**Whiskers is Gone**
“Emily, are you home?” Oliver burst into the flat and froze when he saw his wife in the hallway. She was crouched on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. “I couldnt understand a word you said. You were crying so hard, and then your phone died. What happened, Emily? You look devastated.”
“Whiskers is gone” Emily barely managed to whisper. “Hes not here.”
“Gone?!” Olivers voice cracked. “How? Where could he have gone? Maybe hes hiding somewhere in the flat?”
“No. Your sister Victoria She said he ran out into the hall when she took little Alfie out for a walk. But you know Whiskers, Oliverhed never bolt outside on his own. Why would he? After what happened to him out there I think she let him out on purpose.”
“What?!” Olivers hands clenched into fists. “Where is she? Wheres Victoria now?”
“Said she went to the shops I dont know. Ive been searching everywhere, but no ones seen him. How could anyone be so cruel, Oliver? To throw a helpless creature out in the cold. In winter. What kind of person does that?”
“A decent one wouldnt. But Victoria Victoria would. Especially after last time. Dont worryshe wont set foot in this flat again. And Ill find Whiskers.”
—
**A Month Earlier**
Oliver was walking toward the bus stop when he spotted something grey beneath the snow. At first, he thought it was just a stoneuntil he noticed it trembling like an old refrigerator on its last legs.
Curiosity got the better of him. He stepped off the path and crouched down.
Thats when he saw it: a tiny grey kitten, barely alive, shivering in silence. It didnt meow, didnt beg for help. Just lay there, resigned to the cold.
Heart pounding, Oliver scooped up the kitten, brushed off the snow, and tucked him inside his coat. He barely made the bus, holding the tiny creature close.
Emily had wanted a cat for agesa grey tabby, just like this one. Theyd talked about visiting a shelter, but life kept getting in the way. Now, fate had dropped one right into his hands.
“Emily, Ive got a surprise for you,” he announced as he stepped inside.
“Oh, youve been spoiling me lately,” she laughed, meeting him in the hall. “First those earrings, then the phone Id been eyeing, now cinema tickets. Whats nextskiing in the Alps?”
“Better!” Oliver unzipped his coat and produced the kitten. “Found him outside. Isnt this exactly what you wanted? A little grey tabby?”
Emily gasped. “Hes freezing, poor thing!” She whisked him into her arms. “Get yourself warmed updinners ready.”
And just like that, Whiskers became part of their family.
—
**Two Weeks Later**
A loud knock shattered the early morning silence.
“Who the hell is here at half six on a Sunday?” Oliver rubbed his eyes, glaring at the clock. It was still dark outside.
“Maybe the neighbors?” Emily murmured, half-awake.
But when Oliver opened the door, his sister Victoria stood therewith her five-year-old son, Alfie, and a suitcase.
“Surprise!” she chirped. “Mind if we stay a bit?”
Olivers jaw tightened. “You shouldve called.”
“Oh, dont be such a stickler. Ive been kicked outJason found some tart, can you believe it? Ive nowhere else to go.”
Emily, ever kind-hearted, convinced Oliver to let them stay.
Bad move.
Victoria immediately complained about Whiskershis nighttime zoomies, his “staring problem,” even blaming him for Alfies sniffles.
“Its allergies!” she declared. “You need to get rid of that cat.”
“Over my dead body,” Oliver snapped.
—
**New Years Eve**
Olivers phone rangEmily, crying so hard he couldnt understand her. He raced home to find her crumpled in the hallway.
“Whiskers is gone.”
Victorias doing. He knew it.
He turned the flat upside down. Nothing.
When Victoria returned, smug as ever, he didnt bother arguing. Just tossed her suitcase out and drove her to the station.
“Go to Mums, go to hellI dont care. But youre dead to me.”
That night, as midnight approached, Emily and Oliver sat in heavy silence.
Thena scratch at the door.
Oliver flung it open.
There stood Whiskers, frostbitten but alive.
Emily burst into tears, clutching him to her chest.
As fireworks lit up the sky, Oliver popped the champagne.
They say how you spend New Years sets the tone for the rest of it.
Turns out, Whiskers wasnt the only new beginning in their home.
Emily didnt know it yet.
But Whiskers did.
When she held him close, he felt itthe quiet pulse of a new life growing inside her.
