Chapter 2He Offered Me to Another Man

For three consecutive days, Alex didn’t come home.

But the people he’d hired had already begun preparing for the wedding.

After all, it was something I had longed for for five years. I wanted to wear that wedding dress before I left.

On the third evening, he finally returned, bringing Juliet with him.

He offered no explanation for his three-day disappearance.

“Juliet will be staying with us from today. I’ve asked Maya to prepare the guest room for you.”

Juliet was so frail, a delicate wisp of a girl, making anyone want to reach out and protect her.

She walked behind Alex, softly greeting me. “Excuse me for intruding, Mrs. Alex.”

Both Alex and I were taken aback by the address. Alex was the first to speak.

“Just call her Elara.”

I knew I had no right to act like the lady of the house in front of Juliet. After a calm and polite nod, I was about to retreat to my room.

But then a frantic patter of paws approached. Wolf, who hadn’t seen Alex in three days, was excitedly rushing towards him.

This, however, caused Juliet’s face to go pale. She gripped Alex’s hand tightly, scared. “Alex, I’m scared!”

Seeing the newcomer, Wolf circled her once. Perhaps he liked her scent, as he tried to nuzzle up to Juliet.

Juliet burst into tears instantly, burying her face in Alex’s embrace.

Alex wrapped one arm around Juliet, while reprimanding Wolf. “Get lost! Elara, take your dog away!”

He kicked Wolf hard, sending him tumbling several times across the floor before he stopped.

Wolf didn’t understand why his usually kind dad had suddenly kicked him. He just stared blankly, letting out a whimper.

I rushed over and scooped Wolf into my arms. “Wolf, are you okay? Does it hurt? Don’t scare me.”

Wolf was a stray dog I had found.

That winter, I had no money for heating in my rented apartment, and I was burning with a fever, close to freezing to death. It was Wolf who kept me warm with his small body.

Wolf was getting old, and the vet had warned me to be prepared for his passing at any time.

My emotions spiraled out of control, and for the first time, I yelled at Alex. “He’s so small, why did you kick him?!”

Alex froze after kicking him, wanting to speak, but Juliet interrupted.

Juliet was sobbing, her words catching in her throat, gasping for breath.

“I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault. I overreacted.”

“That place was full of dog barks, I just had a bit of a panic attack.”

Juliet had a gambling father who even used her as collateral at the casino.

She had endured many hardships to escape the casino, eventually meeting Alex.

The casino owner had his eyes on Juliet, demanding she spend a night with him to clear the debt.

That casino had deep connections, operating in both legal and illegal spheres, even Alex was wary of him.

Juliet suddenly began breathing rapidly, unable to catch her breath. Alex forgot everything else, scooping her into his arms and carrying her into the bedroom.

“Call a doctor, quickly!”

It was chaos, and no one paid any attention to me.

Wolf kept whimpering softly, his leg bent at an unnatural angle.

I tried to ask for help. “Wolf seems to be hurt. Can someone take me to the hospital?”

But everyone was rushing around for Juliet, no one noticed me. Some even rolled their eyes.

“Can’t you see what’s going on, Elara? Is your dog more precious than Juliet?”

“Forget a dog, even if it were *you* in trouble today, you’d have to step aside.”

Wolf’s whimpers grew fainter. I couldn’t wait any longer. I carried Wolf and started walking down the hill to find help.

Alex’s mansion was secluded on a hillside outside the city. Cars were rare, and there were no streetlights.

It was completely silent, except for Wolf’s tiny whimpers. I ignored my fear, desperately pleading with the heavens for him to be safe.

I had so little. Please don’t take Wolf away too.

I walked for three hours in the dark before reaching a hospital.

The doctor said Wolf was lucky, it was just a fracture, no other issues.

A wave of relief washed over me, then a sharp pain shot up from my feet. I looked down and saw huge blisters, the size of beans, covering my soles.