I glanced at my suitcase and was about to hang up when Lily's anxious voice came through the receiver.
"Alex, Salad's not doing well. We might need Cheese to donate blood again."
Because I was still on the line, Alex instinctively refused.
"Cheese already donated once. Can't you find another cat?"
Lily sniffled. "It's the middle of the night. It's really hard to find one."
Alex sighed. "Serena, just bring Cheese over one more time."
"Is Cheese Salad's personal blood bank?"
I couldn't help it. "The way you play favorites makes Lily seem more like your girlfriend than I am."
Alex's patience snapped.
"It's a cat's life. Why do you have to drag me and Lily into everything? Serena, can you stop making a scene?"
"Even though you raised Cheese, don't forget—I paid for it…"
"If we're really going to argue about who Cheese belongs to, I can pull up the purchase receipt. What can you show?"
I didn't respond.
He'd finally said it out loud.
And for me, it was time to end this.
Cheese was the birthday gift Alex gave me.
When he first brought Cheese home, the kitten probably weighed less than half a pound.
Its body was frail, riddled with health problems.