The family business had thrived, rising to power and inching toward absolute dominance.

Owen had grown busier, but never once had he truly neglected me.

In my memory, he had loved me deeply.

But ever since Leah returned from abroad, everything changed.

Day or night, one call from her and he was gone.

It was as if they were the real couple, bound by something unbreakable.

Whenever I confronted him, his answer was always the same.

He owed Sophie a favor.

He had promised to protect Leah for a lifetime.

But what did that have to do with me?

Why did I have to suffer because of it?

I swallowed the bitter taste in my throat, my mind drifting back to that day when Leah’s massive dog barreled into me, knocking me to the ground.

Panic surged through me. I grabbed the nearest book and swung.

Maybe I struck its nose too hard. Maybe that was the only reason I managed to escape.

But Leah wouldn’t let it go.

She wept, accusing me of hurting the dog her mother had left her.

“It’s my mother’s last keepsake!” she cried. “If anything happens to it, I don’t want to live either!”

Owen’s fury was instant.

Without hearing a word of my explanation, he forced me to apologize to a dog.

But the dog wasn’t even hurt.

I was the one covered in scratches.

Not long after, the dog fell seriously ill.

Leah claimed she had dreamed of it, that it longed to see the scenery of Santorini one last time.

At the same time, my entire family’s condition took a devastating turn.

We needed an expensive medication.

It was out of stock everywhere except Owen’s family, who could obtain it from abroad.

Desperate, I rushed to the airport, barely catching up with Owen and Leah before they boarded their flight.

I begged him and pleaded with everything I had.

“Please… Help me get the medication!”

But he only glared at me, cold and unyielding.

“You lunatic! You nearly killed the only thing Leah has left of her mother!”

“I didn’t!” I panicked, my throat tightening. “I was just scared. I acted on instinct! I only hit it with a book…”

Leah sobbed pitifully, her voice trembling.

“Miss Walker, I know you’re afraid of dogs, but how could you poison it?”

Poison?

I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

Then I met Owen’s gaze, cold, disgusted.

Framed.

He didn’t believe me.

Without a word, he pulled Leah into his arms and turned away.

“Owen!” My voice cracked as I shouted his name, ignoring the curious glances of passersby.

“Please! I’m begging you… help me get the medicine. I can’t lose my family.”

For a fleeting second, he hesitated as if he might say something, but Leah’s soft cries shattered the moment.

Her expression was one of pure devastation.

“Owen… go accompany Miss Walker,” she whispered, voice fragile as glass. “As for me… I just want to leave this world with my dog…”

“Don’t say that!” Owen panicked, gripping her hands, his fear unmistakable. “I’ll go with you.”

But before he left, he turned back to me, his eyes sharp with resentment.

“Can’t you stop making up lies just to bother me?”

Maybe it was because, once, I had faked an illness just to make him come home.

Maybe that was why he thought I was lying now.

But I only did it because I cared.

I just wanted him to rest, breathe and stop pushing himself to exhaustion.

But he never understood me.

"Miss Walker, wasn’t it enough to destroy the only relic my mother left me? How could you not even let it rest in peace?"

Leah’s trembling voice yanked me from my thoughts.

She clutched the urn tightly, her arms wrapped around it like a lifeline. Large tears streamed down her cheeks, her grief painting a heartbreaking picture.

Owen’s expression darkened, his heart aching for her.

He reached out, brushing away her tears before turning on me with pure fury.

"Abigail, when did you become so vicious?"

"Owen, don’t blame Miss Walker." Leah’s voice was soft, understanding, so sickeningly forgiving. "She just cares about you too much… that’s why she accidentally hurt me and my dog."

Owen protected her, shielding her as if I were some unforgivable villain.

A tremor ran through me, rage coiling in my chest. My ears buzzed, drowning out the world around me.

The excavators roared to life, their relentless destruction continuing.

Bit by bit, my family’s cemetery was reduced to nothing but ruins.

A wave of powerlessness crashed over me, so heavy I could barely breathe.

Then, Leah smiled. A delighted, almost serene expression crossed her face as she gently caressed the urn in her arms.

