The hurt washed over the girls heart like a cold English drizzle.
Oliver shut the flat door with a sigh, slumping onto the sofa. Inside, he was boilinganger and confusion bubbling like an overfilled kettle. Just moments ago, hed had a blazing row with his girlfriend, all because of a scrappy little street kitten.
The last half-hour had flown by in a whirl of sharp words, accusations, and flimsy defences. It felt like the rug had been yanked from under him, leaving nothing but a heavy ache in his chest.
Emily had always drawn him in with her kindness, her softness, the way she made everything feel effortless. Theyd been perfect togetheruntil recently, when shed started drifting away, consumed by some stray shed scooped up off the pavement.
At first, Oliver had brushed it offwomen loved animals, especially the sad-looking ones. But soon, her obsession took a worrying turn. Every conversation revolved around vet visits, medicine schedules, and fretting over the kittens health. It was as if all the warmth shed once poured into him had been redirected to this sorry little ball of fur.
When the argument finally blew up, Oliver didnt hold back. The kitten was taking up more space in her life than he was. Pouring time and money into a half-blind creature? Pointless. Why not get a proper, healthy catone that wouldnt be a constant drain?
Emily, of course, didnt take it well. She called him cold, heartless, blind to what really mattered. The harder he argued, the clearer it becamethey were on completely different pages.
It had started like any other morning. Emily had heard a pitiful mewing outside her London flat and, thinking it was the wind, nearly ignored it. But curiosity got the better of her, and there he wasa tiny, shivering scrap of fur, filthy and frail, with crusted eyes and a nose raw from infection. She wrapped him in her jumper and rushed to the vet, where the diagnosis was grim: a severe eye infection, likely to leave him blind. Treatment would be expensive, and even then, there were no guarantees.
But Emily wasnt one to back down. She spent a small fortune on meds, drops, and check-ups, patiently nursing the kitten back to health. A month later, the infection was gonebut his sight wasnt coming back. Friends suggested rehoming him, even putting him down. “Why torture the poor thing?” theyd say.
Emily wouldnt hear it. Shed saved him once; she wasnt abandoning him now. And so, Whiskers became a permanent fixture in her life.
The first few days were chaosbumping into furniture, misjudging jumps, the occasional tumble. But Whiskers was clever. Within a week, hed mapped out the flat, dodging obstacles like a furry little ninja. Soon, he was using his litter box perfectly and nosing his way straight to his food bowl.
More than that, he had a knack for comfort. If Emily sat down, he was in her lap in seconds, purring like a motor. If she was upset, hed press close, as if to say, “Ive got you.”
Everything was fineuntil Oliver blew up about it. He called her foolish for wasting money on a “lost cause.” A healthy pedigree wouldve been a better investment, he said.
The words stung. How could he not see what Whiskers meant to her? She tried explaining, but Oliver just scoffed and left, muttering about wasted effort.
Thats when it hit her. The real blind one wasnt Whiskersit was Oliver, unable to see the worth of loyalty and love wrapped in a small, imperfect package.
The breakup was quiet, painless. Emily didnt need someone who couldnt appreciate kindness. And as for Whiskers? Well, he was all the company she neededa tiny, purring reminder that some things were worth fighting for.
