My sister had struggled with severe depression for years, and the only thing that seemed to ease her pain was her dog, Toto, who had become her constant companion.

But when her illness flared up again, Toto was nowhere to be found.

Then, my husband, Lionel Cress's childhood sweetheart posted a picture of Toto on social media.

[With her, it feels like you're here with me.]

I lost it. I called Lionel in a frenzy, but despite being my sister's psychologist, he was completely indifferent.

"Your sister has been sick for so long. How could she suddenly relapse just because Toto's gone for a few days?"

When I rushed back home, I found my sister in the bathroom, her wrists cut.

Later, Toto's body was discovered outside our building, with Lionel's gift to his childhood sweetheart—a ring—lying next to her.

I buried both my sister and Toto, and left behind nothing but a divorce agreement.

Lionel went crazy, desperately trying to find me.

I had just come to terms with the death of my sister, Hope Marsh, when I found her dog, Toto's body.

Toto was covered in wounds, her legs twisted at strange angles. Next to her lay a necklace. I picked it up, and in the pale moonlight, I saw that the diamond ring hanging from it was engraved with the letters L and M.

They stood for Lionel and Maisie McBride.

I gripped the diamond ring tightly, crouched down, and carefully cradled Toto's bloodied body. Her warmth still lingered, and as I stroked her fur, I couldn't hold back my tears anymore.

In one night, I had lost two family members.

I placed Toto's body in a cardboard box, with her favorite treats and toys beside her.

"I'm sorry, Toto… Go be with Hope now. She missed you so much..."

I grabbed my coat and drove to Maisie's apartment.

When Maisie opened the door, my already-frayed emotions shattered completely.

A brief, self-satisfied smile flashed across her face when she saw me.

"June? What are you doing here?"

I scoffed and slapped her across the face.

Maisie, caught off guard, stood frozen for a moment, her pale cheek swelling rapidly.

She took a while to regain her composure, and her eyes started to redden.

"June? What's going on? Did I do something to upset you?"

I looked at her coldly, ready to raise my hand again when Lionel emerged from the bedroom.

He was wearing pajamas, clearly just woken up.

Seeing Maisie's swollen face, he instantly sobered up before stepping forward to grab my wrist.

"June! Why are you acting crazy?"

His grip was strong enough to make my wrist feel like it might snap.

I bit my lip, stifling the cry that almost escaped.

"I'm acting crazy? You're a psychologist! You know how important Toto was to Hope! You know how painful it is when depression flares up—why are you acting like it's nothing?"

Lionel paused, then rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"I've already told you that Hope's condition wouldn't be triggered just because Toto was gone for a few days. If you're still worried, I'll bring Toto back tomorrow."

I laughed bitterly, the rage building up inside me, but all I could do was smile through the pain.

"Lionel, there is no tomorrow. Hope's gone. Toto's gone too. You don't deserve to be Hope's brother-in-law. You don't deserve the trust she gave you!"

As I spoke, tears fell uncontrollably again.

I remembered Hope, barely alive in the ambulance, whispering to me, "June... I'm sorry... I just can't keep going… After I'm gone, you have to find Toto. You and Lionel, you have to live well... As long as you have Toto, it'll be like I'm still around..."

Hope was still thinking about Lionel, even in her final moments.

What she didn't know was that her brother-in-law had secretly taken Toto, just to please his childhood sweetheart.

Seeing me like this, Lionel instinctively released my wrist. When he saw the red marks his grip left, he softened his tone and asked in a low voice, "June, did I hurt you?"

Maisie immediately started to sob. "I'm sorry, June. It's all my fault. My claustrophobia has gotten worse lately, but Lionel's been busy, and I didn't want to bother him all the time… I remember meeting Toto before, and though I was afraid of dogs, I wasn't scared of her. So I thought of having Toto keep me company for a few days—"

I interrupted her coldly, "And where is Toto now?"

Maisie hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head even further.

"June, I'm sorry. When I opened the door earlier... I don't know why, but she ran out..."

I raised my voice, trembling with anger, "Liar! You monster! Toto was such a cute little thing, and you tortured her to death!"

Maisie suddenly looked up, shaking her head with red-rimmed eyes. "I didn't do it, June..."

My fury exploded once more. I threw the ring at her face and grabbed her hair, forcing her to look at the diamond ring that had fallen to the floor.

"What is this? Tell me, Maisie, what is this? I found this ring on a necklace next to Toto's body! Who else could it belong to if not you?"

Maisie screamed, but before I could react, I was suddenly pushed hard. I fell to the ground, my face stinging with pain, and my palm scraped against the floor, drawing blood.

I felt a wetness at the corner of my mouth. I wiped it away, but the blood quickly flowed again.

Lionel looked at me coldly, growling, "Enough, June! Stop being unreasonable!"

He carefully examined Maisie's injury and softly asked, "What really happened?"

I saw Maisie flash me a quick, taunting smile, before quickly masking it with a look of feigned guilt.

"I'm sorry, Lionel… Toto was barking at the door just now, and I saw you were asleep. I thought I'd take her for a walk myself, but as soon as I opened the door, she pounced on me. I was startled, and with the hallway lights out, my condition flared up and I fainted. When I woke up, Toto was gone. She must've taken my necklace with her. I was going to look for her, but then June showed up…"

Her words grew more pitiful with every sentence, tears falling onto the floor.

Lionel didn't seem to notice the inconsistencies in her story, his focus entirely on her. "You had an episode again? Why didn't you wake me up?"

Maisie shook her head, forcing a weak smile. "No, Lionel. You've taken care of me for so long. I can't keep troubling you…"

I stood up, but a coldness slowly settled over my heart.

"Lionel, do you believe her?"

He didn't answer, but instinctively pulled Maisie closer.

