Chapter 1

My husband, Nathan, was never a romantic man. He never surprised me.

If I wanted flowers or a gift, I had to ask for them directly.

And even when I spelled it out clearly, Nathan still failed to deliver.

He always said,

"I'm just not a romantic guy. I don't know how to do surprises, and I don't know how to love someone."

My friends told me he was just practical, that it wasn't a bad thing.

So I comforted myself and quietly buried my expectations.

Then one day, Nathan brought a cat home out of nowhere.

It belonged to his student, Chloe.

Nathan didn't know what kind of canned food the cat liked, so he bought every single flavor from the pet store.

He ordered cat trees and endless toys online.

He rarely used social media, yet he followed a viral TikTok trend and bought a giant frozen winter melon just to keep the cat cool in the heat.

Cats can't talk.

Yet Nathan went out of his way to learn everything it liked and disliked through his actions.

In that moment, I realized something chilling. Nathan didn't lack the ability to love.

He just didn't want to love me.

When I got home from work and opened the door, the entryway was stacked with packages.

For a second, I thought I was in the wrong apartment.

It wasn't until Nathan stepped into view holding a cat that I knew I was home.

Taking off my shoes, I asked,

"Why did you buy so many things?"

Nathan tore into a box.

"It's all for the cat. We don't have any toys here, and I didn't want him to be lonely."

I glanced at the cat. It was rubbing against Nathan's legs, trying to climb into an empty box.

His owner was Chloe, a student in Nathan's ASL class.

A few days ago, she had to travel for an event and asked if we could catsit.

"Isn't he only staying for a week? Did you really need to buy all this?"

Nathan replied,

"Even if it's just for a day, we have to take good care of him. Chloe adores her cat. If he's uncomfortable, she'll be upset when she gets back."

A wave of bitterness washed over me, but I didn't say anything.

When I came out after washing my hands, Nathan had unpacked everything.

I scanned the pile—cat toys, a scratching tree, and stacks of wet food cans.

Nathan had thoughtfully bought every single flavor available.

It instantly reminded me of the ice cream I had asked him to pick up a while ago.

I had specifically begged him for vanilla. But the first time he came back, it was strawberry.

When I told him he got the wrong flavor, he just shrugged.

"I thought all girls liked strawberry."

He picked up ice cream a few more times after that, but it was never vanilla.

To this day, I still haven't gotten my vanilla ice cream.

I never blamed him, though. After all, he had driven a long way to get it for me.

Just then, the doorbell rang. A delivery arrived.

Nathan brought the bag inside. It contained a giant frozen winter melon.

I frowned in confusion.

"Why did you buy a winter melon? To make soup? It's huge."

Nathan shook his head.

"It's not for eating. I saw a trend online where people buy frozen winter melons for their pets to lie against and cool off in the heat. So I ordered one for the cat."

"Other pets have it. Ours should too."

I froze.

Didn't Nathan claim he never went online?

When I asked him for the first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the fall, or a bouquet of candy for our anniversary, he claimed he had no idea what I was talking about.

"Those are just viral social media trends. How am I supposed to know about that stuff?"

I had spent years telling myself that Nathan was just an unromantic, oblivious man. That I couldn't expect him to be thoughtful or romantic.

Yet here he was, treating a cat with more care and tenderness than he had ever shown me.