Chapter 4

Dad stared at Mom in disbelief. "Sandy, stop this nonsense! Ray might be young, but if she really does end up in the Silverlune Guards' prison, even I won't be able to save her!"

Mom shrugged. "You don't need to save her. Take her to the prison if you can."

Dad's face turned red with anger. "Very well!" he shouted. "Fine!"

He grabbed his phone and dialed Judy's number.

As soon as the call connected, Dad's voice became extremely gentle. "Don't worry, Judy. Ray may be my pup, but she'll be punished just the same for hurting you! Tell the Silverlune Guards to come over here and take her away."

As Dad spoke, he stole a glance at Mom. It was as if he was waiting for her to give in and plead for mercy.

However, he was disappointed. Mom didn't even look at him.

Judy's voice came over the phone. "Forget it, Grayson. I'm not severely injured anyway. Ray's still young, and she'll hate you for punishing her. I can understand. You mustn't argue with Sandy, and don't hit the pup, either!"

Dad scoffed. "You're kind, but people won't appreciate it! If Ray doesn't get punished, she'll never learn to behave. I must teach her a lesson!"

While Dad raged by himself in the living room, Mom walked into my bedroom. She quietly put my clothes and toys into a box.

But before she could close it, Dad rushed in and knocked the box over.

"Are you trying to hide Ray away? It's too late. The Silverlune Guards are already on their way. This time, I must teach you and your pup a lesson!"

My clothes were scattered across the floor, and the porcelain doll that I had made myself smashed into pieces.

Mom broke down and lunged at Dad, pummeling him. "That was all I had left of Ray! Why did you break it?"

Dad was caught off guard and got slapped several times by Mom. He then pushed her angrily to the floor.

"Have you lost your mind? Did you hit me just because of a worthless toy? I'll buy you 100 more!"

"You asshole!" Mom shouted. "Ray made that herself! She was only four years old at the time and couldn't even hold a plate steady. She almost burned her hands!"

She continued, "And you said that it was the most precious gift you'd ever gotten in your life. Have you forgotten about all that?"

The look in Dad's eyes wavered for a moment, but his expression soon grew stern once more.

"It's just cheap porcelain. So what if it's broken? I'll buy better and more expensive ones for her in the future."

Mom smiled bleakly and shook her head. "There won't be a future. There will never be any more. Grayson, sometimes I really wish that Ray didn't have a father like you."

The Silverlune Guards arrived soon after.

Seeing how emotionally unstable Mom was, one of them pulled Mom aside. "Someone saw your pup commit assault on the street. Can you call her out?" he asked softly.

Dad stood beside them and said coldly, "Ray made a mistake and must face the consequences. It's too late for you to regret it. Like I said, both of you must be taught a lesson."

Mom looked straight at the guards and spoke slowly, enunciating each word, "My pup cannot be the culprit, because she died six days ago. The reason for her death was an allergic reaction to raw meat. Her father locked her up himself, which stopped her from getting medical care in time."

Dad turned deathly pale at once. "You're talking nonsense! How could my pup be dead?"