Chapter 3

Blood slowly spread beneath me.

The heavy rain had emptied the streets. There wasn't a single person around.

I was in so much pain that even my voice shook.

"I really was hit by a car. Jason... I'm right outside our apartment complex..."

Just then, I heard the sound of a hair dryer through the phone.

Sophia asked, "Have you ever dried Clara's hair for her?"

Jason chuckled.

"You're the only one who's spoiled enough to make me dry your hair."

"So I'm the first person you've ever done that for?"

"Yeah. And the only one."

The call ended.

My heart broke.

With trembling hands, I called 911. Then everything went black.

I had a long dream.

I dreamed about our college days. Back then, Jason wouldn't even spend 20 dollars on a meal for himself.

But he never hesitated to use all the money from his part-time job to buy me a gift worth about 1,000 dollars.

I also dreamed about the day we brought Buddy home. Jason smiled as he took a picture of the three of us together.

Then I dreamed about the day he proposed.

He smiled and said, "I'll spend the rest of my life with you. Everything I own will be yours."

But from now on, I wanted nothing to do with him.

When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital room.

The doctor told me that, besides several broken bones, I would recover.

But my baby was gone forever.

I thanked the doctor weakly.

When I turned on my phone, I saw dozens of messages from Jason.

"Why aren't you home yet? Stop throwing a tantrum."

"Stop making up those stupid lies! Where are you? I'll come get you."

"I made your favorite food. Eat it when you get home."

"I'm taking Sophia back to the hospital for a follow-up. You don't have to pay this time. Happy now?"

I didn't cry or argue.

I quietly blocked his number.

As soon as I closed our chat, new messages appeared in the apartment community group.

"Whose cat is this? Another cat has been abused!"

"This is horrible. Someone cut its stomach open... Oh, but I think it's still alive."

My mind went blank.

The photo showed a cat covered in wounds, lying on the ground with its body twisted.

I recognized Buddy instantly.

The picture was so graphic that it was quickly removed.

I immediately asked for the location.

Without even changing out of my hospital gown, I borrowed a wheelchair and rushed toward the address.

But before I could leave the hospital, Jason stopped me.

"Clara? Why are you here?"

He was carrying Sophia's purse in his left hand.

His right arm was wrapped around her waist.

The moment he saw the casts on my legs, panic filled his face.

"What happened to you?"

I gritted my teeth.

"Move! Buddy was abused! I must save him!"

"That's impossible."

He looked stunned, but he still reached for his car keys.

Just as he was about to take me out of the hospital, Sophia looked me up and down.

"Ms. Vernon, there weren't any reports of a car accident last night. Did you really come to the hospital just to make Mr. Chadwick feel guilty? And even if a cat was abused, aren't you an independent woman? Can't you handle it yourself?"

After hearing her words, Jason stopped looking worried.

Instead, disappointment filled his face.

"Clara, I can't believe you'd keep lying over a pet. Since you're still making a scene, we're canceling our honeymoon. Sophia has never been on a plane before, so I'll take her on a trip instead. Consider it your apology to her."

At that moment, I thought about my unborn baby, the hit-and-run driver, and Buddy, who always rubbed his head against me.

I finally lost all hope.

I slapped Jason across the face.

"Jason, we were over a long time ago. Get lost."

He froze. Then his face twisted with anger.

"Remember what you said today!"

I rolled my wheelchair away without looking back.

By the time I reached the location, Buddy had already stopped breathing.

Crying, I held his broken body in my arms.

Then I took him to be cremated.

After that, I contacted a real estate company and put the house that held all my memories with Jason up for sale.

Everything connected to him went into the trash.

Finally, I went to the police station and gave my statement.

"We can investigate the hit-and-run driver," the officer said.

"But finding the person who abused your cat will be much harder. The security cameras in your apartment complex were broken."

The officer's words left me silent for a long time.

That night, I flew to Riverport with Buddy's ashes.

It was home to the largest anti-animal cruelty organization in the country.

If I couldn't get justice for Buddy, then I would do everything I could to protect other cats.

And I decided to let Jason go forever.

...

Third-Person POV

A week later, Jason and Sophia returned to Stonebridge after their vacation.

Sophia hadn't adjusted well to the trip and was running a fever.

After they landed, Jason took her to the hospital for an IV.

Once she fell asleep, he stepped into the hallway for a cigarette.

Just as he unlocked his phone to contact Clara, he overheard several nurses talking nearby.

"Did you see that trending story? That anti-animal cruelty group exposed several people. I heard they all live here in Stonebridge."

"I think they live at Sunrise Courts. The cat's owner was treated at our hospital a couple of days ago."

"She was hit by a car and lost her baby. Her husband never came to see her, and then her cat died too..."

The nurse sighed sadly.

"I think her name was Clara."