I offered a quiet “Hmm” in response and made my way to the changing room.
When I came out, Cooper was nowhere to be found.
I walked toward the exit, but then I heard faint sounds coming from the bathroom.
Driven by an impulse I couldn’t explain, I found myself walking toward it.
Inside, Cooper stood with a cold, hard expression, his hand gripping Kaia’s chin as he spoke in a low, stern voice. “Behave yourself. If Luna finds out about this, you’ll regret it.”
Kaia’s eyes welled with tears, her sobs barely a whisper in the tense air.
“I didn’t say anything… I just called her ‘madam,’ like you told me to.” She reached up, draping her arms around his neck, pressing a soft kiss to his face. “Please don’t be angry, okay?”
Cooper’s gaze darkened, his hand gripping her head as he deepened the kiss. Even his breath grew heavy, uneven.
I stood there, frozen, as his hand slipped beneath Kaia’s short skirt.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
In that moment, the words my mother once whispered to me came rushing back:
There was no cat that did not stray.
And, in that quiet moment, I realized neither did Cooper.