Chapter 3
Julian had been struggling with how to approach me about a divorce without me clinging to him.
But with just one ambiguous sentence from Celeste, he immediately concluded that his bankruptcy and the death of his first love were all part of a scheme I orchestrated to get him.
Julian instantly shed any moral burden. All he felt for me was an even more intense fury and disgust.
He couldn’t wait to bring Celeste home, eager to expose “my” plot from years ago and force me to leave with nothing.
I quietly sat in the back seat of the car, listening to Julian’s baseless accusations against me, my heart slowly growing numb.
Back then, I’d selflessly transferred ninety percent of my parents’ inheritance into his name, all to help him get back on his feet.
Turns out, in the eyes of someone who doesn’t love you, every sacrifice you make can be twisted into a selfish motive.
Opening the door, Julian’s muscle memory made him hang his keys on the hook by the entryway.
It was a heart-shaped key holder I’d specially bought, part of a set with our heart-shaped keychains.
Julian’s was the left half of the heart, mine was the right.
When we were both home, the keychains would connect to form a whole heart on the holder.
Celeste glanced at it and gave a bitter laugh. “Looks like you and Vera were quite loving all these years I was gone.”
Julian saw the complete heart on the wall and realized. He yanked his keys off, the force so strong that the plastic holder ripped right off the wall.
The holder shattered on the floor. My keychain, with its right half of the heart, lay forlornly amidst the scattered pieces.
Julian looked at it, annoyed. He kicked my keychain away. “Vera! Get out here!”
I didn’t come out. Buddy, our beloved Bichon Frise, pattered out of the bedroom.
Buddy saw Celeste and immediately bounded towards her, wagging his tail.
Celeste delightedly picked Buddy up. “You’re still keeping Buddy? I thought he’d be long gone…”
“He’s our little treasure, we adopted him together. He’s like half our son. How could I ever abandon him?” Julian said, a doting smile on his face.
Buddy was a dog Julian and Celeste had shared.
Years ago, when Julian brought him home, I took care of him every day, even taking allergy meds for my dog fur allergy.
Back then, Buddy’s eyes were crusted over with discharge, his fur was a tangled mess of knots, and he’d even contracted parvo.
He was wary of everyone, biting anyone who touched him. Even the pet store refused to bathe him. In the end, I put on several layers of rubber gloves, and my hands were bleeding from his bites by the time I finally cleaned him.
His illness too was something I cured myself, after running to countless pet hospitals and researching tirelessly online until I was practically an expert.
The Buddy I’d cared for, now fluffy and healthy, was a completely different dog from before.
“Why are Buddy’s paws and fur covered in blood?” Celeste shrieked.
My heart jumped. Only then did I notice the trail of bloody paw prints leading from the master bedroom to the front door.
He must have stepped in the blood from the back of my head.
Imagining Buddy whimpering around my corpse, tears streamed down my face again.
Buddy barked twice at Julian, then tugged at his pants, whimpering, trying to lead him to the master bedroom.
Julian didn’t understand what Buddy meant. He just picked the dog up to check for injuries on its fur.
Buddy struggled to get down, but Julian mistakenly thought he’d touched a wound and hurt him.
“That cruel woman, taking her anger out on the dog.” He cursed through clenched teeth. “Let’s take Buddy to the vet first. We’ll settle things with her later!”