Chapter 43
Yvonne was still a little out of it. She shook her head at the anxious Keenan and, with a confused expression, murmured. Tm hne
A tall man rushed over and grabbed Teddy’s collar from Keenan. He crouched down, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw what the dog was chewing on He quickly tried to pull it away. “Teddy, what are you eating?”
Yvonne and Keenan finally saw that the dog was chewing on…. flowers.
Yvonne’s face turned pale, and she hurriedly looked down at the bouquet she was holding. Half of the flowers were already chewed up! The stems were all messed up, a far cry from the neat bundle she had so carefully prepared earlier.
Yvonne’s lips trembled, and her big, clear eyes welled up with tears. “M–my flowers…” Her tiny, tearful voice was heartbreaking. I was going to give these to Anna…..
Keenan and the man were both speechless, while Teddy kept happily chewing away,
“Oh no, Ms. Adler, don’t cry. We’ll get you some more flowers, Keenan said, flustered.
The commotion quickly drew the attention of others. Two more men approached.
“Mr. Lawson, you’re finally here,” the man who had been holding Teddy let go of the leash and rushed over to explain, “Teddy ate this little girl’s flowers.”
Fred Lawson couldn’t believe it. He’d been feeding Teddy top–quality food, and there were all sorts of snacks at home. There was no way the dog would just eat someone else’s flowers.
But when he got closer, sure enough, half of the flowers the girl was holding had been eaten.
Keenan had somehow managed to find another fresh bouquet and handed it to Yvonne. “Ms. Adler, here’s a new one.”
Yvonne wiped her tears and glanced at the flowers in Keenan’s hands. “No, thank you,’ she said softly. She wanted the flowers she had prepared last night, the ones she had promised to give to Anna.
Just then. Teddy perked up, its eyes locking onto the remaining flowers in Yvonne’s arms. Before anyone could react, the mischievous pup lunged forward, snatching the bouquet and gobbling down the last of it in one swift move.
Yvonne stumbled back, staring dumbfounded at the dog’s satisfied expression. She cried even harder, now a full–on sob.
“They’re all gone” She let go of the last of the wilted stems, which fell to the ground in a messy heap. Her voice cracked with despair. “I don’t have any left!”
Fred quickly knelt down and managed to pull one flower out of Teddy’s mouth. He held it out to Yvonne, but the sight of the drool–covered flower only made her cry harder.
Well, that was it. No way to fix this now.
Just when Fred wasn’t looking. Teddy snatched the flower from his hand and gulped it down. The dog sniffed at the fallen flowers with what almost looked like regret in his dark eyes.
“What’s going on here?” Fred asked the man who had been caring for Teddy.
“Mr. Lawson, Teddy got hurt yesterday. I was trying to give him his medicine, but he refused to take it. So, I thought I’d mix it with some treats to make it easier. But as soon as I turned around, he bolted and started eating the girl’s flowers…”
Fred pieced it together. Teddy had eaten half the bouquet, then went back for the rest, leaving Yvonne in tears.
1/3
00:21 Wed, 26 Mar
Chapter 13
Tve heard that animals sometimes seek out herbs when they’re injured. Maybe that’s what Teddy was doing?” someone suggested.
Fred took the bouquet from Keenan and held it out to Teddy But the dog only sniffed it briefly and then turned away, clearly uninterested.
“Not hungry anymore? Fred muttered.
He knew Teddy was clever–he’d been trained in the army since he was a pup, only retiring last year due to an injury and age. Fred had taken him in afterward. Everyone who had worked with Teddy praised his intelligence and obedience. Even when they were on missions and food was scarce. Teddy never stole from others.
So why had he acted out today? Fred’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at the scattered flowers on the ground, something clicking in his mind.
He turned to Yvonne. “Hey, kid, are you the one who gave Anna flowers at school the other day?”
The mention of Anna’s name made Yvonne stop crying. She nodded, eyes still brimming with tears.
Fred’s eyes lit up with understanding. Now he knew why Teddy had gone wild. When Anna had brought home that flower from school. Teddy had been obsessed with it. Since it was placed high up out of reach, Teddy couldn’t get to it, but he had often hovered around the living room, staring longingly at the flowers.
Now, seeing this giant bouquet, Teddy had lost all self–control.
Teddy seemed to know he had messed up. He crouched down in front of Yvonne, wagging his tail apologetically.
Just then, another voice rang out. “Yvonne!” Anna came running over, dressed in a pretty little dress. “Yvonne, why are you crying?”
When she saw Yvonne’s tear–streaked face and the scattered flower stems, Anna froze. “What happened?”
Yvonne wiped her eyes and pointed to the flower stems scattered on the ground, her voice trembling as she sniffled, “The flowers… they’re all gone.”
She pointed to the flowers, then to Teddy, clearly blaming the dog.
Anna blinked, shocked, before staring at the pile of flowers. “All of them?”
Yvonne nodded.
Two seconds later, Anna let out a wail that could probably be heard across the neighborhood. “My flowers!”
She cried so loudly and dramatically that tears streamed down her face.
Yvonne, seeing Anna’s reaction, started crying again too. The two girls cried in unison–one in an outburst of raw emotion, the other in quiet sorrow, their combined wails threatening to shake the entire Lawson estate,
Teddy, sensing the tension, curled up behind Fred, his tail between his legs, trembling.
Fred, feeling completely helpless, patted his sister’s head. “Anna, it’s just a bouquet. I’ll buy you another one.”
Anna glared at him through her tears. “No! I don’t want store–bought flowers! I want the ones Yvonne brought!”
Fred, not used to being scolded like this, took a step back, stunned and utterly out of his depth.
2/3
00:22 Wed, 26 Mar AA
Chapter 11
Chapter 44
