Dale knew that I had a bad temper and he understood that it was highly unusual for me to stoop so low as to admit fault. How could I possibly have written an apology letter for the dog that took my child's life? It felt like an impossible task, grappling with the unimaginable grief and the conflicting emotions of guilt and anger that consumed me. Each attempt to even consider such a gesture felt like reopening a wound that would never heal.

“Look, you're not giving Harper a hard time. Right now, you're giving me a hard time.” He tried to convince Eileen. He proceed, "If Harper is really angry and doesn't want him, how could she possibly have taken good care of Rex all this time? We can't leave him alone at home. Or do you think we have to give him away? If we give him to someone else, are you sure he'll be well cared for and get enough food? She takes better care of Rex than both of us do.”

It was true. Since the dog came to our house, he was treated like a king. He always got the first bite of meat from the table. We walked around the place where he was lying down. The imported canned food he enjoyed cost more than a meal for us and all these expenses came out of my own pocket. It was a clear expression of love—both Dale and I adored him and we treated him as part of our family.

As for Eileen, she was a regular at nightclubs, often sharing images of her indulging in food, drinks and leisure activities. She rarely spent time at home. How could she be expected to provide proper care for Rex? Yet, she still found reasons to pout.

“But your wife is too tough on him. She's kept him in a cage and it's really affecting his mood. You can take him back, but you'll need to promise me that she won't put him in a cage. Otherwise, he's staying put.”

Dale was caught in the middle, carefully testing the waters with me. “She said you've scared the dog so badly it's traumatized. If I bring him back and he ends up in a cage again-”

“I will never put him in a cage again,” I cut him off, my words edged with frustration.

“What? So where will you put him if not in a cage?”

“In the child's room.”

“You don't really want Rex back, do you?” Dale thought I was joking. I took a photo of the empty child's room that I cleared out this afternoon and sent it to him. My heart shattered as I packed away his belongings, my poor son, defeated in life by a dog. How could this happen?

“I'm serious, his room is ready. Hurry up and bring him home.”

“Then where will Liam sleep?”

My heart tightened at the sound of my son's name. I swallowed, trying hard to maintain my composure as I replied, “Don't worry, I've got a cozy bed ready for him to sleep.”

The two of them fell silent. Shortly after, Dale's pretended reluctance but eventual agreement could be heard over the phone.

“Well, child’s room sounds okay. Just don't scold him if he gets on the couch, will you?”

“I won’t.”

I've always been a big dog lover. Most dogs were friendly towards me, except for this terrier named Rex. He bit me on his first day at our house. Fortunately, I was wearing cotton pants and wasn't bitten through.

Dale mentioned he had been wandering around for too long, causing stress and fear. But when Liam tried to get close to him, Rex bared his teeth at him. I was worried about my son getting bitten. But Dale didn't share my concern and saying, “Don't provoke him and he won't bite.”

His arrival made me uncomfortable. Why would he bring home a dog that was a danger to the family? Did he think this was Caesar Millan's show or something? Yet Dale pleaded with me to let us take in the dog temporarily and see if he would be tame down.

The dog behaved very well with him, but was aggressive and mean towards me and my son. As a compromise to ensure my child's safety and prevent Dale from feeling sad, I bought a dog’s cage and put Rex in there.

We lived with him for over a year and things were quite peaceful. I never expected the dog to bite my child one day. But how could he have bitten my child when he was always kept inside the crate? When I pulled up the surveillance camera footage, I was furious.

Apparently, Dale would always sneak him out of the crate whenever I wasn't home. On the day Liam was bitten, he was in the living room, wanting to draw at the table. He pulled up a chair to sit down, unaware that there was a sleeping dog underneath it. The dog was startled and immediately lunged at him, biting his calf.

In the surveillance video, it bared its teeth, asserting itself as if it were the master of the house. My son was crying and sitting on the ground and my heart was shattered. If I had been firm about giving it away from the beginning, this wouldn't have happened. But now I can't dwell on blaming myself. Before my son passed away, I still wished to keep him, feeling remorse about kicking him, but now, I just want to skin it alive.

