He Made Me Give Up My Dog, I Left Him

It all started when my fiancé, Milo Zachery, told me that I had to give away Copper, the golden retriever I'd raised for 6 years. I sobbed and begged him, "Milo, Copper's such a good boy. He's family to me." But Milo was dead set on it, trotting out his usual excuse. "I have a severe pet fur allergy. Even a single stray hair can trigger an asthma attack. If you really love me, you'll make this sacrifice for our future marriage." I had no choice but to swallow the lump in my throat, tears streaming down my face as I dropped Copper off at a relative's place out in the country. Milo was satisfied and praised me for being reasonable and mature, then immediately came up with an excuse to leave town on a business trip. Thankfully, the U-Haul driver helped me load up the rest of Copper's things, including his dog bed, and didn't charge me extra for the trouble. While I was settling the bill, I mindlessly scrolled through my social media feed and stumbled across a new post from Milo's recently hired female assistant, Audrey Sinclair. Audrey: [The best things in the world? Cuddling cats and having a guy who's willing to turn into a total cat simp just for you.] Attached to the post was a video. The guy shoving his face straight into a Maine Coon's fluffy belly and scroooching back and forth was Milo. I stared at my phone screen, frozen solid for what felt like ages. I'd been staring so long that the driver eventually handed me a tissue. "Hey, kiddo, I know it sucks giving up your dog, but let me tell you something. Some people? They're way worse than dogs. Better to figure that out now than later, yeah?" Only then did I realize my face was streaked with tears. I gave the driver a wobbly smile. "Yeah. Dogs are loyal." Too bad Milo wasn't. ***** "Thank you, sir." I crumpled the tissue in my hand, my voice barely above a whisper. The driver sighed and started up the U-Haul van. "Take it easy, okay? It's not the end of the world." I stood outside my relative's country home, watching Copper spin around excitedly in the dirt. He had no idea I'd just left him here. He had no idea I'd given him up. I pulled out my phone and dialed Milo's number. The phone rang for so long that I thought he wasn't going to answer. Then, finally, the call connected. "Yes?" His voice was clearly annoyed. "Milo, I just dropped Copper off." I did my best to keep my voice steady, refusing to let even the slightest c***k reveal how I really felt. There was a lot of noise in the background on his end. "Good. So why are you wasting my time calling just to report something so trivial?" "Where are you right now?" I asked. "I told you already. I'm out of town on a business trip. I'm at a project site right now." Milo sounded so sure of himself. If I hadn't just seen Audrey's social media post, I probably would've felt sorry for him for running around so much for work. "Really?" I nudged a small pebble with the toe of my shoe. "How's the site looking?" "It's fine. Just a little windy out here. I've gotta go. I have a meeting with the partners soon." "Meow..." A faint but unmistakable cat's meow drifted through the phone. Milo's breath caught. He immediately coughed twice, clumsily trying to cover it up. "Where's that cat coming from?" I asked. "Some stray by the road. There are tons of strays around here. Anyway, I've gotta go." Beep. Beep. Beep. He hung up without another word. I stood there in the wind, staring at the black screen. 6 years together, and in the end, it had all been worth less than a cat. I hailed a cab and headed straight for the new apartment we'd planned to move into after our wedding. We'd split the cost of the place, and I'd personally overseen every little detail of the renovation. When I reached the door, I automatically pressed my finger against the fingerprint lock. "Beep, beep. Fingerprint not recognized." I blinked in confusion and tried another finger. "Beep, beep. Fingerprint not recognized." I frowned and entered the passcode we'd set using the date we started dating. "Incorrect passcode." He'd reset the entire lock. I stood in front of the apartment I'd helped pay for, suddenly feeling like a complete stranger. I called the property management office. "Mr. Wallace, is there something wrong with my door lock?" "Oh, Ms. Morgan! Mr. Zachery contacted us this morning. He said he was upgrading the lock system and reset all the settings himself." "Did he change it by himself?" "Yes. A lady called Ms. Sinclair was with him at the time. Mr. Zachery said she'd be stopping by often to pick up documents, so he added her fingerprint to the lock, too." My fingers tightened around my phone until my knuckles turned white. "Got it. Thanks." I called a locksmith. He worked fast. In less than 10 minutes, he'd picked the lock. The second I swung the door open, an unfamiliar perfume hit me. A brand-new pair of pink women's slippers sat on the entryway shoe rack. I'd seen Audrey post a picture of those exact slippers on social media the day before. I walked into the living room. A few long cat hairs were scattered across the silk sofa I'd spent ages picking out. On the coffee table sat half a cup of leftover bubble tea, right beside a brand-new litter box. Milo was supposed to have a severe allergy to animal fur. If Copper shed even a single hair, he'd pull on a mask and tear into me for being a slob. And now he was letting a Maine Coon roam all over our future wedding home. I headed for the bedroom and pushed open the door. An opened bottle of men's cologne sat on my vanity. It was the birthday gift Audrey had given him. I'd gotten into a huge fight with him over that exact bottle. He'd brushed me off back then. "It's just a gift from a coworker. I don't want to waste it. Stop making a big deal out of nothing." Now that same bottle was sitting right there in plain sight, on my vanity. I didn't cry. I'd shed my last tear when I dropped Copper off at my relative's place. I pulled out a large black garbage bag. I marched over to the couch and tossed those pink slippers straight into it. Next went the half-finished bubble tea from the coffee table. Then the perfume from the bedroom. I started sorting through my own belongings one by one. Clothes. Jewelry. Books. I didn't plan on taking much. Just the things that mattered most: my ID and official documents, along with the property purchase contracts. I was halfway through packing when I heard a clatter at the front door. The keypad beeped sharply, chiming to confirm that the lock had been opened. The door swung open. Milo's voice drifted in from the entryway. "Audrey, your cat's such a little troublemaker. Don't let him climb on the bed next time, okay?" It was a rare, indulgent tone I'd almost never heard from him before. "Aww, Mr. Zachery, he just likes you that much!" Audrey giggled, her voice dripping with sweetness. I stood in the bedroom doorway, watching the two of them slip off their shoes. Milo lifted his head. His eyes locked straight onto mine. The smile froze on his face.