I tip my chin up, feeling him move back, so I can look at him and try to dry my tears as I swallow down the mess going off inside of me.

‘He was a stupid cat … it doesn’t matter.’ I have to force the words out through garbled sniffs as I try to push him away, ashamed at my heart-wrenching reaction to losing something that wasn’t even mine. He catches my hands and pulls me into his arm once more as he slides it about my shoulders, turns us, and carefully guides me to the ...