Chapter 3

The next morning, I woke to find Puffy curled up beside my pillow. I reached over to pet him, and he immediately pressed his head into my palm.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. When I opened it, Julian was standing outside. Mindy stood behind him, looking annoyed.

Julian stepped aside and said coldly, "Apologize."

Mindy pursed her lips. "Sorry. I shouldn't have made jokes about you being a dog. I shouldn't have taken your bedroom, and I shouldn't have deliberately let the cat ruin your wedding binder. Happy?"

Julian didn't respond. He just looked at me.

I started to close the door, but Julian caught it with his hand. The heavy door slammed against his fingers, but he didn't even flinch.

"Stop being stubborn. We have something to do today." He held up the white chrysanthemums in his other hand. "It's the anniversary of your mother's death."

I lowered my gaze.

In seven days, I would be gone. Before leaving for good, I had planned to visit Mom one last time anyway. In the end, I changed my clothes and left with him.

By the time we reached the cemetery at the foot of the mountain, Mindy had completely returned to her usual carefree self. She crunched through fallen leaves, chasing stray cats along the stone pathways.

When we reached my mother's grave, Julian personally wiped the dust from the headstone. I took an empty bottle and walked to a nearby fountain to fill it with water.

When I returned, Mindy was standing in front of the grave. The silver dog tag hung beside Mom's photograph. When the wind blew, the metal tag swung back and forth, clinking against the cold stone.

The bottle of water slipped from my hands.

"Take it down."

Mindy turned toward me, smiling innocently. "Don't be mad. I was just sharing some good news with your mom."

She even reached out and tapped Mom's photograph.

"Mrs. Whitmore, you don't have to worry about Celine. She has an owner now. She's very obedient in the Payne family. Julian only has to wave his hand once, and she'll come running back."

I strode over, snatched the dog tag away, and slapped Mindy. The crisp sound echoed through the cemetery, frightening several nearby visitors.

Mindy clutched her cheek, staring at me in disbelief. "How dare you hit me!"

"If you touch my mother again, I'll hit you again."

Nearby, a middle-aged man who had been visiting his own mother's grave had overheard everything. His expression darkened. Pointing at Mindy, he snapped, "This is a cemetery! Mocking a living person is bad enough. What kind of person says such things in front of the dead? You owe her mother an apology."

Mindy had already been humiliated by the slap. Hearing a stranger rebuke her pushed her over the edge. She suddenly ducked behind me, then slammed both her hands hard into my back.

"A good little dog should know to protect its owner."

Caught off guard, I stumbled forward toward the man, who instinctively stepped aside.

The cemetery was built into the mountainside, with steep stone staircases winding between rows of graves.

I staggered, then fell over the edge of the platform.

Before I lost consciousness, I heard Julian shouting my name, panicked and terrified. I heard something hit the ground as he threw everything aside and ran toward me.

Then, darkness swallowed me.