A Dog Instead of His Son

I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the rage building inside me. Turning away, I lowered my voice and said into the phone, "Peter, Yule is dying."Silence. Then a cold, bitter laugh. "What are you even playing at now? First, you throw a tantrum on Tracey's social media, and now you're dragging Yule into it for attention?"It felt like the air had been sucked out of my lungs. Grief and fury churned in my chest, but with Yule lying just feet away, I forced myself to stay calm. My voice cracked. "Peter, I'm begging you..."Tears streamed down my face as I stepped out into the hallway, leaving the nurse to watch over Yule. My composure snapped. "Get to the hospital. Now. You promised Yule you'd dress as Santa!""I don't have time for this!" Peter barked. "I'm helping Tracey find Puffy. Do you know how upset she is?""Christmas is tomorrow," he added. "And let's be honest, Freya, you're only this worked up because you're jealous of Tracey."I closed my eyes, letting the silent te

Shaun's bodyguards had Peter pinned to the ground.He sat there hunched over, his face blank, muttering like he couldn't process Yule being gone.Tracey hovered nearby, swatting at the guards' arms, shrieking, "Let him go! Peter's the CEO of PF Corp! Do you even know what'll happen if you hurt him?"Shaun let out this icy laugh, totally unimpressed. "CEO? Please. He wouldn't even have that title if I hadn't handed it to him. Without me, he's just nothing."Tracey froze, her face twisting between shock and rage.The noise she made grated on my last nerve. I waved my hand. "Take them farther away. I don't want to hear it."As Tracey's shouting faded, I crouched by the shore, alone. The icy wind sliced through my jacket, and my hands trembled as I scattered Yule's ashes into the sea. My voice cracked as I whispered, "Today's your birthday. I'm giving you back to the ocean."My hand froze midair, trembling, as tears blurred everything. "I hope in your next life... you'll never have

I watched the videos over and over, fury twisting in my chest. Each time, it felt like a boulder crushing me, leaving me gasping for air.The doctors and nurses who had cared for Yule were just as angry as I was.The first to speak out was the doctor who'd played Santa Claus for Yule. His face was red, his voice shaking as he stared into the camera. "Yule was allergic to dog fur! He was just trying to get away! How could such a sick, frail child even kick a dog?"He paused, his words caught in his throat. His voice cracked when he finally managed to say, "And... and he didn't even..." He wiped at his face. "He passed away that night. He's gone. Can't you people show some decency?"Then, with a trembling hand, he held up his phone. On the screen was a photo of Yule leaning weakly against Santa Claus's shoulder—his last picture.The internet lit up after that.[How can people be so cruel?!][Imagine being his mom and seeing this. I'm sick just thinking about it.]Some people star

As I walked away, Tracey's shrill voice cut through the air. "You're heartless! You destroyed Peter's career!"I couldn't help but laugh. Destroyed his career? Oh, I'd done more than that. I'd crushed her little fairytale about marrying into wealth.She lunged at me, but I sidestepped easily. Pulling my tablet from my bag, I hit play on a video.On the screen, under the dim lights of a bar, Peter and Tracey were locked in a heated embrace. They kissed like no one else existed, Tracey's hands sliding under Peter's suit jacket, shameless.The smug confidence she'd always flaunted dissolved in an instant. Panic took its place.She lunged, slapping the tablet out of my hands mid-livestream. Then, as if possessed, she screamed, "You're insane! Don't you get it? Peter stopped loving you a long time ago!"He's mine—he's always been mine! We were each other's first love, and we never got over it!"We've been together for ages!"Peter's face turned pale. "That's not true!" he shouted, h