Chapter 3

After about half an hour, I started getting upset that Wilfrid hadn't come looking for me. I stood up and peeked into the hallway—and right then, a tall shadow suddenly appeared behind me.

His pants were muddy, and there was a scrape on his arm. He must've fallen somewhere along the way.

He stared at me for a long moment, then reached out and pulled me into a hug.

He rubbed my head and said, "Alright, don't be mad. I was outta line. I'm sorry. You can keep whatever pet you want."

That was when it hit me—he'd run after me the second I left.

I'd taken off pretty fast, and he was still using a cane. He must've chased me all the way past the neighborhood. He even fell trying to catch up.

From that day on, Dobby officially became part of our family.

But now, after all these years, Dobby had turned into an old dog.

Woody looked shocked and quickly pulled Dobby away. "Sorry, sorry! Did he scare you? He usually doesn't like strangers and barks at anyone he doesn't know. Huh, weird. I don't know why he's being so friendly with you today."

I stood up, brushing off my clothes, then looked down at Dobby.

He stared straight at me, eyes glassy, mouth open as he panted hard. He let out a couple of soft whimpers.

My chest tightened, and I quickly turned away before I started crying. "Maybe it's because I have a dog too. I probably smell like one."

Woody nodded. "That's a relief. The last few helpers were all too scared to feed him and said he was way too aggressive."

He headed off to take care of something, and the moment no one was looking, I ran to Dobby, who was tied up next to his doghouse.

I buried my face in his fur, crying so hard I got snot all over him.

Dobby let out this long, low howl. I'd never heard a dog cry like that before.

Just as I was sobbing my heart out, gasping for air, a deep male voice came from behind me—calm and familiar.

"Who are you?"

Wilfrid's voice sounded more grown-up than it had two years ago.

I froze. My whole body went stiff, and my mind just went blank.

Dobby rested his chin on my thigh, quiet now, peeking up at Wilfrid behind me with one eye.

"Turn around," Wilfrid said, his voice sharp and firm.

But I didn't move. I still hadn't figured out how to face him yet.

"Dobby, come here." He called Dobby, probably worried I might hurt him. His voice was gentler than when he spoke to me, but still guarded.

Dobby didn't budge. He stayed curled against me like he always had.

Wilfrid's patience was clearly wearing thin. "I'm only gonna ask one more time—who are you, and what are you doing in my house?"

Woody ran back just in time to bail me out. "Mr. Reynolds, this is the new helper—Nadia."

I finally turned around, but I kept my head down the whole time. I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye.

Wilfrid gave a small nod, finally seeming to relax. But when he noticed how close Dobby was sticking to me, his brows pulled together in a frown.

Woody stepped in to explain again, "She's got a dog at home. Dobby probably picked up the scent. It's good he's not being aggressive with her."

I gave Dobby a gentle pat on the butt, and he finally walked over to Wilfrid, head down like he really didn't want to.

Wilfrid bent down and rubbed his head. "You ungrateful boy. Already stopped liking me, huh?"

His voice was so soft when he spoke to Dobby, just like the way he used to comfort me.

Back when we were broke, we rented a basement apartment in a run-down neighborhood. It was freezing at night—so cold the pipes would ice over.

We couldn't afford heat back then. We'd sleep in our clothes, huddled under the blankets. Dobby always curled up at our feet to keep them warm.

Wilfrid would press my hands to his chest. I'd fall asleep counting his heartbeats and breaths.

In the middle of the night, I'd roll over from getting too warm, but he'd still be holding me tight.

Half-asleep, I'd feel him kiss the back of my neck and whisper, "Bonnie, I swear I'll give you a better life. We'll have a big house one day, and you'll wear pretty clothes every single day."

I believed him. I always did.

When Wilfrid finally made his first real money, he grabbed my hand and brought me to a nice new neighborhood.

He dropped the keys into my palm and opened the door. Then he scooped me up and spun me around the living room.