The Betrayal of a Dying Heart

“When I stopped my wife's assistant, Duard, from torturing a cat, a viral video turned me into a hero overnight. The public outcry was so intense that our company, which my wife and I co-owned, had to fire him. My wife, Jesse, seemed grateful, thanking me for opening her eyes. To celebrate, she cooked a romantic dinner and proposed a toast to our new beginning. The next thing I knew, I woke up on a cold concrete floor, my hands bound tightly behind my back. Jesse and Duard stood on a catwalk above me, livestreaming to the world. Below, surrounding me in a massive, deserted warehouse, were a dozen starving pit bulls, their ribs showing through their skin. "This is justice, Kai," she said, her voice stripped of all warmth. "For what you did to Duard." While the live chat called me a psycho, she told the world that I was the real animal here. She called Duard a kind soul and watched as the world turned against me. My loving wife was justifying my murder to a global audience. Then she gave me a choice: get on my knees, live on camera, and beg Duard for forgiveness. "Do that," she said, "and maybe I'll call them off." I looked from her cold eyes to Duard's sadistic grin, and then at the hungry dogs. A surge of defiance cut through my fear. "Wrong answer," she hissed. "Duard, open the gates."”