The family business had thrived, rising to power and inching toward absolute dominance.
Owen had grown busier, but never once had he truly neglected me.
In my memory, he had loved me deeply.
But ever since Leah returned from abroad, everything changed.
Day or night, one call from her and he was gone.
It was as if they were the real couple, bound by something unbreakable.
Whenever I confronted him, his answer was always the same.
He owed Sophie a favor.
He had promised to protect Leah for a lifetime.
But what did that have to do with me?
Why did I have to suffer because of it?
I swallowed the bitter taste in my throat, my mind drifting back to that day when Leah’s massive dog barreled into me, knocking me to the ground.
Panic surged through me. I grabbed the nearest book and swung.
Maybe I struck its nose too hard. Maybe that was the only reason I managed to escape.
But Leah wouldn’t let it go.
She wept, accusing me of hurting the dog her mother had left her.
“It’s my mother’s last keepsake!” she cried. “If anything happens to it, I don’t want to live either!”
Owen’s fury was instant.
Without hearing a word of my explanation, he forced me to apologize to a dog.
But the dog wasn’t even hurt.
I was the one covered in scratches.
Not long after, the dog fell seriously ill.
Leah claimed she had dreamed of it, that it longed to see the scenery of Santorini one last time.
At the same time, my entire family’s condition took a devastating turn.
We needed an expensive medication.
It was out of stock everywhere except Owen’s family, who could obtain it from abroad.
Desperate, I rushed to the airport, barely catching up with Owen and Leah before they boarded their flight.
I begged him and pleaded with everything I had.
“Please… Help me get the medication!”
But he only glared at me, cold and unyielding.
“You lunatic! You nearly killed the only thing Leah has left of her mother!”
“I didn’t!” I panicked, my throat tightening. “I was just scared. I acted on instinct! I only hit it with a book…”
Leah sobbed pitifully, her voice trembling.
“Miss Walker, I know you’re afraid of dogs, but how could you poison it?”
Poison?
I froze, my breath catching in my throat.
Then I met Owen’s gaze, cold, disgusted.
Framed.
He didn’t believe me.
Without a word, he pulled Leah into his arms and turned away.
“Owen!” My voice cracked as I shouted his name, ignoring the curious glances of passersby.
“Please! I’m begging you… help me get the medicine. I can’t lose my family.”
For a fleeting second, he hesitated as if he might say something, but Leah’s soft cries shattered the moment.
Her expression was one of pure devastation.
“Owen… go accompany Miss Walker,” she whispered, voice fragile as glass. “As for me… I just want to leave this world with my dog…”
“Don’t say that!” Owen panicked, gripping her hands, his fear unmistakable. “I’ll go with you.”
