He had no idea what it was, but it felt as if something was torn from his heart when it vanished so suddenly.“Mr. Brighthall.” His driver was there to pick him up. “What happened?”“Nothing.” He turned around and said, “Let’s go.”…Deirdre went straight to check on the box as soon as she woke up. Bliss was in there, but she could not see, so she could only feel around for the puppy with her hands. The puppy seemed to be sleeping and it would snore occasionally. It was awakened upon sensing Deirdre’s presence and it licked her fingers while it barked twice. Deirdre chuckled because it really was adorable. “Ms. McKinnon.”Sam came in for his shift and felt pleased deep down to find Deirdre smiling at Bliss in the box. “Have you had breakfast?”“I’m not in a rush to have breakfast.” Deirdre rubbed the puppy’s fur. “Let’s get some milk for it.”Deirdre took the puppy outside to get some sun when it was full from the milk and satisfied. The sound of a car driving into the court

“Yes.” Charlene chuckled and said, “However, it’s possible that I will need to stay in the villa for some time because of my health, Ms. McKinnon. I’m sorry that you need to put up with me.”Deidre sneered soundlessly. ‘This woman is really good at being a hypocrite both with her words and demeanor. However, Brendan just can’t seem to notice what a hypocrite she is.’She nodded. She really wanted to remove herself from that place and head upstairs, but Charlene said, “Let’s have a meal together, Ms. McKinnon. I’m quite good at cooking.”“It’s fine…” Before she could reject the offer, she sensed Brendan’s overbearing gaze. He was warning her. Deirdre changed her words and suppressed her disgust. “Sure.”Soon, Charlene headed to the kitchen to cook, and they gathered around the dining table. She prepared a full plate of food for Deirdre and said with a gentle smile, “I don’t like your food preferences, so I prepared a normal meal. Have a taste and let me know if you like it, Deir

Deirdre did not notice when Bliss got out of the box and moved close to her, whining to lick her fingers. Her throat hurt so much that she could not speak, so she could only hold Bliss in her arms and bite her lower lip tightly to stop her body from shaking.‘This is pure agony. When will days like this one end?’She suddenly envied Bliss. She envied the dog because someone would hold it and give it warmth when it whined, yet she had nothing. She walked out of the bathroom after cleaning up, but the door of the bedroom was open. Before Deirdre could respond to the situation, she was pinned against the wall. The pain she felt aside, she could not help shivering from the cold radiating from the wall. “I’ve had enough of your act!” Brendan’s face was icy, and he was extremely furious. “What the heck is wrong with you today? Did you not take my warning seriously? Who were you trying to convince that you were disgusted by assuming that agonized expression after tasting Charlene’s co

She took two sips of water before she heard the sound of leisurely footsteps behind her. Charlene said with feigned concern and a smile, “Are you alright, Ms. McKinnon?”Deirdre ignored her. When she was done drinking, she followed the wall and walked outside. Charlene raised her voice behind Deirdre as she said, “You’re going to have to talk to me, Ms. McKinnon. Do you think that you can just ignore me when Brendan is not around? If I take offense, I’m going to vent my grievance to Brendan.”Deirdre clenched her fists tightly when she heard the threatening remark. However, there was nothing she could do because, as would blame her without any hesitation if Charlene were to vent her grievance to him. She took a deep breath and stopped right before the stairs. She then turned around and asked, “What do you want, Charlene?”“Not much,” Charlene said leisurely. “I would like to ask you about yesterday’s meal, Ms. McKinnon. Did you like it?”Deirdre experienced acid reflux instantly

“Sure.” Deirdre placed down her cutlery and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll stay home. I won’t go anywhere.”“Hmm.”Deirdre assumed that that was all. She was preparing to get up and leave when Charlene suddenly spoke. “Brendan, it would be rather boring for Ms. McKinnon to stay at home all alone by herself. Why don’t we have Sam take Ms. McKinney to get some warmer clothes while we’re at the musical? Winter is coming, and Ms. McKinnon might fall sick if she doesn’t have proper clothes to wear by then.”Deirdre raised her head and wondered what sort of trick Charlene had up her sleeve. Brendan glared at Deirdre in disgust. “Did you hear that? Charlene still cares about you and worries that you might fall sick even though your evil deeds have put her in harm’s way on multiple occasions.”Deirdre wanted to laugh. ‘Anyone is capable of pretending, but does Brendan know what sort of person Charlene is when she is not around him?’“We’re all women, after all.” Charlene smiled bitterly. “W

