When He Fed My Cake to His "Dog", I Said Yes

Chapter 2

I was prepping dinner in the kitchen when Felix walked through the door.

He rested his chin heavily on my shoulder, his voice thick and clingy. "Missed you, honey," he mumbled.

"Honey, you didn't even text me once today."

"I was busy," I said.

"Come on, you can spare two seconds to send a meme, right?" He rocked me back and forth gently. "You always sent me a 'miss you' text before, no matter how swamped you were."

I flipped the sizzling steak in the pan and didn't answer him.

Something in my silence must've tipped him off. He spun me around to face him, tilting his head as he studied my face intently.

"What's wrong? Your eyes are all puffy. Have you been crying?"

"No, I just cut an onion. It got into my eyes."

Felix stared at me for a full two seconds, then reached out to pinch my cheek.

"Are you watching another one of those gut-wrenching dramas again? You always play dumb and won't admit you cried afterward."

I ducked out from under his hand, grabbed the plate of cooked food, and headed for the dining table.

"Let's eat," I said.

He trailed right after me, his voice going soft and sulky.

"You're so cold today. Did I do something to make you mad?"

"No."

"Then kiss me."

I froze mid-step.

If this had been before, I would've stood on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek, then watched him break into that shy little smile of his.

But now? Merely thinking about the words spilling from his mouth in that video made my stomach churn with revulsion.

I turned away from him, keeping my eyes from meeting his.

"What flavor birthday cake do you want this year?" I asked.

Felix's eyes lit up instantly, bright as stars. "You're making me one again?"

"Mhm. And this time I'm making it on TV," I said. "A cooking competition show reached out to me."

"The recording is actually on your birthday, so I'll make it right there in front of everyone for you."

"Seriously?" He lit up like a little kid, wrapping his arms tightly around me. "Does that mean I'm going to be the most envied birthday boy in the whole country that day?"

I let him hold me, my arms hanging limp at my sides. I didn't hug him back. "Are you going to give Mia a piece of this cake too?"

"Of course," he said without even thinking twice. "Mia absolutely loves your cake. She licks every last crumb off her plate every time."

"Why don't you just bring Mia home to live with us?" I said. "I'm not scared of dogs."

Felix froze for a beat. His smile shifted, carrying a strange undercurrent I'd never been able to parse before.

"Mia's a big dog," he pinched my nose gently. "I'm worried she'll hurt you."

I nodded and didn't push the question any further.

Three years ago, on his first birthday we spent together, he carried the cake I'd baked out the door, saying he was going to 'let his baby have a taste'.

I asked him what baby, and he told me it was the dog he'd been raising.

I believed him.

Later, I spotted a handful of raw scratch marks across his back.

He said Mia had gotten fidgety in the bath, and scratched him when he turned around to grab the body wash.

I believed that too.

I told myself he just loved that dog so much he didn't want it to feel unwanted.

I also told myself he loved me so much he didn't want a dog to accidentally hurt me.

Now I knew exactly who had left those scratch marks.

And just how stupid I'd been this whole time.

"Felix."

I lifted my head to look at him, a strange, unnameable hope coiling tight in my chest.

"Hmm?"

"Are you cheating on me?"