A wave of fear, the same one I felt in my previous life when I was bitten to death, surged through my chest.

I froze, my body recoiling instinctively at the memory.

David, noticing my silence, quickly tried to smooth things over. “This dog looks pretty handsome. You really took good care of it.”

But as I glanced at him, a question started to form in my mind. 'What exactly had he been involved in?'

If it hadn’t been for him, I never would have brought this nightmare of a dog into my life.

But he had, hadn’t he?

He was the one who took the dog when he went to work late.

But here it was—standing at my door.

And why had I heard David’s voice just before opening it?

I would never have opened that door if I hadn't heard him.

It was clicking now. David and Rachel definitely participated in this together.

Just then, Rachel stepped out of the kitchen, as cheerful as ever, holding the meal she had prepared. “Issa, David, come on, dinner’s ready!”

And just like in my previous life, she casually dropped the bomb. “Issa, my business trip is tonight, so I’ll leave the dog with you. Can you look after it for a few days?”

The memory of the excruciating pain from the dog’s bite hit me like a freight train.

My body froze, and I trembled.

My voice came out cold and firm, laced with fear. “I’m allergic to dog fur. I can’t take care of it.”

Rachel hesitated for a moment, clearly thrown off by my refusal. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself.

I wasn’t going to budge. I shoved the table away and stood up to leave, my mind racing.

But before I could get far, David walked in with the dog.

I shot him a frustrated look.

He looked sheepish like he knew how much this bothered me. “Issa, we’re just helping Rachel out. Taking care of the dog for a couple of days. Once she’s back, we’ll send him away, I promise.”

A cold, bitter feeling settled in my chest.

It was clear now. They had planned this so that I'd be taken out by this dog. But not this time.

'No way.'

I glared at the dog, my frustration bubbling over. “You know I’m terrified of this thing, yet you still brought it here?”

David stepped forward, his voice full of apologies, trying to calm me down. “Issa, I’m sorry. It’ll be okay. I’m here with you.”

I wasn’t having it.

A few moments later, I pretended to check my phone, then faked a frown and spoke with irritation in my voice. “My boss just asked me to work overtime. I’ve got to head back to the office.”

I didn’t even wait for a response as I added, “You go ahead and give the dog a bath. He’s filthy. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”

David’s eyes widened slightly like he wanted to protest, but I was already leaving.

“I’ve got to hurry,” I said, brushing him off with a quick wave. “I’ll see you later.”

I stole one last glance over my shoulder as I stepped out the door.

David was standing there, holding the dog, staring intently at his phone, probably texting Rachel to coordinate their next move.

I couldn’t help the sneer that tugged at my lips. I could tell that my sudden departure had thrown a wrench into their plans.

In my past life, I had been too blind to see what was really going on. But not this time. This time, I would make sure they saw exactly how things were going to unfold.

I left the building and hopped into a taxi, making my way to a nearby hotel. After checking in, I took a deep breath, letting the tension slowly leave my body.

Once I was in my room, I plopped down on the bed and immediately pulled out my phone. I opened the security cameras for my house, wanting to see what David was doing.

To my shock, the house was empty.

Panic flooded my chest. My heart skipped a beat as I shot up from the bed, my mind racing.

I quickly opened the location app on my phone and linked it to David’s car.

It didn’t take long to realize what was happening.

David’s car was heading straight for the hotel where I was staying.

I quickly opened the real-time tracking for the car. My blood ran cold as I saw it. The dog was in the backseat, that twisted grin still stretched across its face.

It was staring straight at me, even though it was miles away.

A chill ran down my spine, and I couldn’t shake the fear crawling up my skin. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stay calm.

'How did David find me?'

The question hit me like a ton of bricks. My mind raced, and my expression hardened.

I had picked this hotel at random—there was no way David could have known I’d be there. I’d only taken my phone when I left. So, was it possible he’d put a tracking app on it?

The thought sent a chill down my spine.

It was too creepy.

Without wasting time, I hired someone online to remotely check my phone. When the results came back, I was relieved.

There was nothing. No spyware, no tracking apps, nada. My phone was clean.

But that left me with a bigger question. 'How was he tracking me? How did he know where I was if he wasn’t monitoring my phone?'

I opened the tracking app, and there it was—David’s location, getting closer.

Too close.

I clenched my fists, frustration bubbling up. This wasn’t a coincidence. He was tracking me somehow.

Without wasting another second, I rushed downstairs and out of the hotel.

Once I was outside, I hopped into the first cab I saw. The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror.

"Where to?" he asked casually.

I hesitated for a second, trying to think of a quick plan.

"Just drive around the city for now," I told him.

The driver, clearly thinking this was going to be a big fare, didn’t ask any more questions.

He hit the gas, and we were off.

As the car started moving, we aimlessly cruised through the city. My mind spun as I checked David’s location again.

He constantly changed his destination, but of course, his route kept turning in the same direction I was going.

'How did he know where I was in real-time?' A thought hit me out of nowhere, and I immediately dialed a number.

I spoke briefly, hung up, and couldn’t help but smile a little, knowing I had just set my plan into motion.

I turned to the driver. "Change of plans. Head over to my neighborhood."

Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up to the entrance of my place. I was about to pay the driver when my phone buzzed.

It was a call from David.

“Honey, are you done with work?” His voice was annoyingly upbeat like he didn’t have a care in the world.

I couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. He’d obviously seen that my location had moved closer to home.

Forcing myself to sound tired and casual, I replied, “Yeah, I’m home. When will you be back?”

His tone shifted to something closer to excitement. “I’m downstairs walking the dog. I’ll be up in a minute.”

The call ended, but before I could set my phone down, a new notification popped up on my screen.

It was from Rachel’s alternate account on WhatsApp. “A long-awaited wish finally fulfilled, the bitch’s time has come~”

The smugness in her words made my blood boil.

She and David were clearly convinced that they’d gotten away with it, that I was about to meet my end at the hands of that damn dog.

I let out a quiet laugh, but it was far from happy. I wasn’t about to let their twisted plan succeed.

Two minutes later, there was a knock at the door. My heart hammered in my chest.

I barely had time to react before the door creaked open, just a crack.

And there it was: The dog.

It lunged at me, towering and terrifying.