Chapter 3

If Cameron was "Daddy" and Katherine was "Mommy", then what would that make Sabrina, Cameron's lawfully-wedded wife?

Over the phone, Juliana went silent.

But before she could think of what to say, Sabrina casually interrupted her thoughts and said, "Back then, you tried to stop me from marrying Cameron. So why won't you support me now that I want a divorce?"

"That's a totally different matter altogether!"

Juliana wanted to rush over to Sabrina and smack her on the head. "I was against your marriage back then because I didn't want you to marry him only out of gratitude! And I'm not fully supportive of your divorce now because he's disabled.

"Besides, you also need to worry about your parents…"

She sighed. "Do you realize how hard it will be for you to divorce him? Rina, Cameron—"

Just as Juliana was about to tell her the truth, a sudden piercing wail came from downstairs.

Sabrina's heart dropped into her stomach, and she threw her phone down and immediately rushed out of the room without even hanging up.

The animal pen at the side was a bright red, bloody mess.

Berry's white fur was drenched in blood. He lay in a corner, struggling and convulsing, no longer as lively as he used to be.

The culprit stood there, holding a small, blood-stained iron hammer in his hand.

It was the same hammer Sabrina had used when putting the playpen together.

"You stupid dog! That'll teach you to scare me again!"

Then, Dante raised the hammer to hit Berry again.

"Get out!" Sabrina roared, her eyes immediately turning red. She staggered over to the tiny figure in the corner, unable to stop shaking. "Berry? Berry!"

The poor dog lay on the ground, whimpering weakly.

Susan heard the commotion and hurried over. She was immediately shocked when she saw what had happened.

She quickly ran over to Dante and pulled him aside, no longer being courteous to him. "Dante! I look away for one second, and this is what you do! How could you cause trouble again?"

Then, she turned to Sabrina. "Mrs. Sterling…"

She couldn't bear to look at the bloody mess on the ground or Sabrina's pale face.

"Maybe we should send Berry to the vet. Maybe… Maybe he can still be saved…"

She trailed off eventually, sounding uncertain.

However, Sabrina quickly picked Berry up and rushed out of the house, as if she were grasping at a lifeline.

She had just reached the villa's entrance when she ran straight into someone. A voice rang out beside her ear, "Cam!"

Sabrina lost her balance and fell to the ground. A sharp pain shot through her elbow at once. However, she still made sure to protect the barely breathing Berry in her arms.

Cameron instinctively wanted to stand up, but he quickly remembered something and his arms immediately froze mid-air.

He sat back firmly in his wheelchair and turned to steady Katherine instead, who had also lost her balance after being bumped and nearly fallen into his arms.

Then, he turned to Sabrina, frowning. "Sabrina! What's the matter with you? Why are you in such a rush—"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the bloody mess in her arms and recognized the dog at once. "Berry?"

He was completely taken aback. "What happened? Why is Berry hurt like this?"

Sabrina couldn't be bothered to explain. She also ignored the pain in her body as she struggled to get up.

Cameron immediately gave instructions to his driver, Timothy Hanks. "Take her to the veterinary clinic."

Katherine thought that Sabrina was just making a mountain out of a molehill. However, she just feigned concern and said, "Are you alright, Cam? Really, how could she panic so much over a dog? She even almost bumped into you!"

"Sabrina has had that dog for many years. It's different," Cameron solemnly said, interrupting her.

When he dragged Sabrina out of the deformed cab five years ago, she had also held on tightly to Berry like this. Even the first thing she asked about after waking up at the hospital was Berry's whereabouts.

When Cameron asked her why the dog was so important to her, Sabrina didn't go into much detail, only saying that the dog was her only family left.

Katherine felt aggrieved because of Cameron's unnaturally sharp response. She said, "Cam, don't be mad. I was just worried about her injured elbow…"

"Go inside first and check on Danny. I'll go after Sabrina."

Then, without waiting for Katherine's response, he got his other driver, Fred Hunter, to head to the veterinary clinic.

When he arrived, he learned that the veterinarian had told Sabrina that Berry was beyond saving.

Sabrina stood in the examination room, her expression blank, making Cameron feel sorry for her. He was just about to comfort her when he received a call from Katherine.

He lowered his voice and spoke a few words to her before hanging up. Then, he wheeled himself over to Sabrina and said, "Rina, I spoke to the vet, and he said that they offer pet burial services now.

"Since Berry isn't around anymore, let's give him a proper burial, shall we?"

Sabrina didn't speak. She just continued staring blankly at the lifeless dog on the operating table.

Memories began playing in her head.

"Do you like it? I'll give it to you then. Don't let it die."

"Hey, don't worry. I'll take really, really good care of it! I won't let it get hurt at all!"

"Don't call me 'hey'."

"Then what should I call you?"

"You can call me Archer. That's my name."

Sabrina had been in her early teens when she cradled the little puppy as if it were the most precious thing in the world. For a long time afterward, she even slept with it in her arms.

Cameron felt a pang in his heart seeing her like this. After all, Berry had been their pet for five years.

He said, "I just received a call from Katherine. She said that Danny was hospitalized due to excessive shock."

He reached out and gently placed his hand on Sabrina's, squeezing it lightly.

"Come with me to the hospital after Berry has been buried. If possible, I want you to apologize to Danny."

"Apologize?"

Sabrina looked up at him with her swollen, red-rimmed eyes, finally giving him some sort of reaction.

Cameron looked like he was in a dilemma as he said, "Danny has a persistent high fever, and he kept saying that Berry wanted to bite him. The poor child has had quite a fright.

"Also, you were home at that time. No matter what, you still have to bear some of the responsibility."

Sabrina couldn't believe him. "Cameron Sterling! Dante killed Berry with a hammer!"

"That was only because Berry scared him. He was only protecting himself," Cameron said. "Also, Berry's already 12 years old. Even if Danny didn't kill him, he would also…"

He sighed again, like he was trying to reason with her. "Rina, Berry is an old dog. Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later…"

"Do you have no humanity, Cameron Sterling? You know how important Berry was to me!"

Sabrina yanked her hand away, her eyes still rimmed red, as she said, "Berry was inside the pen when he died. Susan never let him out. Dante was the one who climbed in and provoked Berry first! How could you—"

"That's enough, Sabrina."

This was the first time Cameron lost his patience with her. "Danny is only five years old. Why are you arguing with a child?"

Sabrina was a lawyer, and it was her habit to review the situation to get a clearer picture of what happened. However, Cameron thought that she was just making a huge fuss over nothing.

"Berry is already dead. No matter how precious he was to you, he was just an animal. Dante is a child. He didn't do it on purpose—"

Sabrina yelled, "He tortured and killed Berry on his own! And you're still saying that he didn't do it on purpose?"

"What torture are you talking about? He was only rightfully defending himself! Are you telling me that you're planning to make a child apologize to a mutt?"