“Let’s go back.” She looked as if she was missing the puppy. “Bliss is at home all by itself. Ιt’s going to grow anxious if I’m not around.”Sam bought some dog food from a pet shop nearby. Deirdre fell in love with a set of dog clothing after feeling it with her hands and bought it as well. The two of them arrived at the villa, and Deirdre made her way to the bedroom on the second floor eagerly.“Bliss, Bliss.” She beamed widely, expecting the little puppy to come to her as soon as she opened the door, just like it behaved usually. However, not a sound could be heard at that very moment. Deirdre’s smile faded slowly. She then opened the door and searched around the room. “Bliss? Bliss?”Sam came upstairs upon hearing the commotion. “What’s going on, Ms. McKinnon?”Deirdre’s face turned ghastly pale, but she forced herself to calm down. “Bliss is not responding to me. Sam, will you please help me look around and see if it’s hiding under the bed or has fallen asleep?”Sam went

“Why did I go out? Why did I leave this place? If I had stayed in the villa all this time, it wouldn’t… it wouldn’t have… I deserve to die!”As she muttered to herself, Sam felt even sorrier for her. He was the one who had brought Bliss into her life, yet this had still resulted in Deirdre having an emotional breakdown. “Ms. McKinnon, don’t say that. This is not your fault!”Deirdre was crying, so she was incapable of hearing Sam’s remark. She propped herself up and walked forward step by step. “Ms. McKinnon!” Sam attempted to stop her because it was a truly gruesome scene. “Don’t go. You’re going to get dirty.”‘Dirty? I’m the dirty one. If someone else had taken care of Bliss, perhaps it would still be chewing on a toy now. I’m the one who caused its death.’“Not dirty… Bliss is not dirty at all. How can it be dirty?” Deirdre stretched out her arms to feel the ground until she touched Bliss at last. She broke into tears of joy and held Bliss in her arms. “Ms. McKinnon…”“B

Brendan furrowed his eyebrows, while Sam immediately stepped forward and said, “Mr. Brighthall… Ms. McKinnon is already experiencing an emotional breakdown, so she’s not able to withstand any more triggers.”Brendan’s face turned green from anger. It was already getting dark, and it was not appropriate for Deirdre to be holding a dog’s corpse out there. Could she be planning to hold the dog for a whole night?“Let go, Deirdre.” Brendan exhaled and said, “I’ll arrange for someone to give it a proper burial. It’s not going to die in peace if you continue to hold it like this.”Deirdre turned a deaf ear to his advice and refused to let go. She would regret not taking a glance at her child for the rest of her life, and that was why she refused to let go of Bliss. She wanted to keep it company, as she was certain that it was cold after lying on the ground for so long. “Deirdre!” Brendan narrowed his eyes. The sky was growing darker and darker, and the bloody stench on her body was al

Deirdre put on the clothes indifferently and followed Brendan downstairs. As soon as she reached the first floor, she heard the sound of high heels clicking coming from the entrance. Soon, Charlene walked over and said smilingly, “It’s a pity that you left so early. You missed the climax of the musical.“The main character’s dog died after being dismembered. It was truly exhilarating to watch.” She enunciated her words clearly and emphasized her remark on purpose. Deirdre’s eyes turned bloodshot instantly as she ran toward Charlene and clutched her throat, roaring hysterically, “You’re heartless! It was just a dog!”“Dierdre!”“Ms. McKinnon!”It all happened so unexpectedly that Charlene was thrown into the coffee table. Deirdre’s eyes were bloodshot, and she used all the strength in her ten fingers to choke Charlene. Brendan pulled her away from Charlene and threw her to the floor coldly. He showed concern for Charlene instead, asking, “Are you alright, Charlene?”Deirdre kno

Deirdre’s entire body was trembling, and she wrapped her arms around herself tightly. “Ms. McKinnon…” Sam said hesitantly. He could not help feeling sorry for Deirdre’s situation after witnessing the whole incident. “Are you alright?”Deirdre’s eyes were red with tears. Sam was the only person she could trust now. He was the only one. She hastily said, “Sam, tell me if it’s true. Was Bliss killed by a homeless man?”“Yes.” Sam heaved a sigh. Even though he suspected Charlene, there was nothing he could do without adequate proof, and the mastermind had executed the scheme very well. “The surveillance footage shows that the homeless man tormented and killed Bliss because he was mentally unstable. That is not unexpected, and there’s no way we can pursue this incident legally. After all, it’s not a human life, but a dog's life…”‘Yes, it was just a dog. An outsider wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow because it died in the backyard.’“Understood.” Deirdre’s voice was shaking. “Ms. McK