And those scoundrels, I vowed they would pay for their deeds. After the water had boiled for the fifth or sixth time, the door finally creaked open. Dale came back with the accursed dog in tow.

Dale walked in, put the dog in the room and left in a hurry. He didn't even take off his shoes. It was Sunday and Dale would be working tomorrow. He wouldn't want to spend his last day off at home and I suspected he would go play chess. Before leaving, he told me to get Rex some food.

“Don't worry, I'll feed him,” I assured, just before I heard the door slammed shut. It was time for me to get started. The damn dog seemed a bit uneasy since its return. It sniffed the air, looking defensive, as if warning me to stay away.

Knowing he had rabies, I put on my gloves before going inside. When I came out of my room, he was standing on the couch, peeing. The pee ran down into the cracks of the couch, imparting a pungent, foul odor. Trying to stay calm, I put his favorite canned food in the corner. It seemed like he knew there was medicine in his food because after sniffing it, he turned and trotted off. My patience ran out and I rushed over to grab him. He was sensitive and very agile. He turned his head so quickly to bite at my wrist. Reacting instinctively, I dodged to the side.

He darted under the bedroom bed, growling at me. I grabbed the ashtray and hurled it at the dog, causing him to flee to the windowsill and jump over the railing. Living on the ground floor, I knew the fall wouldn't be lethal. With urgency, I swung open the door and dashed outside to pursue the dog. Perhaps upon landing, he had hurt itself; he limped away from me, seeking refuge under a nearby car. From there, he continued to snarl at me, clearly agitated and defensive.

"What are you doing?” Mable Prince’s voice cut through the tension as she spotted me crouched on the ground, peering intently. She was my neighbor, always sticking her nose into everything and often twisting situations around. Honestly, I tried to avoid getting involved with her whenever possible.

I grabbed a stone and threw it at the dog, causing him to scurry into the bushes and hide in a corner. As I chased after him, Mrs. Prince suddenly yanked me back.

“What’s gotten into you? Dale treats that dog like his own child. If you have a fight with him, don't take your anger out on that dog. That poor creature doesn’t know a thing about human’s business!” Because of her loud shouting, a crowd started to gather around us. Soon, more and more people joined in, their voices rising in accusation about me abusing the dog.

“She seemed like a nice woman, turns out she's a horrible an animal abuser.”

“Look, the dog seems terrified, he's shaking so hard he's drooling. It must be because she beat him so badly.”

I remember when the dog drooled, it meant the virus had already entered its brain and there was no chance for him to recover. To prevent Rex from biting anyone else, I picked up the nearest tree branch and approached the rabid dog slowly.

Just as I took a couple of steps, Mrs. Prince grabbed me tightly, “Get a hold of yourself, will you? This is not how you should handle this. There’s plenty-”

“You want to get bitten? This dog has rabies!” I snapped. “Don't say I didn't warn you.” I made my voice icy cold as I spouted the least sentence.

Mrs. Prince froze instantly. She stared at me with wide eyes, her face filled with horror.

“If the dog has rabies, why would she want to catch it?

“Shouldn't we call animal control?”

“That's why we have to look at things from both sides. As far as I know, Harper isn't someone who is cruel to animals. She's doing this because she's trying to protect others.”

“What do you know about what's in people's hearts? A lot of people seem nice to dogs on the outside but they're actually a dog fight breeder. She could be saying this because a lot of people have caught her. Moreover, this is a terrier, they are used a lot in dog fighting.”

As I looked at several ‘morally-good-people attempting to block my way, I took a big stone. I gripped the stone tightly, intending to strike the dog directly, smashing it to death. But just as I lifted my hand, someone grabbed it firmly, stopping me in my tracks.

“Harper, are you crazy?”

The news traveled fast. Dale, who was playing chess in the next unit, came over as soon as he heard that his wife was beating a dog in the parking lot. He came with Eileen in tow. Eileen was beautifully dressed and put on a beautiful make-up. When she saw her lovely dog cowering in the corner of the park, she covered her mouth with her shiny nails.

