Chapter 3

By the time work was over, Hunter was drunk out of his mind.

Winter helped him back home. The moment they stepped through the door, Bella charged toward him.

Both of her front paws were already bloody from scratching at the glass all day. She bit into Hunter's pant leg and desperately tried to drag him toward the balcony.

She barked desperately, begging for help on behalf of the owner who could no longer speak for herself.

Looking at Bella's bloodied paws, I felt my heart shatter. "Bella, please stop begging him… There's no point when he's a monster!"

Hunter stumbled as Bella tugged at him. The irritation and hostility inside him exploded. "Get off me! You miss that bitch, don't you?"

He kicked her so hard that she was sent flying. She slammed into the wall and let out a painful whimper. Even then, she struggled to get back onto her feet.

My soul trembled. I threw myself around her, trying to shield her, all while shrieking at Hunter, "Stop hitting her! Please, just stay away from her!"

Hunter stared at her as if he were looking at me, the woman whom he believed had betrayed him. Pointing at the innocent dog, he spat out, "Ungrateful mutt. You're just like your owner!"

He didn't want to look at the balcony or the so-called escape rope I had used to get away with. Instead, he stumbled into the nursery.

Hunter and I had spent six months trying for a baby, yet we had already prepared that room with our own hands. Blue wallpaper covered the walls, illuminated by a white cloud-shaped lamp, and toys were scattered everywhere.

He casually picked up a stuffed tiger sitting by the crib.

I remembered telling him that if we had a son, I wanted him to grow up strong like a mighty tiger. Back then, he had wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead.

"Thank you for everything, honey. Boy or girl, I don't care. I'll love them either way."

I could still feel the warmth of that moment.

Scarily, now, when Hunter looked at the stuffed tiger, all he was reminded of was that fake airport photo.

Winter leaned against the doorway. At some point, a piece of paper had appeared in her hand. "Hunter, look what I found in the trash."

She walked over and handed it to him. It was an appointment form for an abortion. The date on it was from a month ago. Of course, it was fake.

"Do you think Stella wanted to get rid of the baby and run away with someone else all along? Maybe… Maybe the child was never yours in the first place."

There it was, the last straw. With that, the last fragile piece of Hunter's sanity shattered.

He let out a crazed roar and overturned the crib in one violent motion. Then he grabbed a pair of scissors and charged toward the unopened boxes of baby clothes. He cut them apart, ripping them to shreds.

"Stop! Those are their clothes!" I screamed helplessly. "Hunter, have you lost your mind?"

I watched as he cut apart the tiny socks I had specifically chosen for our baby, the little hat I had spent weeks knitting with love.

I dropped to my knees, sobbing so hard I could barely breathe, foolishly trying to shield everything with my insubstantial body. He just couldn't see me.

"Didn't want the baby, huh? Wanted to abort it, huh? Fine! I'll get rid of all of it!"

Hunter picked up the stuffed tiger, then drove the scissors into it with all his strength. The fabric tore open, and cotton stuffing burst into the air like snow.

A moment later, the tiger's head was severed and rolled across the floor.

After venting his rage, Hunter began to feel stuffy. He strode toward the balcony, trying to get some air. He reached for the balcony door handle, a second away from finally seeing me.

Seeing what he was doing, Bella rushed over excitedly, thinking he was finally going to open it. However, her bloodied paws stained his dress pants.

"Gosh, you're filthy!"

Hunter jerked his hand back in revulsion and kicked Bella hard again. In that instant, he completely forgot about accessing the balcony. Instead, he went into the kitchen, looking for a stick to beat Bella with.

The balcony door remained shut. On the handle, only the lingering warmth of his fingerprints remained.

…

On Christmas Eve, Hunter threw a lavish party at home. To humiliate me, he projected the fake airport-slash-elopement photo onto the giant screen in the living room and set it to play on a loop.

The guests whispered among themselves.

"I still can't believe it. What Stella did was shitty."

"After everything Mr. Gibson did for her, how could she cheat on him?"

Donning my red evening gown, Winter drifted through the crowd like the lady of the house. It was then that the front door was thrown open.

Mom and Dad stumbled inside. Their hair seemed grayer than ever.

"Hunter, where the heck is Stella? Where did our daughter go? We couldn't reach her. The hospital hasn't heard anything. What did you do to her?" Mom questioned Hunter, her eyes swollen from crying.

Hunter looked at them coldly and took a sip of champagne. "What's the matter? She didn't tell you that she took off with another man?"

"What?"

Dad was trembling with fury. "Stella's about to give birth! Why would she do something like that? Hand her over right now!"

He lunged forward, reaching for Hunter's collar, but Hunter immediately shoved him away. "Get off me! I don't want your dirty hands on my clothes!"

Mom and Dad were old and frail. The shove sent both of them crashing onto the floor. A sickening thud sounded as Mom's head struck the hardwood. A large swelling immediately rose on her forehead.

"Mom! Dad!" I screamed and threw myself toward them, but my spirit passed through their bodies. Kneeling, I roared in hysterical rage, "I'm going to kill you, Hunter!"

At that moment, Bella, who had been locked in the storage room, somehow managed to break free from her restraints. She burst into the living room. Instead of going after Hunter, she sprinted straight for the balcony.

Again and again, she hurled her body against the heavy glass door. She wanted to get me out. That was the only way she knew how to save me.

Blood smeared across the glass. Winter frowned in disgust and kicked her. "Go away, you crazy dog!"

Bella suddenly whipped around and sank her teeth into Winter's calf. The latter screamed, "Shit, my leg! Hunter, help me out!"

Driven by fury, Hunter immediately grabbed a crystal ornament from the coffee table and swung it down onto Bella's spine.

"No!" I screamed desperately.

A pitiful whimper escaped Bella as she collapsed onto the floor. Her back legs no longer moved, but her eyes remained fixed on the balcony.

Hunter tossed aside the ornament and grabbed Bella by the hind legs. Then, he began dragging her toward the balcony, leaving behind a long trail of blood across the floor.

"Since you're so desperate to be with that bitch, I'll do you a favor," he said viciously, dragging the dying Bella behind him. "Today, I'll let everyone see how that bitch climbed down the rope and escaped!"

He stopped before the curtains, a cruel smile twisting his face. "Make sure you're seeing this, everyone!"

He yanked the heavy blackout curtains apart. With a simple pull of the balcony door, a long-frozen body toppled forward into the living room and landed on the floor.