"Doggy, even though someone killed you, I hope you can let go of your hatred and reincarnate soon… as my baby."

She sighed softly as if speaking to a child.

"I know you don’t like being disturbed, so I asked Owen to buy this cemetery just for you."

"If you have any unfulfilled wishes, don’t forget to come to me in my dreams."

Owen didn’t hesitate. He raised his walkie-talkie, his voice cold and decisive.

"Flatten it all. Make it quick."

He was doing this.

Destroying an entire cemetery for a dog.

Unbelievable.

Absurd.

Suffocating rage burned through me, but no amount of anger could change the cruel reality before my eyes.

My eyes burned and my voice wavered as I demanded, "Owen, what right do you have to do this?"

He turned to me with an impatient expression as if my pain was nothing more than an inconvenience.

"Abigail, Leah and I didn’t even hold you accountable for poisoning her dog.”

"But that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want."

"And can you find something better to do than clinging to me all the time?"

How could I forget? Someone like him would never care whose graves these were. To him, everything could be solved with money.

"Do you have any proof?" My breath came in short bursts, my chest rising and falling with restrained fury. "Do you believe everything Leah says?"

Owen cut me off without hesitation. "Are you saying Leah would harm the one thing her mother left her?"

From an angle where Owen couldn’t see, Leah shot me a triumphant smirk.

Then, as if on cue, she sighed and put on that pitiful expression she wore so well.

"Miss Walker, why do you always hate me so deeply?"

Ever since this woman returned, my world had been turned upside down.

She hadn’t just driven a wedge between me and Owen.

She was the reason I lost everything.

Even my family.

If not for her, I wouldn’t have lost my loved ones.

That thought ignited something uncontrollable inside me.

Rage boiled over, scorching through every rational thought.

I lunged at Leah, my fingers closing around her throat, tightening with every ounce of fury I had suppressed.

"Aaah! Help!" Leah gasped, clawing at my hands, her terror-stricken face twisting as she struggled.

A sudden force yanked me back before I could unleash the full force of my anger.

Owen stared at me, eyes wide with shock. "Abigail, have you lost your mind? Do you even realize what you’re doing?"

"Leah deserves to die." My hands curled into fists, my voice seething with venom. "If not for her, I wouldn’t have lost my family."

Owen let out a heavy sigh as if exhausted by my accusations. "Do you think I don’t know what happened to your family? Stop causing trouble for no reason."

Even now, he refused to see the truth.

Wasn’t it laughable?

Five years of love and this was what remained.

A hollow ache spread through my chest, bitterness sinking deep into my bones.

I exhaled sharply. "Owen, let’s break up."

His gaze snapped to mine, sharp as a blade. "What did you just say?" He stepped forward, his voice dangerously low. "You want to break up with me?"

I took a few steps back, my voice calm, distant. "You’re not the right person for me. We were never meant to be."

"Stop this nonsense." Owen suddenly seized my wrist, yanking me closer. His gaze burned into mine. "You’re just jealous of Leah, aren’t you? I told you, I only see her as a sister."

I wrenched my hand free, disgust curling in my chest. "You make me sick."

Owen stiffened, his eyes flashing with disbelief. "Did you misunderstand something? I—"

Before he could finish, a pitiful scream cut through the air.

Leah had crumpled to the ground, gasping as if the very air had turned against her. She clutched her throat, trembling like a fragile doll.

Owen had warned me before, told me she had asthma since childhood and told me not to provoke her.

But wasn’t it always her who provoked me first?

She was an exceptional actress and this was just another well-rehearsed performance.

"Leah, hold on." Owen hurriedly lifted her as he barked at the bodyguards to bring the car around.

I turned to leave, unwilling to be part of this farce.

But before I could take a step, Owen shoved me into the car, his glare sharp with fury. "If anything happens to Leah, you’ll be the one to take responsibility."

I had no idea how long I had been waiting in the hospital corridor.

Time stretched endlessly before Owen finally had his bodyguards drag me to a VIP ward.

He pointed at Leah, frail and pitiful in bed, his voice cold with command. “Apologize. Now.”

I stood motionless, unmoved. “She’s the one who should be apologizing.”