Solana silently prayed that nothing would happen. After all, she had just promised Isaiah she would help watch Alyssa. Moreover, she was leaving soon and didn't want to create any unnecessary conflicts.
If something happened to Alyssa, Isaiah would punish her again by locking her in the dark room at the mountain villa.
Just thinking about that dark room made her whole body tremble. The day her parents died in the accident, she stayed home alone for one night before Isaiah came to get her the next day. No one ever knew how she managed to get through that night.
She had hidden inside a pitch-black closet, too scared to fall asleep. From then on, she developed severe claustrophobia.
Isaiah knew about it. That was why he'd always made sure not to leave her home alone. However, in her past life, Alyssa frequently provoked her after their engagement, and he locked her up several times to vent his anger on Alyssa's behalf.
Even though Alyssa was always the one who started the trouble, Isaiah only believed what Alyssa told him.
Moreover, Solana still had many things to do before going abroad for her studies. So, the last thing she wanted was to be locked up.
As soon as Solana rushed to the basement door, her heart went cold. Alyssa was facing away from her, and there was a large pool of blood on the floor.
"Alyssa! Don't do anything stupid!" Solana shouted as she sprinted toward her in panic. However, she froze the moment she saw what Alyssa was holding.
Alyssa was cradling a bloody, limp bundle in her arms. Then, she turned to look at Solana with a sinister smile.
Suddenly, she shoved the bloody bundle into Solana's hands and screamed, "Solana, why did you kill Poppy? That was my therapy dog that kept me company for seven years.
"How could you be so cruel? Aren't you afraid your baby will pay the price for what you've done?"
It was only then that Solana realized she was holding Alyssa's therapy dog, Poppy. So, the cries she'd heard earlier had been Poppy's.
Alyssa had just brutally killed it herself.
She instantly understood what was happening, but it was too late. Before she could throw away the dead dog, both her hands were held tightly by Alyssa. "Give me back my Poppy! Give me back!"
Alyssa's grip was frighteningly firm, and Solana couldn't break free. Just then, Isaiah appeared behind her.
"Solana Summers, what are you doing?" He was furious, grinding his teeth as he roared word by word.
Isaiah felt his blood had run cold. The seafood bisque slipped from his hand and crashed to the floor, splattering everywhere. He had only been gone for such a short time, and this had happened.
Alyssa was now crying herself hoarse, collapsing into Isaiah's arms. "Isaiah, Poppy was with me for seven whole years. Every night, it slept beside me. Without Poppy, how can I go on living? I might as well die!"
He immediately held her tightly. "Ally, don't talk nonsense. Seeing you like this breaks my heart! You still have me. From now on, I'll sleep with you every night, okay?"
After saying this, he immediately turned to meet Solana's gaze. Before she could explain, he scolded, "Solana, I asked you to help watch Ally, but you killed her therapy dog?
"Wasn't she traumatized enough already? Are you trying to drive her to suicide before you're satisfied?"
He growled, "You're young, but you're so evil. I must've spoiled you rotten! Apologize to Ally right now, and keep apologizing until she forgives you!"
Solana was on the verge of tears. Then, she caught Alyssa smiling smugly at her, silently mouthing the words, "I won."
However, Solana didn't care about that. All she wanted now was to calm Isaiah down. She tried to explain, "Isaiah, it wasn't me. She—"
Before she could finish, she received a hard slap across the face. Her ears rang instantly, her mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood.
"You're still lying? What? Are you trying to say Alyssa killed her therapy dog and pinned it on you? You've lied about her so many times before.
"I thought you'd changed after you got pregnant, but I was wrong. You're still the same—rotten to the core. Go back to the Jeffries residence and lock yourself in the room! You're grounded!"
Solana's blood ran cold. He was really sending her back to that dark room she feared most.
