Chapter 4

The warm, easy atmosphere in the room evaporated the second I crossed the threshold.

Susan shot to her feet, looking frantic. "Miss Brooks, please don't misunderstand. Jake was just joking around. Jake, apologize to Miss Brooks right now."

"But it's the truth..." Jake muttered under his breath.

Jason marched over to me, lowering his voice into a sharp hiss. "Must you always bring that bitter, sarcastic attitude into this house? Is your entire goal today to make everyone miserable?"

"I'm serious, Jason," I said, unblinking. "Since everyone in this room is so full of regret, it's not too late for you two to get back together. It would save everyone the heartbreak."

"Shut up!" Jason snapped, grabbing my arm and wrenching me into the hallway. "Do you enjoy humiliating her in front of all these people?"

It was funny. Even in a moment like this, his singular priority was protecting Susan's feelings. But I was done participating in their theater production.

"Jason, we're done," I said flatly, turning to leave. "From this moment on, you can date whoever you want."

His cold laugh followed me. "If you walk through that front door today, don't expect me to come crawling after you."

Susan was still playing the part. "Maybe I should leave. I don't want you two to fight because of me."

Jason deliberately raised his volume, ensuring his words carried down the hall. "Let her walk. We're not even married yet, and she's already trying to keep me on a leash. Delusional!"

I didn't slow my pace. As I reached the porch, my phone began to vibrate with a call from the pet store. Earlier, I had texted them that I was coming to bring Max home.

The receptionist's voice sounded thoroughly confused through the receiver. "Miss Brooks? I'm calling because your fiancé already came by and checked Max out yesterday."

Those words stopped me cold. I turned around and walked back into the house.

Jason looked up from the couch, a smirk touching his lips. "Finally done throwing your tantrum? Look, if you had just been reasonable from the..."

"You took Max?" I cut through his arrogance.

He blinked, then shrugged with complete indifference. "Oh, that dog? Yeah. Susan saw photos of him and thought he was cute, so I had him brought to her place to keep her company."

My hands clenched into tight fists. Max had been my constant companion for six years. Jason knew perfectly well that I loved Max like a son.

I fought to keep my voice steady. "That's my dog."

Jason straightened up, looking at me as if I were making a scene out of nothing. "We are getting married. The dog can keep Susan company. She lives alone and needs companionship. Can't you be a little less selfish?"

Susan's eyes flooded with tears on cue. "Forget it, Jason. Don't make things hard for Miss Brooks. I'm used to being alone anyway."

Jason shot me a disgusted look. "She finally found a pet she connects with, and you're seriously going to be petty over a matter like this?"

I shook with rage. Through gritted teeth, I enunciated, "I'm not going to say it again. Give me my dog back."

Perhaps startled by the venom in my voice, Jason turned to Susan. "Just give her the mutt back. I'll take you to pick out a new one tomorrow."

Susan lowered her head, exposing her slender neck. Her voice dripped with calculated guilt. "Miss Brooks, I am so sorry. I wanted to return him to you. But... he bolted out yesterday, ran into traffic, and got hit by a car. He's gone."

My ears rang with the news, and my mind went blank.

Susan slowly opened her phone gallery and held it out to me. There was Max on the screen—covered in blood, his small body lying motionless in the middle of the road.

"I took a picture so you could see him one last time." She leaned in closer, the corners of her mouth twitching upward slightly.

She had done it on purpose. The realization snapped the final thread of my sanity. White-hot fury obliterated every ounce of restraint I possessed.

I slapped her across the face with everything I had, but before I could pull my hand back, a massive force slammed into me.

Jason shoved me back with so much force that I lost my footing, my head striking the hardwood floor. A sharp, dizzying pain exploded at the base of my skull.

"It was just a damn dog! Have you lost your mind?" he barked.

Within a second, everyone in the room was on their feet, glaring down at me with revulsion. Tara, Jake, and Victoria formed a physical wall in front of Susan, shielding her from me as if I were a rabid beast.

I pushed myself up off the floor. Drops of blood hit the tiles beneath me.

Jason's eyes widened, and he instinctively moved to help me. "Ellie, I..."

"This is all my fault!" Susan suddenly shrieked, sprinting toward the open balcony window. Her voice shook with hysterical terror. "I'll just end my life to make it right."

Jason's forward momentum stopped instantly. He spun around, and the entire room rushed toward the window to pull her back from the ledge.

In the chaos, no one turned around to check if I was fine.

Disillusioned, I staggered out of the house and headed back to the apartment. I grabbed my already packed suitcase and took a cab straight to the airport.

During the drive, my phone buzzed continuously with incoming calls from Jason. Dozens of frantic text notifications lit up the lock screen.

Without reading any, I simply typed: [Go to hell, you animal!]

I powered off the phone, took my boarding pass, and left the city for good.