I let out a bitter laugh, realizing how foolish I was to even ask. I should have known better.

Before Maisie came into the picture, Lionel and I had a relatively respectful marriage. But since she entered the scene, it was like we couldn't stand each other anymore.

Maisie's claim that she suffered from claustrophobia only added to the strain.

I met Lionel on a blind date. But my feelings for him had started long before that, during my seven years of quiet longing.

I was lucky, though. After rejecting countless suitors since graduating from college, I eventually found Lionel. By then, I was at the right age and had a pretty good life. It didn't take long for us to marry.

In the beginning, Lionel wasn't particularly affectionate toward me. I did everything I could as a wife, using my love and patience to melt the ice around him. Eventually, he started showing some warmth, even going as far as to invite Hope to live with us so he could personally treat her.

Hope adored him, and I thought he would always care for her in return, loving her as his own.

But everything changed when Maisie came back.

He began abandoning me over and over again, leaving me disappointed time after time, just to spend time with her.

I confronted him, but his response was always the same.

"June, I thought you were more understanding than this. Maisie has claustrophobia. This illness was my fault, and I need to help her get better."

Before, I could fool myself into thinking that Lionel would come back to me, that he would still be the caring brother-in-law to Hope, and the respectful husband to me.

But I was wrong.

The disappointment and hurt I'd silently carried had allowed Lionel to act with no regard for me. Eventually, Hope's well-being didn't even matter to him.

When I saw the blood in the bathroom, I realized that my love for Lionel—the love that had lasted ten years—had been washed away in that moment.

I heard his voice near my ear. "Alright, Maisie didn't do it on purpose. Besides, Toto was just a dog. You slapped Maisie—shouldn't that be enough for you to calm down?"

Calm down? How could I calm down?

Toto was the stray dog Hope had brought home. Together, we saved her from the streets, and for three years, she was a part of our family.

Whenever Hope's condition flared up and she thought about harming herself, Toto would always bark and leap into her arms, calming her down.

My family was gone, and Lionel thought a slap was all it would take for me to let this go.

I felt completely drained, like all the life had been sucked out of me. In a numb tone, I said, "Lionel, let's get a divorce. But Maisie… I'll make sure she pays for what she's done."

I would find the evidence. I would prove that Maisie was the one who had killed Toto.

Lionel stared at me, stunned. "June, you want a divorce? Just because of a dog?"

The pain shot through me in an instant, but I quickly forced it aside, my voice growing colder. "Lionel, Toto wasn't just a dog. She'd been part of my family for three years! She was also Hope's lifeline. But you ripped Toto out of Hope's life with your own hands!"

Lionel's anger was evident now. He scowled, his teeth grinding as he hissed, "Fine. Fine. You'd better not regret this."

I turned away, but before I could take another step, something flew through the air and sliced across my face.

I blinked in shock and looked down to see what it was. It was our wedding ring.

Lionel's voice echoed from behind me. "Take your ring and get lost! Don't bother coming back asking for my forgiveness!"

I didn't pick up the ring and kicked it down the stairs instead.

When I returned home, I sat next to Toto's lifeless body for the entire night, numb and lost.

By morning, the sting on my face was still sharp. I looked into the mirror, noting my swollen face—Lionel hadn't held back.

But I couldn't focus on that. There was no time for my wounds. I just slapped a bit of powder over the swelling to hide it, then rushed to pick up Toto's body and drive to the funeral home.

Toto was cremated alongside Hope.

Their ashes were buried together in a small plot, and I stayed with them until the sun went down.

When I came back home, Lionel was already sitting on the couch.

He watched me with cold eyes, then asked, "Where did you go?"

I didn't answer. I just walked into the bedroom and started packing my things.

He stormed in, grabbing my wrist with a tight grip. "Why didn't you answer my calls today?"

His eyes scanned the clothes piling in the suitcase, and his anger seemed to grow even stronger.

"Are you really leaving?"

I looked up at him, my voice detached. "We're getting a divorce. Why would I stay here?"

But he lowered his voice, trying to stop me. "June, you're serious about this? Do you really want a divorce? Don't forget that I've been the one helping Hope with her treatment all this time. She depends on me! What will happen to her if you go through with this divorce?"

I met his gaze, my anger reigniting with a fierce intensity.

I ripped my wrist from his grip and shouted, "Get out! You have no right to bring up Hope! Did you ever think about what would happen to her when you secretly took Toto away? Hope depended on you, yes, but did Toto not have the same role in her life? Lionel, do you have any idea how your indifference has destroyed my sister?"

My voice cracked, the words barely escaping through the lump in my throat. "Hope was the only family I had left in this world..."

Lionel stood frozen for a long moment, his face showing a flicker of panic when he saw the despair in mine.

But it was fleeting. He quickly furrowed his brow and spoke again.

"June, Hope is your sister. You can't use her as an excuse to throw tantrums. I know it was wrong to take Toto without telling you, but you shouldn't joke about Hope like this! Besides, losing a dog isn't enough to make Hope relapse, is it? Her symptoms have improved a lot; she's not just going to fall apart over something like this."

I scoffed bitterly. Since Maisie came back, she had found countless ways to make Lionel stay out late, leaving me and Hope behind.

He came home less and less.

He didn't have time to treat Hope anymore, and he didn't see how much worse she had gotten.

Hope's condition had been deteriorating for a long time.

She had tried to hurt herself more than once, but Toto and I always managed to stop her.

Lionel had no idea; he was too caught up in Maisie to notice.

Hope wasn't the strong person he thought she was anymore. She had become fragile, as delicate as broken glass.

I moved closer to Lionel, my voice soft but sharp. "Lionel, do you even remember the last time you treated Hope?"

"Three months ago."

"Three months... In all that time, had you even cared about how she'd been doing?"