Drowning Him In Regret

Chapter 12 Just Call It Quits

"Toto! Let him go, now!"Pain stabbed through me like a knife, but I held onto Toto with every ounce of strength I had left.

He only eased up when he heard my voice, though he kept baring his teeth at Jude, a low growl rumbling in his chest.

"Jude, fuck, you're bleeding bad!"Vivian flung herself at him, acting like he was one step from the grave.

She wasn't exaggerating-his arm was shredded, blood dripping down in ugly streaks. Toto had gone for broke.

Jude's gaze flicked to me, cold and piercing. Toto lunged again, and it took me and Mary both to yank him back, barely keeping him in check.

"Vivian, let's roll."Jude gave me one last look-hard, loaded, like it carried a thousand unsaid things-then slung his arm around Vivian and walked out.

I didn't loosen my grip on Toto until the elevator doors clanged shut. Then my legs gave way, and I hit the floor like a sack of bricks.

My surgical wound had torn wide open. Blood soaked my shirt, a crimson bloom spreading across my chest, hot and terrifying.

Mary went into full-on panic mode. She dropped to her knees, hands trembling like leaves. “Ada, oh God, you okay? That's too much blood! I'm calling 911-hang on, honey, don't you dare lose it!"

Toto whimpered, shoving his nose against me, frantic.

I reached up, my hand shaky as hell, and patted his head. "I'm okay, buddy. Don't be scared. Mommy's not going anywhere."

But his big, glassy eyes held my reflection-face white as death, lips drained of color. In that moment, I was sure it was over. The kind of sure that gripped my chest, made my pulse skipped.

The hospital was a blur. The doctor came charging in, pissed off and worried all at

once.

It was his day off, but he'd raced back when he got word I was back in their hands.

"Ada, what the actual hell?" he snapped, voice sharp but eyes soft with concern. "I told you to take it easy.

"You're a goddamn fighter-two surgeries, and you didn't flinch. So why are you hell-bent on screwing yourself over?"

Successfully unlocked!

The nurse nearby swiped at her tears, trying to play tough. "You pull this mess again, we're washing our hands of you, got it?"

I mustered a weak grin. She was still about as threatening as a teddy bear.

Chapter 12 Just Call It Quits

I nodded anyway, keeping the peace.

They patched me up-stitches, antibiotics, the works. I was starting to feel halfway

human when the doctor pushed me to stay for observation.

Then my phone buzzed. The cops.

I could hardly wrap my head around it when they told me. Vivian and Mary had gotten into a full-on brawl-over Toto, of all things.

I hauled myself to the station as fast as I could. Mary looked like she'd been through a tornado-hair a tangled mess-but she clutched Toto's leash like it was her last stand.

She said loudly, "Nobody's laying a finger on this dog! We've got every fucking paper squared away!"

Vivian stood opposite, face twisted into a sneer. "Papers? Who gives a flying fuck? Psychos have IDs too-doesn't mean they don't get what's coming!

"Officers, that mutt's a goddamn menace. It mauled someone-put it down!" "Vivian, those slaps didn't teach you shit, did they?"I caught her off guard and shoved her hard, watching her stumble like the coward she was.

The cops swooped in to break it up, but when they saw me-pale as a corpse, barely standing-they didn't push too hard.

Aran a hand over Dodger's head, fighting to keep my voice even. "Officers, he's my dog.

Got all his shots, all his papers. He's not some rabid beast."

"No fucking way!" Vivian spat, eyes blazing with hate. "That thing's unhinged-it bit someone!"

She shrank behind a cop when I turned her way, like I was the one about to snap.

The officers exchanged a tired look, clearly sick of this shitshow. "If it bit someone-"

"Then ask why," I cut in, sharp. "Ask who he bit."

The female cop leveled a no-nonsense stare at me. "Her boyfriend. Got photos to back it up."

"That's my husband," I snapped, loud enough to make every busybody in the room whip their heads around.

God, there was a time I'd have died before making a scene like this. I used to be the girl who'd blush and bite her tongue, too scared of what people might think to stand up for herself.

But now? This wasn't just about me anymore-it was about Toto, the one piece of my life that hadn't turned on me:

No way was I gonna throw down in a police station, though. So I let my knees buckle, sinking to the floor next to Toto, my body slumping like it was giving up.

Pitiful? Sure. But what's more heart-wrenching than a woman ground into the dirt

by

Chapter 17 Ju

her cheating husband's mistress, now fighting to save her dog?

"Officers," I said, my voice quivering just enough to hit the right note, "my husband brought his little side chick home. They were gonna kill my dog.

"Toto only bit him because that woman was coming for me, and my husband-he got rough with me.

"Yesterday, my neighbor had to call an ambulance for me. You can check the hospital records-they're still there."

If they thought they could play the delicate damsel card, I'd show them I could work that angle too.

Twist the truth just enough to make it sting? I'd gotten damn good at that.

And the best part? Every word I said was the honest-to-God truth. Jude had gotten physical. I had been hauled off in a screaming ambulance.

A shove? A hit? Let the gossips fill in the blanks-I didn't care, as long as it kept Toto safe.

I wrapped my arms around Toto, his soft, desperate whimpers ripping through me like a blade. It was like he could feel the weight of this moment, like he knew we were one wrong word away from losing everything.

The crowd started buzzing, throwing shade at Vivian with their whispers and pointed

stares.

Even the cops who'd been eating up her sob story earlier were giving her the side-eye now, their trust in her unraveling. She squirmed under the scrutiny, her smug little act cracking like cheap glass.

At that moment, Jude strode into the police station.

His right hand was still wrapped in gauze, a clumsy reminder of whatever mess he'd gotten into.

He took one step toward me, like he might actually give a damn and help me up, but Vivian pounced like a cat on a mouse, tugging him to her side with a grip that screamed mine.

"Jude, oh my God, are you okay?" she whined, her voice all sugar and panic, like she was auditioning for a soap opera. "The doctor told you to chill, didn't they?"

He melted under her gaze, his eyes soft as he ruffled her hair like she was some precious kid. "Hey, dummy, what're you doing waltzing into a shithole like this alone?"noveldrama

"That jerk who hurt you," she stammered, her voice dropping to this pitiful little quiver," I had to call the cops, Jude-

She cut herself off, flicking her eyes at me-meek, nervous, a far cry from the smug bitch she'd been ten minutes ago.

My stomach twisted into knots. Always the same act-poor, helpless Vivian, clinging

Chapter 12 Just Cat (uts

to him like a kicked puppy. She got him wrapped around her finger, and she knew

it.

Jude hushed her with a few sweet nothings, his voice so tender it made my skin crawl, before he finally bothered to glance my way.

"Ada, it's a goddamn dog," he said, like I was blowing this out of proportion. "Put it out of its misery, and we're done with this shitshow. Why the hell are you making this so fucking messy?"

Someone in the corner scoffed, barely loud enough to hear, spitting out "scumbag lovers" like a curse. Jude's face darkened, his jaw clenching like he was chewing

on

nails.

"Ada, you listening or what?" he barked, his voice slicing through the air, sharper now, impatient.

I raised my head, pasting on a smile that felt like it was carved from broken bottles. So this was how it ended, huh? He picked her-always-and I was just the idiot who didn't

see it sooner.

"Then let's get a divorce," I said, my voice steady even as my heart screamed. "I'll grab Toto and fuck off for good. You two can play your little 'love story without me screwing it up."