Investing In My Crippled Wife Every Return Makes Me Stronger Chapter 216

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[ … words ]

’Could this be all connected to Raine?’

The president mentioned that Malakor might have lied and attacked him in his soul space, but ended up in a pathetic state soon after. That detail made Soren question it even more. He found himself doubting whether Raine was really just an ordinary cat that mutated into some low-ranking magic beast as the director theorized or something far more powerful.

The only logical scenario he could come up with was that Malakor had invaded his soul space but ended up encountering Raine and got defeated. To be able to subdue an S-rank magic beast like Malakor so thoroughly meant she had to be at least at the same rank with bloodline advantages, if not even higher.

Yet, as the memories of the past flooded back, he couldn’t help but doubt that too. Because it was impossible to reconcile the idea of a legendary magic beast with the helpless little creature he had found five years ago, back when he was just seventeen, about two months after he got kicked out of the house.

He still remembered that night with striking clarity.

It was late, with a heavy downpour soaking everything and thunder echoing across the city streets. He was returning from a night shift, utterly exhausted, with his umbrella barely protecting him from the icy wind. That was when he caught a faint, pleading sound beneath the roar of the rain.

Following the noise down an alleyway, he spotted a small cat collapsed beside a pile of soaked trash. It was shivering violently against the concrete. Its dark fur was matted with blood from deep cuts across its body, and its chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. Pausing, it turned to look at him, its striking purple eyes hazy with pain.

Soren approached without hesitation, but the moment he reached out, the cat let out a sharp hiss, trying to scramble backward away from him before its strength gave out completely. The brief display of defiance quickly collapsed into a piteous cry as its body twitched violently. Its eyes slowly lost their luster, and its eyelids fluttered shut.

Moving quickly, Soren dropped to his knees in the downpour, stripped off his jacket, and wrapped the shivering creature before sprinting through the storm toward the nearest vet clinic.

When he arrived, the vet on duty quickly brought the cat onto the exam table. After a rapid assessment to check its fading pulse and inspect the deep cuts lining its body, the man turned to Soren with a grim expression.

He explained that the injuries were far too severe. Even if they stitched up the cuts and stopped the bleeding, the extreme blood loss meant it wouldn’t survive the night. Continuing with emergency care would only waste Soren’s money, so he recommended letting it go.

Soren refused without a second thought. He insisted on treating it regardless, instructing the vet to carry out any emergency procedures needed to keep it alive.

Reluctantly, the vet gave in and got to work.

Soren stood near the corner, his heart pounding as he watched the procedure unfold under the clinic lights. But deep down he knew that the vet was right. He had only just met the cat, and barely had any money to begin with. Spending his savings on a stray creature made no practical sense.

Gazing at its small body on the table, a deep ache clenched his chest. It looked so helpless, its fragile ribs barely moving with each strained breath. He couldn’t look away. The scene took him straight back to his early days on the streets after expulsion from his home. He remembered those cold nights outside, feeling the pain of abandonment, shivering and utterly alone.

More than anything, a strange feeling had taken hold of him. It felt as though turning his back on it would leave him with a regret that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

So, once the vet finished the emergency treatment, Soren paid the bill and carried the little cat back to his apartment with him. Over the next few weeks, he worked without rest, spending every spare moment nursing the creature back to health. Then, against all odds, it finally opened its eyes.

It survived.

When those hazy eyes met Soren’s, they held a mix of confusion and caution, and though it tried to pull away, its broken body refused to cooperate. Bound by weak muscles and injuries, it could only lie there and watch as Soren gently changed its bandages, spoke in low tones, and smoothed down its fur.

However, as the days blurred together, that lingering distrust began to melt away.

The cat slowly accepted his presence, relaxing under his touch and leaning into his hands whenever he tended to her wounds. It was not long before she regained her strength, pushing herself up and roaming around the apartment on her own.

Soren decided to raise her and, to commemorate the stormy night their paths crossed, he named her Raine. Hearing her name, she purred softly, stepped onto his lap, and showered his face with licks, finally accepting him as her person.

And, from that day forward, she became an indispensable part of his life.

She made a habit of waiting by the door for him to return from work, pouncing on whatever loose objects she could find in the small room, and bringing a lively warmth that lifted his mood whenever the world outside grew heavy.

They spent three years together like that, until one day, she simply vanished without a trace.

In the weeks that followed, Soren tortured himself searching for both her and answers. He wondered if she had grown tired of him, if she had wandered off and found another family, or if someone had taken her. Every possible outcome crossed his mind, each one leaving an empty ache in his chest.

Yet, their sudden reunion instantly put those long-held fears to rest. And it also erased any doubt that Raine was something far more than an ordinary cat.

’…But when will we actually meet again?’

He wondered if the ’she’ he had encountered in his soul space was the real Raine, or merely a lingering fragment of her consciousness, much like the Sunless Emperor’s. Perhaps her true self was out there somewhere in the real world, waiting…

’…I should meet the director tomorrow.’