Chapter 1
Chapter 1 The Dog's Life Matters More Than Yours
The red light above the emergency room had been on for forty minutes.
I crouched in the hallway, my hands shaking so badly I could barely hold my phone.
The nurse burst out of the door for the third time, shouting at me.
"The child has a rare blood type, and the blood bank is running out. The last bag was just taken by the Lane Group's assistant.
"You need to find a way to get more blood, or the child won't make it!"
My whole body went cold.
The last unit of rare Rh-negative blood.
It was snatched away by the Lane Group.
My fingers trembled as I dialed Sophia's number.
She let it ring three times, then hung up.
I dialed again.
She hung up on me again.
The third time, I handed my phone to the nurse.
"Please, call her from your number," I pleaded.
The nurse glanced at me, didn't ask any questions, and dialed the number.
The call went through.
But it wasn't Sophia who answered.
It was Charles Miller.
His voice sounded lazy, as if he'd just rolled out of bed.
"Hey, Michael," he said.
"You think you can fool me by calling from a different number?"
I snatched the phone back.
"Charles, give the blood back right now. Victoria was in a car accident and she's fighting for her life in the ER. She'll die without it!"
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then Charles let out a soft laugh.
It was a carefree, almost mocking chuckle, like he'd just heard a joke.
"Michael, Sophia's with my Samoyed right now. The dog lost a lot of blood during surgery, so we used it."
******
My ears were ringing.
A dog.
He used it on a dog.
I forced the words out, my voice hoarse and desperate.
"That blood is Victoria's only chance. She's just five years old. She's bleeding out!"
Charles snorted dismissively.
"You're using that little bastard to try and win her over again?
"Michael, I'm honestly tired just seeing you pull this every time."
I gripped my phone so hard my knuckles turned white.
"Put Sophia on the phone," I demanded.
"She's busy," Charles replied.
"Put her on the phone!"
Charles's voice grew impatient.
"Michael, she's busy with the dog right now. Can you just stop causing trouble?"
I heard it.
Just before the call ended, I heard Sophia's voice.
Her tone was gentle and cheerful, with a smile in her voice.
"Charles, is the dog being good? Ignore him. He's losing it again."
Beep.
The line went dead.
I tried calling back.
But I'd already been blocked.
The nurse stood beside me, her face ashen.
"Your daughter doesn't have much time left," she said.
I didn't make another call.
I ran straight into the pouring rain.
The Lane Group's private pet hospital was just an eighteen-minute drive from here.
I made it there in twelve minutes, running all the way.
One of my shoes flew off, but I didn't even slow down.
Four bodyguards were blocking the entrance to the pet hospital, standing like a wall.
I ran straight at them, and the first bodyguard caught me by the throat, choking me and slamming me hard onto the ground.
I got up and threw myself at them again.
The second bodyguard kicked me right in the knee, and I crashed down, my knees slamming into the muddy ground.
The third bodyguard slammed my face into the puddle, pressing me down so hard I could barely breathe.
I choked on the muddy water, fighting desperately to lift my head.
Through the rain, I saw the glass door swing open.
Sophia stepped out, holding a black umbrella, moving slowly.
She looked down at me.
Her eyes were full of disdain, like I was nothing but a stray dog blocking her path.
I broke free from the bodyguards and crawled over, grabbing onto her leg for dear life.
I banged my forehead against the ground, begging desperately.
"Please just give the blood back. Victoria's in the ER she's going to die"
Sophia looked down at my bleeding forehead.
Her lips twitched with a hint of a smirk.
Then, without a second thought, she kicked me hard in the shoulder.
I was sent sprawling into the mud.
"You'd actually fake our daughter's death just to get my attention? You're disgusting."
She closed her umbrella and walked back into the pet hospital.
Charles walked out, cradling the Samoyed in his arms.
He held up the empty blood bag, showing it off to me.
Red stains still clung to the white plastic, catching the light.
"Michael, the blood's all gone.
"Relax, Duke's good as new," he said.
He crouched down and threw the empty blood bag at my feet, like it was trash.
I stayed on my knees in the mud, my eyes locked on that empty blood bag, unable to look away.
My phone rang.
It was the hospital.
I answered.
My hands were shaking so badly I could barely keep the phone pressed to my ear.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Brown. We did everything we could, but the child didn't make it."
The phone slipped from my hand and fell into a puddle.
I didn't even try to pick it up.
I stayed there on my knees in the rain and didn't move, right outside the Lane Group's private pet hospital.
Duke was bouncing around in Charles's arms, full of life.
My daughter was lying in the morgue, just eighteen minutes away.
I had no idea how much time had passed.
Maybe an hour, maybe two.
It wasn't until the rain finally stopped that I managed to get to my feet.
The hospital lights were off, and the bodyguards were gone.
When I walked into the morgue, the nurse gently pried open Victoria's little hand for me.
She was still clutching a White Rabbit creamy candy in her tiny fist.
The candy wrapper was stained with blood.
She must've pulled it out of her pocket before she died.
The nurse said that right before she passed, Victoria kept calling out for me.
She kept calling for me, over and over.
I gently took the candy from her hand and squeezed it tight in my own.
Then I cradled Victoria in my arms.
She felt weightless.
So light, it was as if I was holding nothing but a whisper of wind.
Sophia's luxury car cruised by from the pet hospital, its taillights trailing a streak of red through the night.
I stood by the roadside, watching that streak of red disappear into the darkness.
My face was wet. I couldn't tell if it was rain or tears.
I wiped it off.
I looked down at Victoria in my arms.
It was time to go.