Chapter 2
Kimberly didn't pull her foot back until my mouth was nothing but raw flesh, blood pouring from the corners of my lips.
"That's enough for today," she said.
The maid led me outside to the doghouse.
The dog, Oscar, sensing I was trespassing on his turf, immediately snarled at me.
My parents still wasn't buried yet, so I couldn't afford to let anything happen to myself.
I forced myself to stay outside the doghouse all night.
The strain on my body, plus the freezing night air, left me burning up with a high fever.
Before dawn the next day, the maid kicked me awake.
"Hurry up and wake up! Mrs. Clifton is going to take you out," she said.
I waited at the villa entrance for five whole hours on all fours. Kimberly finally came out just before afternoon.
"Let's go. I'm taking you out for afternoon coffee," she said.
As soon as I heard her, I tried to stand up, but a bodyguard kicked me back down.
"Have you ever seen a dog stand up?" he sneered.
Kimberly blew on her manicured nails and walked ahead without looking back.
She took me to the favorite café of Montes City's upper crust.
I crawled at her feet, feeling those same judging stares sweep over me.
"Damn, Kimberly, you sure don't go easy on the side chicks!"
The voice belonged to Hannah Gibbons, the wife of the oldest son of the Gibbons family in Montes City.
Hannah raked her long acrylic nails across my face, leaving deep bloody marks on my cheek.
Even though my cheek throbbed with pain, I didn't dare let out so much as a whimper.
"Kimberly, you've got to show me how you do it," Hannah said. "My man's mistress has been acting up a bit too much lately."
Kimberly chuckled softly when she heard Hannah's comment.
"Mrs. Gibbons, I'll make an example out of her. Just leave it to me," Kimberly replied.
The two exchanged a look and moved on to the next spot.
In the car, Kimberly, wearing gloves, gave my head a patronizing pat.
"If you behave yourself later, I'll let you bury your parents tonight," she said.
As soon as Kimberly said that, I grovelled at her feet like a lapdog.
As long as my parents could finally rest in peace, I'd do anything.
Kimberly dragged me along with Hannah to the mistress's place.
She kicked me toward the door.
I stared at the door, took a deep breath, and barked my lungs out.
At first, there was no response from inside.
But Kimberly didn't say a word, so I kept barking till my throat felt like it was on fire.
"You're useless. Shut up or I'll poison you so you can never bark again, you filthy mutt," she threatened.
She threw the door open and kicked me in my gut, sending me flying.
My back scraped against the metal fire box as I crashed to the ground. It felt like my organs had been knocked out of place.
Mouthfuls of blood gushed out from my lips, and my mind went fuzzy.
Kimberly glanced at me with a look of irritation, then gave me another kick in the gut for good measure.
"Pathetic! Why don't you drop dead already?" Kimberly spat.
Right as Kimberly finished, a bodyguard showed up, dragging along a massive wolfhound that totally dwarfed me.
The mistress, who'd been acting all high and mighty, suddenly lost her nerve and started shaking like a leaf.
"W-What do you want?" she stammered.
"Nothing. We just want you to see what kind of hell a mistress should expect," Kimberly sneered.
"Tiana," she called out to me.
Her voice cut through the haze, and I forced myself to focus, but everything kept slipping further away.
Having no choice, I pressed my palm down hard onto the broken glass shards.
The sharp pain jolted me awake, and I staggered to my feet.
Kimberly clucked her tongue, and I came to my senses, getting back down on all fours.
Bloody glass shards left a messy trail down the hallway.
The bodyguard hauled me and the wolfhound along, trapping the mistress inside her room.
"Kimberly, you really are something else," Hannah said with a smirk.
"Relax, Hannah. After today, your guy's mistress won't dare step out of line again," Kimberly shot back.
Hannah chuckled, spinning the ring on her finger as she watched the show.
The room echoed with gut-wrenching screams, coming and going in waves.
About half an hour later, I crawled out, blood all over me.
The wolfhound, head held high and looking proud as hell, strutted right up to Kimberly.
Kimberly didn't need to ask what happened. She just gave the wolfhound a rewarding pat on the head.
"Hannah, the rest is up to you," Kimberly said. "Time to take my obedient dog back."
She gave me a quick look, and fighting through the pain, I crawled over to her without hesitation.