A Compass, A Betrayal, A Life

t. Chloe had been taken to the hospital. She had a misc

d numb. It had to be a lie.

a mask of rage. He didn' t say a word. He just walked into the living room and swept a vase o

ngerously quiet. He turned to face me, his eye

baby? The lie was so audacious,

ng with each word. "And because of you, because you co

I whispered. "She

looked like a stranger, his handsome features twisted into something ugly

to go to that hospital, and you are going t

sh wave of nausea risi

t was a low, warning growl, a sound I had never heard from her

dog out of the w

move. She just

his eyes fixing on the

. He grabbed her by the collar and

screamed, running after h

pouring rain, a cold, miserable downpour. He sh

devoid of any emotion. He held the door, looking at me, his eyes cold

ady soaked, shivering in the cold. She was my therapy dog, the one co

wn my face. "Don' t do this. You gave her to

n his eyes. A brief hesitation. But then it

to Chloe,"

knew I had no choice. She was innocent in all of

word tasting like ash in

rabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my

s go,"

se and into his car, leaving

Chloe' s room. She was in bed, looking pale and weak, an IV drip att

e," she

He sat on the edge of her bed and took her hand. He loo

rned to me

ed, feeling small and humili

" he

ced out, the words feeling like poison on m

dn' t mean it," she said, her voice a pathetic

victim perfectly. It was a masterful perform

f there. I had to