The day Eugene Sanchez's company went under and he threw himself off a building.

I lost the child in my belly, and Biscuit lost a leg, and that was the price of saving him.

I said, "The three of us are together. There's nothing we can't get through. The baby won't blame you either."

He was so moved he nearly cried, swearing he'd protect Biscuit and me for the rest of his life.

He'd always hated dogs, but he held Biscuit close and said, "I'll give you a grand wedding, and Biscuit can be the bridesmaid."

Three years later, he pulled a young student up beside him, joy spilling from the corners of his eyes. "All my life I never understood what love was. She's the one who taught me what real love feels like."

"Judith Pruitt? Just friends, nothing more. Like one hand touching the other."

I tightened my grip on the wine glass. "Our child up in heaven would like to know what real love is too. Why don't you explain it to him?"

"……"

At those words, almost everyone in the room held their breath.

Eugene's happy smile froze right there, his face barely holding together.

"Judith, the baby's death was an accident, and it was years ago now."

"You said yourself back then that you wouldn't blame me. What do you mean by bringing it up again? Trying to make us sick on purpose?"

Sherry Bowen planted herself in front of Eugene, shielding my man for all she was worth.

"Older women like you always love using old favors to push people around."

"Are you going to tell us next that a dog saved him, so Eugene owes that dog a favor too?"

"Aren't you a little old to be this childish?"

Sherry hugged Eugene's arm and turned coy.

"After I turned ten, I stopped expecting anything back for the good things I did."

"Besides, the building wasn't even that high. Eugene didn't need them cushioning his fall. He'd have survived just fine on his own."

"For all anyone knows, that baby slipped away because she lost her own footing."

"After all, I heard that around that time you were working at this kind of place. Everyone here knows what kind of place this is, don't they?"

"Just now someone touched me by accident, and thank goodness Eugene hit the guy for it."

"You worked here so long? Honey, that baby... maybe it was never going to make it anyway. It wasn't even three months along yet. Doing something with another man could easily destabilize it and cause a miscarriage."

"You're just taking advantage of how kind Eugene is, trying to pin this whole thing on him. Isn't that going too far?"

The people around us were suddenly stunned.

They'd come ready to say Eugene was in the wrong, abandoning a woman who'd saved his life and turning around to marry someone else. They never imagined she'd been pulling something like this behind his back.

After all, nobody likes being cheated on.

I stared at Eugene in disbelief.

"Is that really what you told her? Is that how you see me too?"

"You think I won't sue you for spreading lies?"

This time it was Eugene's turn to push Sherry behind him.

"What are you doing, threatening a young girl for no reason?"

"She's young, she said a few things about you. It's not like it cost you anything, so why bother?"

Sherry stepped out from behind Eugene.

"Eugene, why don't I just apologize to her. Some truths shouldn't be said in front of everyone."

She reached out and took Judith's hand, saying, "Judith, I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, just pretend I'm the one who got pregnant and lost the baby back then."

"But if it were me, I wouldn't keep harping on it and embarrassing Eugene. The company's on the rise right now, and making a scene this ugly is bad for its image."

Eugene was pleased with how sensible she was. So young and already this sensible, and that was what made her so rare.

When could Judith ever measure up?

The moment she finished, her brow twisted and she let out a scream. "It hurts! Judith, you actually cut my hand with a knife?"

Sherry's scream cut off as she flung her arm out, and the force of it sent me staggering backward, straight into the tall champagne tower behind me.

Wine and broken glass tore into my back and the palm of my hand, and the blood came at once.

Eugene didn't so much as glance at my injuries. He pulled Sherry into his arms, saw the thin scratch on her finger, and held her like he was shielding her from the world.

His eyes filled with rage. "Judith! Sherry only said a couple of things to you, and you'd actually hurt her? When did you turn this vicious?"

He took my bag, slid out the card. "From now on, my paycheck card goes to Sherry. When you've thought it through, you come and apologize to her properly. The day she's satisfied is the day I give it back. Until then, don't expect to see a single cent."

With that, he carried Sherry off to tend to that scratch already half healed.

I looked down at the bleeding cut, and the ache in my chest went deeper than the wound.

This was the man she'd lost a child and half her life to save.

Three years she waited for a proposal. What came instead was an order to apologize to his mistress.

The money was gone, so I went home to bandage myself.

I forced down the pain, finally got the medicine on, and it hurt so badly I drifted into sleep.

When I woke the next day, I heard Sherry's voice at the door, all sweetness. "Judith, Eugene and I were discussing a deal all yesterday. We talked it over at the hotel last night too. Please don't get the wrong idea!"

That was what she said. But the clothes on her back were Eugene's.

Before I could get a word out, I noticed Sherry had Biscuit on a leash in her hand.

"This dead dog had to go against me too, huh? Pissing everywhere, humiliating me in front of the client! I came back today to teach it some discipline for you!"

The next second a vicious smile spread across her face, and she kicked the dog, hard, once, twice, three times.

Biscuit let out a sharp, agonized cry.

He wrenched free of the leash, but his leg was already crippled and he couldn't run.

