him the pill and water. “Now.”
Curtis gave
her a sidelong glance, took the pill from her palm, washed it down with a sip of water, and only then asked, “What’s this?”
“Cyanide,” Leanne replied dryly.
It was a deadly poison.
A single dose could be lethal.
Curtis chuckled softly. “Is that how you want to get rid of me?”
Leanne took the glass back from him.
She never wanted him dead, but there were moments she did hate him.
Why did he have to treat her this way? Why could he go from loving her to not, so
suddenly?
Curtis had only taken a sip from the glass, much like his approach to women. It was never more than a taste.
Leanne thought to herself, he was always fickle, his passion for any woman fleeting. What made her any different?
She stared at the mostly full glass, seeing herself, a woman briefly loved, then quickly discarded.
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Chapter 35
The only foreseeable outcome was being tossed aside.
“Curtis.” Leanne suddenly looked up.
He had been heading towards the bathroom but now paused, turning to glance at her, “What now? Upset that the cyanide didn’t finish me off?”
Leanne didn’t respond, she just gazed at him silently, her eyes filled with affection.
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