Chapter 2

Rose pressed a switch on the wall.

I heard the sound of a metal latch popping open.

The next moment, a dog lunged at my calf.

Pain exploded, and I dropped to my knees, my stomach nearly hitting the floor.

I crawled backward on my elbows, my mouth full of the taste of blood.

"I'm sorry!" I shouted. "Rose, I'm sorry. Ethan, please let me out."

The dog's growls drowned out my words.

Rose laughed from outside. "Too quiet. Don't you usually act all high and mighty, Mrs. Lambert?"

I grabbed the iron chain, and another dog lunged, its teeth grazing the back of my hand.

Ethan's voice finally grew cold. "Enough."

Rose burst into tears. "Are you yelling at me?"

Outside, chaos erupted once more.

I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I saw my phone screen light up.

The contact I'd saved as "Brother" sent me a short message.

[Wait for me.]

I stared at those words on the screen, and like that, I stopped shouting.

Outside, Rose was still whining. "She's totally faking it. Pregnant women aren't that fragile. My cousin worked right up until she was eight months along."

Ethan said, "Ten more minutes."

I stuffed my phone back into my clothes, tore off the hem of my flimsy nightgown, and wrapped it tightly around my calf.

Blood kept seeping out.

Ten minutes.

Ethan, so to you, my life and our baby's life were worth only ten minutes of Rose's whining.

When the door finally opened, I was slumped against the wall, dog blood splattered across my face, and a dark red smear trailing from my leg.

Ethan walked in, and when he saw the piece of fabric the dog had torn off lying on the floor, his steps faltered.

Rose hid behind him, pinching her nose. "It stinks."

I looked up at her. "Say that again."

She shrank into Ethan's arms. "Ethan, look at her. She's scaring me again."

Ethan frowned. "Laura, don't take it out on Rose."

Bracing myself against the wall, I struggled to stand. "I'm bleeding," I said, my voice shaky.

"The doctor's outside," he said coldly. "Apologize to Rose first."

I glared at him. "Did you even hear what I said?"

He avoided my gaze, bending down to check on the dog I'd hit. "It's been with me for six years."

"Our baby's been with us for five months already," I said.

Rose tugged gently at his sleeve. "Forget it, I don't need an apology. She actually looks pretty pathetic right now."

I laughed. "Why don't you look in the mirror and see if you look like a monster wearing human skin?"

She burst into tears. "I shouldn't have come."

Ethan looked up. "Laura."

"Did I say anything wrong?" I stepped forward, blood dripping onto the floor. "You let that dog chase me, made me apologize, and told me to shut up.

"She sheds a couple of tears and you act like the sky is falling. I'm bleeding this much, and the first thing you care about is whether a dog is in pain?" I said.

The dog trainer stood by the door, gripping the leash, and said quietly, "Mr. Lambert, Mrs. Lambert's really hurt. Maybe we should get her to the hospital first."

Rose shot him a glare. "Did the Lambert Family hire you to train the dogs, or to tell us how to run our lives?"

The trainer lowered his head and stayed silent.

Ethan looked at me. "Fine, we'll take you to the hospital. Don't cause any more trouble."

I asked, "I'm the one causing trouble?"

"You started it by hitting the dog," he said. "Rose was trying to give you a little workout."

I didn't argue anymore.

There was no winning an argument with someone who chose not to see.