A wave of fear, the same one I felt in my previous life when I was bitten to death, surged through my chest.
I froze, my body recoiling instinctively at the memory.
David, noticing my silence, quickly tried to smooth things over. “This dog looks pretty handsome. You really took good care of it.”
But as I glanced at him, a question started to form in my mind. 'What exactly had he been involved in?'
If it hadn’t been for him, I never would have brought this nightmare of a dog into my life.
But he had, hadn’t he?
He was the one who took the dog when he went to work late.
But here it was—standing at my door.
And why had I heard David’s voice just before opening it?
I would never have opened that door if I hadn't heard him.
It was clicking now. David and Rachel definitely participated in this together.
Just then, Rachel stepped out of the kitchen, as cheerful as ever, holding the meal she had prepared. “Issa, David, come on, dinner’s ready!”
And just like in my previous life, she casually dropped the bomb. “Issa, my business trip is tonight, so I’ll leave the dog with you. Can you look after it for a few days?”
The memory of the excruciating pain from the dog’s bite hit me like a freight train.
My body froze, and I trembled.
My voice came out cold and firm, laced with fear. “I’m allergic to dog fur. I can’t take care of it.”
Rachel hesitated for a moment, clearly thrown off by my refusal. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself.
I wasn’t going to budge. I shoved the table away and stood up to leave, my mind racing.
But before I could get far, David walked in with the dog.
I shot him a frustrated look.
He looked sheepish like he knew how much this bothered me. “Issa, we’re just helping Rachel out. Taking care of the dog for a couple of days. Once she’s back, we’ll send him away, I promise.”
A cold, bitter feeling settled in my chest.
It was clear now. They had planned this so that I'd be taken out by this dog. But not this time.
'No way.'
I glared at the dog, my frustration bubbling over. “You know I’m terrified of this thing, yet you still brought it here?”
David stepped forward, his voice full of apologies, trying to calm me down. “Issa, I’m sorry. It’ll be okay. I’m here with you.”
I wasn’t having it.
A few moments later, I pretended to check my phone, then faked a frown and spoke with irritation in my voice. “My boss just asked me to work overtime. I’ve got to head back to the office.”
I didn’t even wait for a response as I added, “You go ahead and give the dog a bath. He’s filthy. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”
David’s eyes widened slightly like he wanted to protest, but I was already leaving.
“I’ve got to hurry,” I said, brushing him off with a quick wave. “I’ll see you later.”
I stole one last glance over my shoulder as I stepped out the door.
David was standing there, holding the dog, staring intently at his phone, probably texting Rachel to coordinate their next move.
I couldn’t help the sneer that tugged at my lips. I could tell that my sudden departure had thrown a wrench into their plans.
In my past life, I had been too blind to see what was really going on. But not this time. This time, I would make sure they saw exactly how things were going to unfold.
I left the building and hopped into a taxi, making my way to a nearby hotel. After checking in, I took a deep breath, letting the tension slowly leave my body.
Once I was in my room, I plopped down on the bed and immediately pulled out my phone. I opened the security cameras for my house, wanting to see what David was doing.
To my shock, the house was empty.
Panic flooded my chest. My heart skipped a beat as I shot up from the bed, my mind racing.
I quickly opened the location app on my phone and linked it to David’s car.
It didn’t take long to realize what was happening.
David’s car was heading straight for the hotel where I was staying.
I quickly opened the real-time tracking for the car. My blood ran cold as I saw it. The dog was in the backseat, that twisted grin still stretched across its face.
It was staring straight at me, even though it was miles away.
A chill ran down my spine, and I couldn’t shake the fear crawling up my skin. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stay calm.
