Third Person's POV
"Starlet! What the hell are you doing?" Aldrich roared as he instinctively pulled Eileen into his arms, shielding her from Starlet’s reach.
Starlet’s heart clenched at the sight, but she forced herself to stay calm. She met his gaze and spoke evenly. "Aldrich, she ran over Bowie. You saw it, didn’t you?"
"It’s just a dog," he scoffed, his voice indifferent. "Besides, it’s dead now. But if it means that much to you, I’ll buy you another one."
His callous words made the light in Starlet's eyes fade, but before she could respond, Eileen suddenly clutched her head and whimpered in pain.
"Aldrich, I don’t know if Starlet hit me too hard just now, but my migraine is acting up again. It hurts… so much…"
Panicky, Aldrich turned to her and quickly said, "Hold on, I’ll take you to the hospital right now."
He was about to walk away with her in his arms when Starlet grabbed his arm and desperately urged, "Bowie needs medical attention right away, or it’ll be too late!"
Their eyes met, and for a moment, Aldrich hesitated. Seeing the pain in her expression, something inside him softened. He was just about to agree when Eileen gripped his shirt tightly.
"Aldrich… Maybe you should stay with Starlet instead," she murmured, her voice trembling. "After all, to her, a dog is more important than I am…"
"What are you saying? How could an animal ever compare to you?" Aldrich said firmly. "You’re my precious girl—nothing and no one could ever come close."
With that, he shook off Starlet’s hand and carried Eileen away without looking back.
As his warmth left her palm, Starlet felt an unbearable emptiness spread through her chest. Any last hope she had for Aldrich disappeared like smoke in the wind.
'So this is it. He wasn’t just playing a role—he truly believed in his own-made lie. He convinced himself so well that his heart turned blind and his mind completely taken in by his own performance,' she thought.
Then, she scoffed mentally, 'Well, I'm now done playing along.'
Still, she couldn’t help but wonder, 'But when this little game of his ended in two weeks, when he realized she was no longer around, would he be just as indifferent then? Would he still be so sure of his choices?'
Letting out a bitter chuckle, she turned away, cradling Bowie’s limp body as she stumbled toward the nearest veterinary hospital.
But by the time they arrived, it was already too late. Even if they saved him, he would only be hanging on by a thread. As she looked into those dark, trusting eyes—filled with silent pleading before slowly fading into emptiness—tears streamed down her face.
In the end, she chose to let him go peacefully.
Bowie was gone. Along with him was the love and youth she had given away so willingly for the past ten years.
She had his ashes turned into a pendant. When she finally returned home, the sun was already high in the sky.
As she stepped inside, her phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.
It was a video.
She clicked on it, and instantly, explicit scenes filled the screen—two bodies entangled in heated passion, limbs wrapped around each other as they moved together without restraint. The man in the video seemed completely captivated by the woman beneath him, his obsession evident.
The two people in the video were none other than Aldrich and Eileen.
It was obvious who had sent it.
For thirty minutes, Starlet watched the footage, torturing herself with every second. Her tears had long since dried up. Her nails dug so deeply into her palms that blood trickled down her fingers, but she felt nothing—just a dull, numbing ache.
Just as she was about to turn it off, their voices suddenly cut through the silence.
"Aldrich, can we take a break? I’m so tired…"
"Tired?" Aldrich's voice was low and rough. "This is your punishment for killing Bowie. Don’t think I don’t know you did it on purpose."
Instead of panicking, Eileen only giggled, nuzzling into his chest.
"You figured it out so easily… No wonder you’ve been so ruthless with me tonight," she purred. "You were mad because of her, weren’t you? If that’s the case, then why did you stand up for me earlier? You should’ve just let me die with that mutt."
"Die?" Aldrich smirked. "That would’ve been such a waste. You’re far too precious for that." His voice dropped lower, laced with dangerous amusement. "Now, tell me… do you know what you did wrong?"
