I took Bingo home with me, as my many years as a vet told me that there was something very off with him.

Bingo had been an exuberant dog since he was a puppy. After reuniting with me, he had lunged at me in excitement, nuzzled me, wagged his tail…

However, he had never once made a sound, not even a soft whine. He had been entirely silent, too silent.

Anxious over my beloved dog, I placed him on my worktable and began gently examining him.

His teeth were yellow and covered in plaque, while his gums were pale and colorless. Besides that, his fur was a dry, knotted mess that came off in clumps when I ran my fingers through it.

Clearly, Bingo hadn't received even the most basic care.

Taking a deep breath, I parted the long fur at the back of his neck and felt around his skin.

Everywhere my fingers touched was uneven and rough, like scar tissue. Old and new, the jagged scars crisscrossed his entire neck.

These were the scars left behind by prolonged and frequent use of a shock collar.

The intensity of the electric currents running through these collars was meant to "painlessly train" a dog, but it was actually strong enough to make even a human's muscles seize up.

Bingo's neck was densely covered in such injuries.

My fingers shook violently at the implications.

I still remembered how Zachary had waited with me for Bingo to be born, how clumsy he had been as he wiped the newborn puppy clean.

How could he be so cruel? If he didn't like Bingo, why did he have to pretend? Why did he have to steal my dog away and gift him to someone else, only to treat him like this?

Then again, was my situation any different than Bingo's? Zachary had treated both of us in the same manner.

That woman was actually a member at my vet clinic. Upon checking her membership, I learned that she was named Sierra Goldman, and she worked at Selome Hospital's cardiothoracic surgery ward as well.

She had even paid using Zachary's supplementary credit card, almost as though she were daring me to notice.

One thing after another was slowly revealed, exposing the whole truth to me.

Using the number listed on Sierra's membership, I was able to find her secondary account on social media.

The first post I saw was from 10 o'clock this morning.

"Off to celebrate Couples' Day!"

In the background of the attached photo was a small charm I knew to be hanging in Zachary's car. I instantly recognized it because I had personally made it myself.

The second post was from three days ago.

"I wonder if it's a quirk from work? My doctor husband loves to do it on the dining table."

The uploaded photo showed a rosewood dining table—the one in our marital home!

That had been a wedding gift from my mother! How dare he?

The third post was a collage from Valentine's Day—a snapshot of a four-digit bank transfer, a Cartier bracelet, a private hot spring sprinkled with rose petals, a glass of red wine with lipstick marks on the rim, a bikini that had been torn to shreds, an outstanding view of a fireworks show from a floor-to-ceiling window, and last but not least, the bare back of a man smoking a cigarette.

There, tattooed across the man's waist, were the initials "JL".

Jessica Lane. My name.

Meanwhile, the only thing I received from Zachary on Valentine's Day was a measly card that read, "I love you", and it wasn't even handwritten!

From the stark contrast in how he treated us, it was clear that he wasn't just playing around with Sierra. All those fake emergencies, academic conferences, and times when he suddenly had to work overtime had been so he could spend time with her—so he could stay over at her place, take her to a hotel, or go out on a short vacation with her.

He fulfilled every single one of her requests, including giving Bingo to her as a gift.

The oldest post on that account happened to be from the day Bingo went "missing".

In the photo, a three-month-old Bingo was cowering in a corner while trembling. The caption read, "My boyfriend gave me a gift as a token of his love for me, all because I was unhappy. Although it's rather disobedient, I'll definitely train it to be an obedient dog."

The pen I was holding broke in two with a crack.

"Zachary, Sierra, you two sure are something! I'm going to make you pay for this!" I vowed.

I opened my banking app and swiftly unlinked all of Zachary's credit cards from my account, then canceled the automatic transfers for our marital home's house loan, utility bill, and management fee. After that, I transferred the remaining balance in the account Zachary and I shared for our expenses to my own personal account.

Back when we first started dating, we agreed to have a shared account. However, Zachary had never once put any money in. He was always complaining about how his salary wasn't paid on a fixed date or that his income had decreased. He even whined about having to support his parents.

Not once did I ever suspect anything was amiss. I bore our shared expenses and even paid for the renovations and house loan for our marital home.

However, it seemed my trust had simply brought Zachary a lot of convenience when it came to living two lives.

With me, he was the busy yet thoughtful, supportive fiance.

But with Sierra, he became the sugar daddy who provided everything she could ever ask for, a figure worthy of her worship. He used my money to please another woman and form another family, another home, with her.

I dug through the drawer for the folder hidden deep inside it. That folder contained the renovation contract for our house, the receipts for payment of all the construction materials and utilities, and the payment records for the house loan.

I took photos of them all, then dug out my bank statements and saved all of those too.

It still wasn't enough!

Finding three large black trash bags, I tossed away everything Zachary owned. I even opened the closet and dumped out all of his clothing. I also tossed every single photo I could find, each a snapshot of our shared moments from the past five years, into the communal dumpster outside the building.

At last, Zachary returned in the afternoon.

He immediately hugged me. "I'm sorry, Jessica. I didn't get to spend the occasion with you again."

Fishing out a necklace from a well-known luxury brand, he added, "Here. The surgery came too suddenly, so this is to make up for it. Do you like it?"

