Countdown to My Divorce

Her Exit 359

Rachel froze. “Dead? That’s impossible. I remember he was always in good health.”

Tyler let out a long sigh and said solemnly, “After you left, he probably died of a broken heart. Stopped eating altogether. Starved himself to death.”

Rachel felt numb. “Why didn’t you do anything about it?”

Tyler glanced at her. “Haven’t you heard? Emotional wounds are the hardest to heal. He flat–out refused to eat. What was I supposed to do?”

“You couldn’t just sit there and watch him starve to death!” Her voice rose without her meaning to.

She hadn’t been the biggest fan of dogs back then, mostly because she’d been scared by one as a kid, but Ray had been sweet and surprisingly perceptive.

Later, after moving abroad, she had even adopted a dog of her own She had named it Waffle. It was a stray that had been abandoned by its previous owner.

She’d heard from others that Ray had also been abandoned by his original owner because of some old superstitious belief that his appearance would bring financial loss. That had been Ray’s second home already.

Rachel knew that feeling all too well. It was the pain of being loved and then discarded.

people were worse

never bought into those ridiculous superstitions. She had insisted on adopting Waffle back then just to prove them wrong. Owning a dog

grieving for Ray, suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the apartment, and something

itself onto the couch and barked at Tyler

leaned back a little, then reached out

a joke, okay? I didn’t mean

happy with that and barked at him

the kitchen. “Look over there. See who’s

dogs now, Rachel didn’t panic like she had the first time. She crouched down and opened her arms just in

like a ball of excitement. He circled her feet in joy before

backward under Ray’s enthusiasm. Holding his face in her hands, she

“Okay, okay. Calm down!”

throat twice and called out to Ray. “Ray, if you keep that up, you’re gonna scare her off. Then s‘ won’t come visit you

understand and immediately stopped leaping on Rachel. He sat obediently

didn’t bring you any treats this

with his