Chapter 3
Once Leroy departed, Jolie hoisted her sister onto her back and trudged through the relentless downpour throughout the night to get back to the house. For three days, she endured a relentless high fever.
During this time, Leroy was nowhere to be seen, preoccupied with being by Jane’s side.
When Jolie returned home after her IV treatment, she found Jane comfortably nestled in Leroy’s arms, boldly seated on their couch.
Without looking up, Leroy remarked, “Jane lives by herself and is scared of thunderstorms, so she’s coming to stay with us. You can take the guest room for now.”
Jolie averted her eyes, moving past them with an emotionless tone. “As long as it makes you happy.”
Leroy was clueless about how Jolie endured those three difficult days.
Her pillow was drenched with tears each night, eroding the profound love she once felt. She no longer desired Leroy’s love.
Leroy mentioned, “Oh, by the way, Jolie. Jane’s psychiatric service dog needs your assistance.”
Just as he finished speaking, the front door swung open, and a black dog darted inside. Startled, Jolie recoiled, crashing into the closet.
Following her father’s passing, she’d relied heavily on her mother and sister, even resorting to scavenging for leftovers from trash cans while warding off stray dogs during the toughest times.
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Leroy was aware of her fear of dogs.
Yet he calmly remarked, “I understand you’re scared, but this dog is Jane’s ‘medicine.‘ It needs proper care. Don’t you think so, darling?”
A menacing look was etched on his face. Jolie, still shaken by what had happened with Nikita, finally gave in.
“I… will take good care of it,” she promised.
“Thanks, Jolie!” Upon hearing this, Jane beamed. “Oh, by the way, my dog’s name is Joli too, just like yours!”
Jolie stiffened, feeling a surge of embarrassment. She suppressed her irritation and forced a smile.
Over the next few days, she diligently looked after Jane’s dog. The dog was quite hostile–each time she got close, it would bark aggressively, even going so far as to bite her hand once during feeding.
She had no choice but to suppress her grievance and head to the hospital by herself for vaccines and globulin. Later, when feeding the dog, she had to use a baseball bat to slide the food bowl into the cage.
That day, as she came back from shopping and stepped inside the house, she was greeted by the sound of sobbing. Jane was crying so intensely that she started to choke and convulse.
“Where the hell is the doctor? Get someone here now!” Leroy was in a panic like she had never seen before, and his worry brought tears to her eyes with a feeling of deep heartache.
Jane pointed at Jolie, her voice shaking. “How could you be so cruel? Joli was just a dog, how could you…”
Out of nowhere, a deep growl interrupted. “Get Jolie out of here.”
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“Wha… what?” Jolie barely had time to react before she was dragged out and slammed onto the ground next to a woven sack.
She lifted a corner of the sack and screamed loudly. Inside was Joli’s bloody body, with one eye brutally beaten out.
“It wasn’t me! I didn’t do this!”
“Jolie, Joli was killed by a beating. If you weren’t the one responsible, then isn’t this bloody baseball bat yours?”
The blood–smeared bat dropped to the floor in front of her as Leroy’s gaze remained icy.
“Leroy, I swear it wasn’t me! You can check the surveillance footage.”
“We did check. You were spotted with a bat outside yesterday afternoon, and now Joli’s dead in the trash can.”
The previous day, Joli’s leash had broken unexpectedly, and she had taken the bat for protection while looking for her dog.
Her words got stuck in her throat. Before she could explain, Leroy gestured for the bodyguards to restrain her hands.
“Darling, you’ve misbehaved once more. I’m really let down.”
Jolie was pulled down to the basement, where a bucket of icy water was poured over her head. The freezing cold coursed through her, causing her teeth to clatter.
“It wasn’t me…”
“Again!” Leroy shouted.
The second bucket struck, sending pain deep into her bones. Jolie couldn’t
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speak anymore.
Then came the third bucket, the fourth…
A soft “whooshing” sound resonated in her ears–warm and distinct–as her heartbeat gradually slowed.
Was this the end?
The noise was actually the lament of her blood thickening.
Leroy was indifferent to the truth; he only cared if she defied him.
“You… n–no…” Jolie’s strength faded entirely, her head drooping like a puppet as the final word slipped from her mouth.
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