Paws of Justice

Outside, the typhoon roared like a raging beast, making the windows hum and shake. I wrapped my coat tighter, gripped the nearly torn umbrella, and rushed out into the storm. In a cardboard box at the end of the alley, three newborn kittens were huddled together, trembling. I quickly scooped them up, holding them close to my chest to warm them. "Watch out! A car's coming!" The sudden shout made me freeze in my tracks. A truck sped past, splashing mud right beside me. I looked back but saw no one. Looking down, the ginger cat in my arms stared up at me with big, round eyes, its tail gently brushing my wrist. "Was that you talking?" I asked hesitantly. The ginger cat let out a "meow," and to my surprise, I clearly understood what it is saying, "You idiot, if you'd been any slower, you'd be soaked." I froze, thinking the typhoon was messing with my ears. At that moment, the stray dog in the corner wagged its tail and came closer, its voice rough: "That man lied to you again. This afternoon, he was at the pet store buying imported cat food for another woman." "Which man?" My heart tightened. "The one you keep feeding leftovers to every day—James Cambers." The stray dog licked its paw. "He's not bankrupt at all. Just yesterday, I saw him driving a black car into a luxury neighborhood." I held the kitten tight in my arms, my knuckles white. James Chambers is my husband. Three months ago, he told me the company had gone bankrupt and he owed millions in debt. He left early and came home late every day, saying he was "working five jobs to pay it off." I believed him. I pawned all the jewelry my mother left me and even secretly sold blood to get money for him. But now, a dog told me he's lying. The typhoon still rages outside, but my heart feels colder than the rain. Clutching the kitten, I walked home, surrounded by the sounds of animals all around me. The sparrows in the trees said, "James, the second young master of the Chambers family, went on a date again today with that woman in the red dress." The dog passing by said, "I heard that woman was his high school classmate. She dumped him back then, and now she's come crawling back." "The second young master of the Chambers family?" I stopped in my tracks. "The Chambers family from the capital?" The sparrow fluttered its wings. "Exactly, the Chambers family who run the hotel chain. He's the second son—why would he need to work for others?" I stood in the rain, shivering all over. So all my hard work over the past three months had been a lie. When I got home, James still hadn't come back. I settled the kitten in a cardboard box on the balcony and named the ginger cat Hobbes. Hobbes squatted beside me and whispered, "Tomorrow, I'll take you to his cheat spot." I nodded, and finally, the tears started to fall.