Chapter 185

Orange came to Sebastian when his separation anxiety was at its worst—right after Abigail had been sentenced. He had just learned she would be in prison for three years. That day, his well-managed condition relapsed, and that was when Orange showed up at his doorstep.

It was winter. Orange was curled up at the gate. When Sebastian came out of the yard, Orange wobbled to his feet and walked toward him, meowing weakly.

He was only three months old, had stomatitis, cloudy vision—so pitiful that he reminded Sebastian of Abigail, who was being sent to prison in Daniella’s place.

He took Orange home, had a vet check him, and cared for him meticulously.

The timing was eerie—Orange showed up the morning after Abigail’s sentence, just as Sebastian was anxiously making calls. In the dead of winter, he came into Sebastian’s life.

Thinking back, Sebastian sighed softly. When Abigail finally returned to his side, Orange was gone forever.

He handed the tablet back to Abigail and said, “Have James or Warren print these photos. Enlarge the last two.”

Abigail nodded.

“I’m going to rest a while,” Sebastian said. He had been devastated at first, but after a shower and Abigail’s comfort, he slowly calmed down. But the moment he saw her drawing of Orange, he could no longer contain his sorrow.

After the door closed, Sebastian lay down on the bed but couldn’t sleep. Though he hadn’t rested at all on the plane and was exhausted to the bone, he felt no drowsiness whatsoever.

When Orange first got better, he’d always sneak onto Sebastian’s bed. Sebastian would shut him out of the room, but Orange would scratch the door persistently, making it hard to ignore. Eventually, Sebastian gave in.

Little Orange would scramble up the blanket with all his might, slowly crawl next to Sebastian’s pillow after he fell asleep, and curl up beside his head.

In the mornings, Sebastian would find himself held tightly by a furry cat. He felt helpless, but also happy.

Later, he got used to sleeping with Orange by his side.

He learned a lot about cats, and even hired a nutritionist to prepare meals for Orange. Over time, more cats joined the family.

Orange got jealous, fought with them, and slowly warmed up to them again.

The more Sebastian remembered, the more sleep evaded him.

Three years ago, he had sleepless nights because of Abigail’s imprisonment, constantly thinking of ways to help her. Now, he was once again trapped in pain and guilt—this time over Orange.

He thought, ‘If I had paid more attention to Abigail’s return, maybe Orange wouldn’t have been killed because of my negligence!’

Three years ago, it was the same. He thought if only he had kept an eye on Abigail’s mental state after her return, those terrible things might never have happened. But the truth was, he always seemed incapable of protecting the ones he cared about.

That night, Abigail didn’t stay. She went back to Gibson Villa, not knowing whether Orange’s killer was Daniella or Christian. Drenched in sorrow, she returned to her room.

Stephen stopped her. “Abby, are you okay?”

“Get out of my way,” Abigail said coldly.

“It’s just a cat. Why act like one of your family died?” Christian, lounging on the sofa, sneered.

Abigail shoved Stephen aside, marched over to Christian, and without hesitation, slapped him hard across the face. His expression froze as she demanded, “Was it you? Or Daniella?”

Christian’s cheek burned with pain, but the fury that rose afterward was even stronger. He sprang to his feet, ready to hit back.

Stephen quickly pulled Abigail aside. Christian’s palm swung down hard—onto Stephen’s face. The blow split Stephen’s lip.

Abigail could tell—he’d used his full strength.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Stephen wiped the blood from his mouth, grabbed Christian by the collar, and roared, “Did you kill Sebastian’s cat? Was it you or Daniella?”

“Why the hell would I go to so much trouble to kill a stupid cat?” Christian shouted back.

“Then it was Daniella,” Stephen said grimly, shoving him aside. He turned to Abigail, “How did the cat die? How did she do it?”

“Most likely poison by drone. We didn’t see anyone suspicious on the surveillance,” Abigail answered. She had also checked Daniella’s accounts today—no suspicious spending.