“Oh my God, what happened to Rex? Why’s he drooling? What have you done to him?” She shot me a fierce glare before rushing to hug the dog. The moment her hand made contact with Rex, he bit down hard, causing her hand to bleed profusely.

Dale grabbed a tissue to gently wipe her wound, while concerned onlookers urged him to take her to the hospital.

“Your wife said that this dog has rabies. You should take her to hospital to get an anti-rabies shot,” someone insisted.

“Bullshit. How could a domestic dog have rabies?” Dale retorted.

Eileen winced in pain as she clutched her bitten hand, frustration evident in her curses directed at the well-intentioned crowd. Ignoring her discomfort, she bravely attempted to approach the frightened dog once more, hoping to reassure it and calm its fears. However, Dale intervened swiftly, his grip firm as he pulled her back, concerned for both her safety and the dog's agitation.

“Rex looks freak out. Let’s give him a break.” He said softly, “Go to the hospital. I’ll be waiting here so no one would touch him.”

Dale glared at me as if he wanted to strangle me. Meanwhile, Eileen wept in anguish. Dale frowned, unable to comprehend why I had persuaded him to retrieve the dog with gentle words, only for things to end up like this. He was now focused on resolving the issue.

“Did Liam annoy him so Rex bit him and you went out after him to hit him?” It was nothing but an accusatory tone. “Didn't I tell you two not to bother him? Why don’t you get it?”

I wanted desperately to tell him that his son had passed away. Yet, in the heat of my anger, the words lodged in my throat, refusing to come out. Deep inside, regret gnawed at me, realizing the immense mistake I had made in marrying someone like him.

The dog was going to die anyway and I didn't want to waste time explaining, so I turned and walked away.

Just as I took a few steps, someone suddenly shouted in a shrill voice, “There's something wrong with the dog!”

The dying dog was foaming at the mouth, his limbs were all twitching uncontrollably. He was thrashing around, hitting his body to the walls. The onlookers were horrified. “This dog really must have rabies.”

Eileen collapsed, broke free from Dale's grasp and ran towards the dog, crying uncontrollably.

“Shut the fuck up! There’s no way my baby has rabies. It definitely because this damn woman kicked him so hard in the head!”

She distanced herself from her beloved pet. She was surely too afraid to approach the dog, seeing how crazy it was.

A few minutes later, the dog fell on the floor. He convulsed violently, emitting a pitiful whimper as his final breath left his body. Eileen turned towards Dale, tears streaming down her face. Her lips moved but no sound came out.

“Dale, what are you waiting for? Go take our boy to the vet!”

As soon as her words dropped, the crowd erupted in shock.

“Wait, what? Am I hearing this right? Their son? So the dog was her pet?”

“Oh my goodness, I always thought they were just friends.”

“It seems like she found out they were having an affair and therefore took out her anger on this dog.”

The people around started to show sympathy towards me, though not everyone did. Because a second later, some of them started speaking up for the dog.

“She has every right to be angry after finding out her husband cheated, but that doesn't mean she can take it out on this dog. The dog is innocent.”

“Exactly,” answered the other.

Not wanting to bother arguing with them, I turned around to leave. However, before I could take a step, Eileen rushed towards me with surprising speed. Her hand swung and struck my face with force, the sound echoing in the tense atmosphere around us.

“You cruel, crazy bitch! You convinced Dale to bring my dog back to your house just to kill him. Give him back. Give me back my dog!” She pulled my hair in frustration.

The flame inside me churned and flared. I gritted my teeth and lowered my head, clenched my fist and slammed it hard against her wrist, forcing her hand to slip away.

Then with the back of my hand, I slapped hard towards her face. I was so angry the dog hadn't died by my hand. I had been patient enough to tolerate her affair with my husband, how dare she question me? Who did she think she was?

The fire inside me surged and blazed. I gritted my teeth and lowered my head, clenched my fist and struck her wrist hard, forcing her hand to release. Seeing me fight back, no one around dared to stop me. I slapped her again in the face like a maniac.

