He said we were just “looking around,” no pressure, no commitments—just a casual stop at the local animal shelter after brunch, like we didn’t have a million other things to do.
I didn’t question it at first—until he guided me into a small visitation room and said, “Wait here a moment.” Then he left. A few minutes later, he returned holding a tiny gray kitten with white paws and huge, curious eyes. I smiled right away—because, really, who can resist a kitten? But then I froze….