“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to...” She shook her head, tears streaming down her face as if she were the one who’d been hurt.
“I was in pain, trying to find you. Then Buddy jumped on me, barking and biting. I was so scared, I just... pushed him down the stairs! I never thought he’d die! I swear I didn’t want to hurt him!”
Her sobs grew more dramatic, making it hard for her to speak clearly.
“You’re lying! I saw it all! Buddy didn’t attack you! You kicked him down the stairs on purpose!”
I couldn’t stand the thought of my Buddy dying in such agony, nor could I let her smear his memory. I thought Alexander would see through her lies—after all, Buddy had saved his life.
But then I heard him say, “Madeline, can’t you let it go? Chelsea said Buddy was attacking her! If that’s the case, she was just trying to defend herself. She didn’t do it on purpose. It’s just a dog. You can’t compare a dog’s life to a person’s safety!”
I was stunned.
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I couldn’t let them fall. My heart ached so much I felt like I’d lost the ability to cry.
I couldn’t believe he was downplaying Buddy’s death while trying to defend Chelsea. He’d promised to take care of Buddy, yet now he was treating it like it was no big deal.
A dog’s life is short—Buddy was already thirteen and had been struggling for the last couple of years with old injuries. How could he have attacked anyone?
Alexander was smart; he knew Chelsea was lying. But he refused to question her.
I looked at him, feeling empty and lost.
The eighteen-year-old Alexander, who lived on scraps and treated me like a treasure, was gone. The man standing before me now wore an expensive suit, his heart seemingly changed along with his wardrobe.
I barely recognized him anymore—and I was afraid to love him.
“Alexander, she hurt me so bad! Am I going to die? I’m so scared!” Chelsea whimpered, snuggling against him, acting fragile.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take you to the hospital right now!” He scooped her up without a second thought and rushed out.
Watching him rush to Chelsea’s side, I felt a wave of bitterness wash over me.
She had only minor injuries, yet he acted like she was on the brink of death. Meanwhile, I was dying of pancreatic cancer, and he treated me like I was being unreasonable.
It was laughable.
The man who had promised to love me until the end was now pouring his affection into someone else, leaving me with nothing.