Chapter 3

That night I took the dog downstairs for his walk, my mind somewhere else.

I opened my phone, and a new post from Carter popped up in my feed.

The photo showed the guest-room directional sign at that seafood restaurant.

Two figures were faintly reflected in the glass window.

The caption:

"Kicked out of the house, ha. Good thing I've still got a fellow soldier who knows my pain. Long live brotherhood!"

The comment section was already flooded with his buddies:

"No way? She threw you out just like that? Over what? She's the one who couldn't cut it, and now nobody's even allowed to say so?"

"Mila's so petty. I honestly feel bad for you, man. Can't imagine what your days are usually like."

"But real talk, that kiss of yours almost got a reaction out of me. You two are made for each other! You sure you don't want to trade up on the girlfriend, Carter?"

"Seconded!"

I was about to lock my phone.

The next second, Savannah's comment popped up.

"Don't say things like that. Carter and I are pure friends. He's not even good enough to be my dog."

I took a deep breath and closed the feed.

I looked at Marshmallow trotting in little quick steps in the distance and waved.

"Marshmallow, time's up. We should head home."

My screen lit up.

Savannah had sent me a private message.

The image was a screenshot of that post's comments.

"Mila, please don't read too much into this! I already chewed them out for you. They just don't understand what you two have. Heaven as my witness, I have zero interest in Carter that way!"

I didn't reply. I deleted the message.

Early the next morning, I took a cab to a real estate agency and listed the apartment for sale.

The agent looked at the price I gave him, sat frozen for a long moment, then lifted his head and pushed up his glasses.

"Ms. Swanson, are you sure... you want to sell at this price?"

"The market's slow right now, sure, but you wouldn't take a loss this big. You—"

"That price. Sell it fast. As long as someone buys within three days, the price is still negotiable."

I cut him off.

Then I stood up and headed for the door.

My phone had been buzzing in my pocket for a while.

When I opened it, the HOA group chat had blown up.

"Whose dog is this? Screaming like it's dying? Do you people know it's the weekend? Some of us are trying to rest!"

"Right? Finally a week's over and I want to sleep in, and this dog's howling like it's summoning ghosts. If you can't raise it, get rid of it. Stop ruining it for everyone else!"

"Sounds really close to me. 1202, right? I'm pretty sure they're the only ones with a big dog."

The second that dropped, more than a dozen residents were tagging me.

I quickly typed back:

"Yes, we do have a dog, but he's very well-behaved and doesn't usually bark for no reason. There must be some misunderstanding. I'll head back and check right away."

I put my phone away and flagged down a cab home.

I'd barely reached my door when I heard a furious shout from inside:

"Shut up! What are you barking at?"

"Don't recognize your daddy anymore, huh? You dare bite me? I'll teach you a lesson today!"

It was Carter's voice.

I pressed my thumb to the sensor.

The door opened.

Marshmallow was pinned to the floor by a group of big, burly men, beaten half to death, his eyes full of tears.

"Stop it! What do you think you're doing?"

I was about to lunge forward.

One of Carter's buddies grabbed me and held me back.

The moment he saw me come home, Carter turned every bit of his rage on me:

"You've still got the nerve to yell? Your stupid dog almost bit Savannah just now!"

"Savannah knew you were upset yesterday, so she brought everyone from the group over to apologize to you in person. And what do we get? You're not even here, and you didn't bother to leash your dog either!"

"If there weren't so many of us, Savannah might not even be alive right now!"

Savannah leaned against him, shaking all over with fear, and yet she was the one making excuses for me:

"Carter, don't blame Mila. It's my fault. Maybe the perfume I put on today was too strong, and Marshmallow just didn't recognize me for a second."