Chapter 3

3

On the balcony, my son lay sunbathing on the recliner.

The golden retriever was crouched on top of him, urinating all over his face.

I exploded with rage. Grabbing a broom, I swung it directly at the golden retriever.

"Damn beast, how dare you disrespect my son like this!"

The dog dodged too slowly. Two blows landed on its spine, making it yelp in pain.

Grace Lopez heard the commotion and rushed out of her room. Seeing her beloved dog whimpering on the floor, she immediately started yelling at me.

"Mom, why must you cause trouble the moment you return?"

"Liam did nothing to provoke you. How dare you hit him? Apologize to him right now!"

From the moment she appeared, Grace only defended her dog. She didn't even glance at her husband.

Furious, my hand trembled as I pointed at my son Leo on the recliner.

"Grace, look what this animal has done!"

Hearing me curse the golden retriever, Grace's frown deepened.

"Even if Liam made a mistake, you shouldn't have hit..."

Her words caught in her throat as she followed my pointing finger.

Grace saw the yellow urine stains all over Leo's face and instinctively took two steps back.

"Mom, I'm sure Liam didn't mean to urinate on Leo."

Witnessing her husband being humiliated by a dog, Grace still only thought of making excuses for the animal.

My disappointment in her intensified yet again.

This disobedient beast had truly clouded her judgment. She could no longer distinguish who truly mattered in this family.

Catching my breath, I noticed my bedroom door was open.

Dog excrement was scattered across the floor and even on the bed.

I nearly choked on my anger.

My voice dripped with unconcealed disgust for the golden retriever.

"I was willing to tolerate this creature for your sake."

"But now it has insulted my son. I will not stand for this any longer. You will get rid of it tomorrow."

My tone was icy. Both Grace and the dog flinched.

After recovering from her shock, Grace flatly refused.

"Impossible. I won't agree to this unreasonable demand."

"Besides, Leo adores Liam. If he could speak, he would never let you send Liam away."

"The doctor said Leo needs stimulation. Liam was actually helping him!"

Listening to Grace's shameless justification, I wanted to slap her.

And so I did.

The slap left Grace stunned. After a few seconds, she glared at me furiously.

"I didn't marry into this family to be mistreated by you. Liam is my dog—you have no right to expel him."

"Leo left me a grass widow, and now you seize every chance to bully me too."

Tears began streaming down her face. The golden retriever anxiously wagged its tail, licking her tears away.

The dog shot me a vicious look that sent chills down my spine.

Its gaze was terrifying, filled with raw hatred as if it wanted to tear me apart.

Shaking off the unease—after all, it was just a dog—I spoke firmly to Grace.

"You know exactly how much chaos this dog has brought since it arrived!"

"My previous tolerance doesn't mean you and this beast can dominate my home. If you won't get rid of it, I'll find a way to sell it myself!"

Having delivered my ultimatum, I ignored Grace and her dog. I helped Leo into his wheelchair and headed to the bathroom to clean him.

Behind me, Grace continued making excuses.

"Mom, you're overreacting and being petty. You're halfway to the grave—why pick fights with a dog?"