With that, he stared at me with what he thought to be an adoring look.

I had to fight hard to quell the nausea roiling within me. Calmly accepting the necklace from him, I then placed it down on the nearest surface, which happened to be the dining table.

"Was the surgery a success?"

"Yeah. We managed to save the patient," Zachary answered vaguely before sweeping me into his arms and leaning down to kiss me. "Did my fiancee miss me?"

As I watched his face grow closer, an image of him kissing Sierra abruptly popped into my mind, making me even more repulsed.

Turning my face slightly, I said, "Don't. I'm on my period."

Zachary paused briefly, a hint of disappointment flashing across his face. However, it was swiftly replaced by concern.

"Oh. Then drink more water and get some more rest."

He took my mug to get me some water, only to realize that his mug was gone.

"Honey, where's my mug?"

I lowered my gaze, prepared to lay all my cards on the table.

However, Zachary's phone rang just then. He checked the screen quickly, his expression taking on a hint of panic.

"It's from the hospital. There could be an emergency again."

He headed to the balcony with his phone and lowered his voice. Still, I was able to hear everything.

"Don't cry, babe. I'll be right over."

Zachary came back inside and put on his jacket while shooting me an apologetic smile. "It's an emergency, honey. I have to go."

I smiled at him. "You only just got back, yet you're leaving already?"

"Yeah. A critically ill patient's condition suddenly took a turn for the worse," he replied in a tone filled with reluctance. "Don't wait up for me, okay? You can sleep first."

"Alright." I saw him off at the elevator.

However, the moment the doors shut, I immediately followed him down.

I arrived at the parking garage to see Zachary and Sierra standing beside his car. Both of them were smiling widely as they stood inappropriately close to each other.

"Didn't I just send you home? Why have you come here?"

Sierra wrapped her arms around his waist. "Bingo is missing… I just went out to throw the trash, only to come back and find him gone…"

Zachary patted her back and comforted her, "He's just a dog. Who cares if he goes missing?"

"But you said he was a token of your love for me, a symbol of our relationship…"

Gently cradling her cheeks, he pressed a kiss to her lips. "Be good now. She has so many other dogs in her clinic. Just tell me which one catches your interest, and I'll bring it to you again."

Sierra tilted her head back to look up at him, tears still clinging to her lashes. "Zach, I can't bear to part with you. Keep me company again tonight, will you?"

"Don't be like this. We already talked about this. I've already spent two days with you," Zachary said, comforting her patiently.

"I don't care! Every time I think about you two sleeping together, I feel like I'm about to die from how much it hurts!"

With that said, she grabbed his hand and placed it on her chest. Biting her lip, she said in a tearful voice, "Just feel it yourself. My heart hurts so bad."

Zachary laughed wickedly, tightening his fingers, but Sierra went along with it and leaned into his chest. He eagerly kissed her, his movements filled with urgency, passion, and an unwillingness to part.

"Zach, I love you so, so much. Can you not get married?"

Hearing that, Zachary paused before pulling away from her lips. "Enough with the nonsense."

"I'm not talking nonsense! You clearly love me, so why can't you openly be with me?"

Sierra burst into tears, appearing utterly pitiful and aggrieved.

"I'll take you back and spend one more night with you." Instead of answering her question, Zachary unlocked his car and got ready to open the door.

"Why can't you do that?" I spoke up.

Zachary and Sierra's heads snapped around when they heard my voice. Zachary instantly turned pale.

At first, Sierra was surprised, but when she saw who I was, a triumphant look flashed in her eyes. She gripped Zachary's arm in a tight, possessive grip, clearly staking her claim.

I stepped closer to them.

"Why marry me when you love her? Why involve me in this mess when you two clearly love each other deeply?"

Zachary's lips moved, but no sound left his mouth.

It was Sierra who suddenly stepped forward to stand protectively in front of Zachary as she begged, "Jessica, please don't blame Zach! This is all my fault. I was the one who clung to him, and I was also the one who forcefully kissed him earlier!"

Her acting skills truly were on another level!

I responded with a hard slap across her cheek. "You don't get to speak here."

At that, Zachary finally snapped out of his shock and seized my wrist.

"Jessica Lane, were you following me?"

Wrenching myself free of his grip, I retorted, "If you didn't want me to find out, why would you be all lovey-dovey right here in our garage? Why would you use my money to support your mistress?"

Zachary's eyes flashed. "I can explain—"

"Explain what? About how it was so difficult and tiring for you to juggle two families for the past three years? Or are you going to tell me why you stole my dog away and gave him to her?"

He reached out to grab me again, but I flung him away with such force that he stumbled back a few steps. Nonetheless, he still refused to give up, stepping forward to try to take my arm again.

"Jessica!"

This time, I mustered up as much strength as I could and smacked him in the face.

Zachary's head snapped to the side, a bright red handprint surfacing on his cheek soon after.

Seeing that, Sierra screamed and charged over.

Jabbing a finger at Zachary, I said, "Riverside Condominium, Block 19, unit 102. That's just two blocks away from our home! You've been involved with each other for three years, yet you're still trying to lie to me? Zachary Yandon, the wedding is canceled! It's over between us!"