The police relayed the unsettling information to Fitch.
Fitch sat there in a daze, his tailored suit feeling constrictive, his mind reeling. He thought he had a firm grasp of the darker side of
human nature, but the idea of someone wrecking their own life to spite their child was new territory even for him.
He suddenly realized he truly didn't know Zoey at all.
Had the police not revealed the truth, he would have pinned it on her without hesitation. Wasn't that the kind of woman she was in
his eyes?
Yet now, his perceptions were being systematically dismantled.
How devastated was Zoey when Wendy stormed in, causing a scene that led to her beloved pup, Ozzy, being snatched from her
arms?
What emotions fueled her when she mustered the courage to confront the Haskins, her temper flaring to the point of almost
striking Wendy?
After being slapped by the man she fancied and skulking away, her world must have crumbled to dust.
Fitch had sailed through life with few setbacks, save for a shadow cast over his childhood. But Zoey, it seemed her entire existence
was cloaked in shadows.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe frustration was creeping back in. He regretted not keeping a cool head the previous night, for not taking the tto properly
consider the evidence she had offered.
He should have been more patient, not lashed out with that slap.
That slap felt like the shattering of something irreplaceable, and no matter how desperately he tried to piece it back together, it
seemed futile.
Fitch had never felt this way about any woman. He mistook it for pity, for sympathy.
Like when he brought over a new puppy to Zoey earlier that day, it was out of pity for her.
He had imagined she would be tearfully grateful, given her affection for him.
But Zoey was too detached.
Fitch stood by the window, lighting what must have been his umpteenth cigarette of the day.
After chain-smoking three in a row, he dialed Wendy's number.
Wendy was holed up at home, too afraid to face the scorn of her social circle and the ridicule spreading like wildfire through
Facebook. Prideful as she was, the situation left her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
The glimmer of hope in her eyes when she saw Fitch's non her phone was unmistakable. She was certain he wouldn't abandon
her.
"Fitch," she whimpered, her voice cracking.
But his reply was cold as ice.
"Where's Ozzy?"
Wendy felt as though a hand had clasped around her throat. She was paralyzed, unsure of how to respond.
It was inconceivable to her that Fitch, of all people, would care about the whereabouts of a dog.
Her face drained of color, her body beginning to tremble.
"Why do you ask? Fitch, | swear it wasn't me."
The chill in Fitch's gaze deepened. "Do you takefor a fool, Wendy?"
The video evidence was clear, and her denial now suggested she thought he was not only foolish but blind as well.
Wendy's throat tightened further, especially at the thought that Fitch's call might be motivated by concern for Zoey. Her whole
body ached with a mix of fury and despair.
"Fitch, are we still getting married?"
"Don't you know that?"
"I can change, | really can. | truly care about you, I'd do anything for you. Fitch, no one loves you more than | do."
He could barely stand her drivel. "Where's Ozzy?"
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmEvery word Wendy wanted to say was stifled by his question, and suddenly, rage coursed through her, shaking her to the core.
She was fed up with the slander and insults online, tired of the snide comments lurking in the shadows of Facebook.
What had she done wrong? Was it a crto fight for her own happiness?
The real mistake was Zoey's - that greedy wretch.
"He's dead! | smashed him to death!"
Fitch's lips pressed into a thin line, and after a few seconds, he responded.
"You're utterly outrageous."
With that, he hung up the phone.
MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L
MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L
mmMwWLHIOfiflO&1
MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L
mmMyWL11I01F1081
mMMwWLIIOfiflO&1