“If you love your pet so much, why don't you just die and join him in the underworld?” I snarl at her.

Eileen was skinny and she was weak from lack of exercise. After I slapped her, she staggered backward and stumbled. She fell on the ground, staring at me wide-eyed, while holding her red face.

Dale, bewildered by the escalating conflict. He noticed Eileen wincing in pain and swiftly stepped in to intervene before things escalated further.

Blinded by rage and on the brink of losing control, I raised my hand, intending to strike Dale across the face. He hesitated, momentarily stunned by the intensity of the situation unfolding before him.

“Harper Fields, what the fuck is wrong with you?” In a sudden burst of self-defense, Dale reacted instinctively, his fear giving way to a surge of adrenaline. Without a second thought, he delivered a forceful kick to my stomach, aiming to protect himself and diffuse the escalating confrontation. The impact knocked me back, gasping for air and momentarily stunned by the unexpected retaliation. An excruciating pain came from my stomach, making me bend over and unable to stand up straight.

When she saw Dale coming to her aid, Eileen took the opportunity to crawl toward me and grab my hair. That's when I saw the rock I'd dropped before. I dropped down to pick up the rock, I picked it up to smash it into her head. I didn't care. If I had to die, I would take her with me. As I raised my hand, Dale quickly caught my arm. He gripped it firmly, took the stone by force and threw it far away and I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“Dale you fucking asshole! Her dog bit your son to death and you still defend her? Are you even human?” My eyes welled up as I uttered the final words.

But Dale didn't seem to believe it at all. His chest was rising and falling and his eyes stared at me with disappointment.

“I thought you were just mad because Rex bit Liam. I didn't think you were so vile that you would slander someone like that. So this is your true nature?” He paused for a moment.

“Torturing dogs, cursing your child to die and abusing people like they’re some rats, that's your true nature? Let's get a divorce.”

Before I could open my mouth to give an explanation from my side, Eileen seized the opportunity to grab a brick and hit it on my head.

The intense pain lodged in my head was palpable. I could feel warm fluid flowing slowly down my forehead into my mouth. I swallowed inadvertently and it tasted fishy.

Dale looked so terrified but he froze in place. There was no one in sight was offering any help. Eileen lifted her hand again and I closed my eyes.

“Stop!”

The baritone voice of a man sounded from afar. The anticipated pain didn't come. Then I heard the sound of something heavy falling with a loud thud and it rolled. It wasn't Dale's voice. I strained to look towards where the sound came from and saw a person in a police uniform approaching.

Eileen stood up hurriedly and pointed at me. “Officer, this woman has committed violence against animals. She tortured my boy to death. If you need more, he can be my witness,” she said, then glanced towards Dale.

Dale fell silent as his eyes swirled with the police officer's. He quickly averted his gaze, looking nervous. “Good evening, Officer Fields,” Dale greeted after clearing his throat.

That was right. This man and I share the same last name. The officer in front of us was Ryan Fields, my brother, Dale's brother-in-law.

Dale pointed towards the stiffened dog in the corner, explaining frantically, “You know how much I love this dog. I raised him like my own child. Today, Harper tortured him to death. She deceived me to take him back from my ex-girlfriend's house. Isn't that crazy? Look, Ryan–”

Without warning, Ryan punched him hard in the face. He staggered back, clutching his nose. He appeared deeply shocked by both the punch and my brother's anger.

“Are you fucking out of your mind? Your son died because of that mad dog and you're still trying desperately to defend him. You're an asshole!” Ryan took a step back and unclutched his fist. Blood dripped from Dale's nose. He was stunned. I didn't know if he was stunned from the punch or from hearing my brother's words.

“By the way, my shift ended half an hour ago. I was on my way home when Dispatch notified me of a disturbance at my sister's house. I hitched a ride with a friend who was on duty just to check. I never imagined the report was about you.”

“What?” After a moment, he snapped out of thought and immediately took out his phone. He dialed my mother's number frantically. He called her to confirm.