Emily Hart watched in horror as her angry fiancé, Max Collins, twisted his face into a sneer and struck Milly, the dachshund who had accidentally stepped a muddy paw onto his white trainers. Buster, the mixedbreed dog, tried to defend the little pup, but a heavy leather leash slammed across his snout. In that instant Emily finally understood why her cats and dogs loathed Max.
Emily, lost in thought, sat by the window. A wintry evening fell over the terraced houses of Manchester; lights flickered on in each front room, yet she felt indifferentwhether bright or dark mattered little. She had everything: a flat, a good job as an emergency paramedic, a life no worse than anyone elses. Still, love eluded her. The clock ticked, her schoolmates were marrying, raising children, while she remained alone.
She wondered if she, an attractive, sensible young woman, was doomed to stay a perpetual spinster. What makes me any worse than the others? she thought, looking at her loyal, fluffy companions crowding around her.
Emilys parents had died early, one after another, leaving her in her grandmothers care. Determined to become a doctor, she applied to medical school after graduation but failed the entrance exam. She settled for a nursing course, became a paramedic, and now works double shifts on the ambulance. Her beloved gran, now living in a suburban house, hoped the granddaughter would finally find a partner, yet nothing seemed to click.
As a child Emily dreamed of having a cat and a dog, but her mother was allergic to fur. The allergy revealed itself when a beaming Emily brought home a teenage kitten; her mothers asthma flared instantly, and the kitten was sent to gran.
After the parents passed, a stray cat named Whisper was rescued from a bin. Emily longed for a dog, but gran refused, fearing the responsibility. Today, instead of a romantic partner, Emily has five devoted animal friends, without whom life would be unbearable. Buster the mixedbreed was found emaciated and fleainfested, shivering by a supermarket door.
The freezing pup tried to slip into the warm shop, but the security staff chased him away. Emily stuffed him into her bag and hurried home. He was a sprightly girltype dog, darting about like a fighter jet, earning the nickname Bullet. He immediately befriended Whisper.
Soon a dachshund named Milly appeared. The owners of the neighboring house moved to a new flat and decided the little dog didnt belong with themshe would ruin the new flooring and furniture. They abandoned her in the winter yard and left. The limping, clever little beast realized shed been dumped and spent a week crying, prowling the courtyard, trying to get into the warm stairwell, until Emily learned of her plight from local doglovers.
Emily took Milly home and nursed her chilled ears. The dachshund proved the perfect house petcalm, sensible, and tidy, like a wise lady. Her ears often got sore, so on cold walks Emily wrapped her in a snug knitted scarf. The scarf made Milly look comically like a tiny, stern construction worker marching down the pavement.
One early morning, rushing to her night shift, Emily left the flat. A snowcovered lump of ice rolled toward her feet, revealing a starving, shivering cat. She scooped the feline, placed it by the radiator, fed it two cheeseandham sandwiches, and left a note on the hallway wall: Please dont shoo this cat out! Ill collect it after my shift. If it makes a mess Ill clean it. Emily, flat 15. She named the newcomer Lady Eleanor, borrowing her own middle name, and the cat, regal and ambitious, quickly claimed dominance over the household.
The whole pack obeyed Lady Eleanors strict rules, demanding cleanliness. Even at night she patrolled the flat, inspecting every corner. Later a tiny, silent kitten called Mishka was found by Emily in the park, almost pecked by two crows. As an adult cat he remained modest and quiet, never fighting. All five former strays lived harmoniously, careful not to upset their mistress.
Emily never lost hope that someday a decent man would accept her furry family. Gran, sighing, warned her: Oh, Em, think about ittwo dogs and three cats. A flat of your size is fine, but not everyone will like that. Young folk today are a bit snobbish; they dont all love animals, and theyll fret over extra trouble. Emily replied, Then its not my man, Gran.
She met Alex Collins when she started her paramedic job; they dated six months. Alex could not stand pets, and the breakup left Emily unbothered. Later, a charismatic swimmer named Max Harper entered her life, champion of the county, charming and helpful, even walking Buster and Milly. Marriage seemed imminent.
But the animals began to avoid him. Buster snapped at Max, Milly hid behind Emily, barking, the cats stayed away, and Lady Eleanor hissed whenever Max tried to pet her. One night, while Emily was preparing dinner, she stepped onto the balcony and witnessed Max, his face twisted in fury, striking Milly after she slipped a muddy paw onto his white trainers. Buster tried to intervene, only to receive a brutal leather leash across his muzzle.
Emily bolted into the courtyard, snatched the leash from the smiling fiancé, and, without a word, snapped the leash around his wrists. Emily, what are you doing? It hurts! he protested. She shouted, It hurts you, not them! How dare you hit my animals? Ill hit you back if you dare! Max tried to brush it off, Just a little lesson not to step on my shoes. Emily retorted, Get out, never return! Max laughed cruelly, Id rather live in a zoo than be fed by freeloaders! The words echoed in Emilys mind, shattering her hope.
For a year she had believed Max was destiny, never truly seeing past his charming façade. A year later, almost resigned to solitude, she truly fell in love. The day apart from her beloved felt like an eternity.
She met Dr. Alexander Yates, a trauma surgeon, during a night shift when they were transporting a crash victim. He glanced up, their eyes locked, and Emily felt a jolt. She never believed in loveWith Alex by her side, the wedding went ahead as Emily walked down the aislehand in hand with her husband and a parade of rescued cats and dogs trailing happily behind her.
