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

Chapter 4

The night before the live broadcast, for once, Felix came home early.

He stepped through the door holding a bouquet of tulips, soft pale pink, my absolute favorite.

"Honey," he said, tucking the flowers into my arms. "I walked past a flower shop today, and the second I saw them I knew they'd look perfect on you."

I took the bouquet and dipped my head to breathe in their scent.

"Thanks."

"No need to be polite around me."

He grinned and ruffled my hair, his tone casual, like nothing was wrong at all.

"Hey, how's my birthday cake coming along? Mia can't wait to dig in, you know."

The second that name left his mouth, his whole face lit up.

I'd once mistaken that glow for tenderness, but I knew better now. It was a sick, twisted glint of obsession.

I lifted my chin and gave him a smile. "You'll see it on TV tomorrow."

"Keeping secrets from me, huh?"

He pinched my cheek lightly. "Well, I'll just have to look extra close then."

I didn't pull away, didn't say a word. I just kept smiling back at him.

Satisfied, Felix let go and wandered off to the bathroom humming a tune, ready for his shower.

The second the rush of water kicked in, the smile on my face started to fade, bit by bit, until it was gone completely.

I glanced down at the tulips in my arms.

Droplets of water still clung to the petals, so fresh they might as well have been plucked from the stem that morning.

What a waste.

Flowers this beautiful should never have ended up in the hands of a monster like him.

Early the next morning, I finished my makeup and headed to the TV station.

The live broadcast studio was far bigger than I'd expected.

The lights, the camera rigs, the audience seats. Everything was ready.

I stepped behind my baking station, where all my ingredients and tools were already laid out neatly.

The director gave me a gesture, and the recording started.

I smiled straight into the camera.

"Hello everyone, I'm Isabella Reed, a pastry chef. Today I'm going to make a very special cake for a very special person."

A few comments popped up on the live stream chat:

A: [Damn, you're gorgeous, queen!]

B: [Pastry chef? She's definitely got skills!]

C: [A special person? Is it her boyfriend?]

I stared at the words scrolling by and whispered the question in my head.

'Felix, are you ready for this?'

Then I dropped my gaze and got to work.

Sifting flour, cracking eggs, melting chocolate.

Every move I made was sharp, clean, and steady.

I didn't spare a glance for the chat. My full attention was locked on the cake base in my hands.

I piped layer after layer of buttercream frosting.

When I was done, I spun the cake around and held it straight toward the camera.

The entire studio went dead quiet.

The cake was shaped like a large piece of dog feces.

The brown frosting coiled round and round in a sloppy spiral, and at the top I'd even shaped a small drooping blob. It was so sickeningly realistic that it almost made viewers' stomachs turn.

And on the white chocolate plaque at the base, I'd piped a neat line of words in dark chocolate frosting:

To my ex-husband Felix and his dog.

The director froze mid-gesture.

The entire audience drew a sharp collective gasp.

The comment section exploded instantly.

A: [Ex-husband???]

B: [What did I miss??]

C: [Wait, that shape...??]

I didn't give anyone time to process what they were seeing.

I pulled out her phone from my pocket and turned it on.

The pre-tuned live venue screen lit up instantly.

On the screen, Felix was squatting on the floor, feeding spoonful after spoonful of cake to a woman wearing a dog costume.

The chat completely lost it.

I turned to face the nearest camera and said every word clearly, "Felix, every cake you ever took from me was made with my whole heart. This one? It's your final gift from me."

The camera panned to the back row of the audience.

Seated there were family members specially invited by the production crew.

Felix sat there, face bone-white, lips trembling uncontrollably.