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?"

Lionel stood frozen, a flash of guilt flickering across his face. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

He opened the door and found Maisie standing on the other side.

Surprised, he asked, "Maisie, what are you doing here?"

Maisie smiled faintly. "That necklace I left with June, it's very important to me. You gave it to me back then..."

She then gave me a soft, meaningful glance, her eyes speaking volumes.

I didn't respond, pretending I hadn't seen it, and silently went back to packing my things.

Lionel cleared his throat and stepped forward, halting my movements. "Give me the necklace."

I shook my head.

It was the only evidence that could prove Maisie had a hand in Toto's death.

I couldn't let him have it.

Lionel's patience was clearly running thin. "What do you want with that necklace?"

I looked at him coldly. "It's the evidence that Maisie killed Toto. Why should I give it to you?"

Maisie, standing to the side, spoke softly, "June, it was all just a misunderstanding. Why won't you trust me? Besides, do you have any other proof that I killed Toto? It's just a necklace… what could it really prove?"

I didn't even glance at Maisie. I closed the suitcase and began to pull it toward the door.

But Lionel grabbed my hair, his voice low and firm. "Give it to her."

His face was dark, his anger barely held in check.

The pull on my scalp was excruciating, but my pride kept me from crying out.

I bit down on my lip, enduring the pain. Turning my head sharply, I sank my teeth into Lionel's arm.

I heard him hiss, and in the next moment, his grip loosened.

Off balance, I stumbled forward, my body crashing into the corner of the dining table due to an unknown force.

I tried to dodge, but the momentum of my fall was unstoppable.

I could only watch helplessly as my forehead collided with the sharp edge of the table. The ringing in my ears was followed by a rush of warm blood.

As my vision blurred from the blood, I could faintly hear Lionel calling out in a panic.

"June!"

I let out a bitter laugh. Was Lionel really concerned about me now?

But it was too late. Did he ever think about me when he caused Hope's death, when he took Toto away, and when he was defending Maisie? Did he ever think about Hope, who had always adored and trusted him?

The world around me went from blurred to completely dark.

When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

I stared blankly at the ceiling, instinctively reaching up to touch my head.

The pain was still sharp.

The door opened, and Lionel entered with another doctor.

When Lionel saw that I had woken up, his face lit up with relief. "June! You're awake!"

He sat down beside me, his voice soft. "How do you feel?"

I didn't answer, but the doctor spoke, his tone curious. "Dr. Cress, is this your wife?"

Lionel had never publicly acknowledged our relationship at the hospital, and I rarely visited him there, so not many people knew about us.

Lionel nodded, but before he could introduce me, the doctor sighed.

"You should be more concerned about your wife's mental state," the doctor said. "After all, her sister just committed suicide yesterday."

I felt Lionel freeze, and his voice shook as he asked in disbelief, "What did you just say?"

"You didn't know? Yesterday, your wife called 911, but by the time they arrived, it was too late. She couldn't be saved."