A golden retriever that big, curled into a small shaking heap, howling.

My whole body went rigid and I threw myself at her like I'd lost my mind.

Sherry's last kick landed hard against me.

I couldn't hold back the cry that broke out of me.

She looked startled, even put out. "I was just disciplining an animal. What did you come charging over for? You've hurt my foot."

I spun around and shouted, "Eugene. You're just going to stand there and watch her kick Biscuit? He's sick, he's supposed to be in the hospital. Do you want him dead?"

Eugene's face turned to mock realization, and he sneered. "Looks like Sherry was right. You still think you can use a dog to control me? It's a dog, it's an animal. I'm its master. Wasn't saving me only natural?"

"And do you even know this animal pissed everywhere and ruined the contract? That was a thirty-million-dollar deal, gone. Sell it off and you wouldn't even cover the printing cost of the contract."

Biscuit didn't understand any of it.

He stretched out his tongue and licked me.

His eyes were full of worry, even though he was in agony himself.

He couldn't understand how the gentle, kind dad he knew had turned into this.

He had injuries all over him too. It seemed she'd done more than those few kicks, and still, even through the pain, he tried to comfort me.

I got up and swung at Sherry. "You actually hurt Biscuit."

I lunged for her like a madwoman, but I never even touched the hem of her dress.

Because Eugene reacted and kicked me without thinking.

The pain dropped me to my knees, the cut split open again, and my face nearly twisted with it.

Something dark and venomous flickered through Sherry's eyes and was gone.

"Judith! A thirty-million-dollar order. You should be down on your knees begging for forgiveness. Even sold off, you wouldn't be worth that much."

"Here's how it'll go. Your body's so soiled no man would touch you. Biscuit's cleaner than you are, and a friend's dog happens to be in heat, so let Biscuit go service it."

I stared at Sherry, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"Eugene! You're just going to stand there while she insults me and insults Biscuit?"

Eugene frowned, then agreed to her demand without a second thought.

"Sherry isn't wrong. Aren't all dogs the same when they're in heat? The other dog needs it, so what's the harm in letting yours be used?"

I wrapped my arms around Biscuit.

I would never let anyone touch him.

The next moment Eugene wrenched me aside and pinned me down so hard I couldn't move.

He ignored my screaming and let Sherry take Biscuit's leash.

"Stop making a scene. It's only one dog. Is this really worth all that?"

Sherry dragged Biscuit away.

All I could do was hope Eugene, after keeping Biscuit for so long, wouldn't turn on him.

I couldn't sleep. I searched the whole night and found them in the park the next day.

The two of them were kicking Biscuit hard, and his cries went straight through me, cold to the bone.

My eyes stung and I rushed over, shoving them both apart. "Are you out of your minds? What kind of person bullies a dog? Stop it!"

Sherry shouted, furious. "I'd be right to beat it to death! It nearly bit my friend's dog to death!"

"And it won't let a dog mount it either. Playing the chaste little martyr, just like you. I bet you put it up to biting on purpose. How am I supposed to explain this to my friend?"

Eugene said coldly, "Then a dog's life for a dog's life. Just because that one isn't mine doesn't mean it's just some stray. It's someone's treasure. Whose fault is it that you didn't train your dog?"

My heart broke apart piece by piece. Did Eugene not know Biscuit had already been neutered? Did he not know Biscuit was my treasure too? "Anyone who dares touch Biscuit will have to go through me."

Eugene froze for a moment.

Sherry yanked hard on the rope with her right hand.

It wasn't a leash tied around Biscuit's neck. It was a rope.

Just an ordinary rope, pulled so tight that Biscuit was gasping and howling.

Rage took me, my eyes went red, and I grabbed a rock and hurled it straight at Sherry.

Everything fell into chaos.

The rock struck her open. Blood welled up and ran down her face.

Eugene panicked at once.

He looked at me with red eyes, as if I were an enemy.

He'd never looked at a business rival with such venom.

He pulled out his phone and called the police, and even told the officers when they arrived, "There's an attempted murder here. I need you to punish this person severely."

Attempted murder is a serious charge.

I was arrested on the spot.

Even with the cuffs on, I kept shouting, "Do whatever you want to me. Lock me up, fine. Just let Biscuit go. He's the only family I have left."

"I'm begging you, Eugene, don't touch my Biscuit!"

Sherry said in a soft, fragile little voice, "I never once said I was going to hurt a dog. You tried to kill me just because you suspected I'd lay a hand on it. You make me out to be some terrible person."

The moment she said it, a lot of people felt sorry for her.

And took me for a jealous, unreasonable shrew.

They put me in the holding cell.

One injury after another had left me unable to eat or sleep.

The worry for Biscuit kept me awake almost the whole night.

Until the next day, when Eugene showed up.

There was nothing in his eyes but cold indifference, not a flicker for my pale face.

"Sherry has a kind heart. She says that if you admit you attacked her out of jealousy, and apologize publicly online, and acknowledge that she's a good person who never did anything to wrong you, that you were the one who suspected her and went looking for trouble. Post a public confession of guilt online, and I'll get you out."