I don't inform Hunter Nabb when I'm bitten by a rabid dog in the late stages of my pregnancy. Instead, I call the police.

Why? Because he got into an accident when he hurried to me in my past life. It killed his junior. He was depressed for a day but quickly bounced back. He cared for me until I recovered.

I thought the rumors of amorosity between him and his junior was just a figment of my imagination. However, the day I gave birth, he locked me in a cage, allowing a rabid dog to attack me and the baby.

He looked down at me imperiously, his tone cold and ruthless. "You can trick everyone, but not me. Would a dog have bitten you if you hadn't provoked it? Do you know you killed Willow with your dirty tricks? She was pregnant with my child when she died!"

When I open my eyes again, I'm taken back to when the rabid dog bites me.

When the rabid dog lunged at me, its teeth tore through my shoulder. The pain was excruciating, draining all color from my face as I jolted awake.

I abandoned the thought of calling Hunter Nabb for help. I simply grabbed a wooden stick from the ground and swung it wildly at the dog.

Seizing the moment when it recoiled, I quickly scanned my surroundings. I clutched my stomach and ran for my life. I just followed the path I had taken earlier.

"Help!"

The rabid dog chased relentlessly behind me.

I pushed myself to the limit, sprinting toward the property management office—only to witness something that made my blood run cold.

Hunter, who was supposed to be working late, was driving his luxury car instead, taking his young junior to a prenatal checkup.

"Good morning, Mr. Nabb! Taking your wife for another checkup, huh? You two have such a loving relationship," the security guard, Peter Moore, greeted him with a cheerful smile.

Willow White blushed while playfully pushing Hunter.

Hunter only laughed indulgently, making no effort to explain. Just then, they heard my desperate cries for help and instinctively turned around.

Seeing the rabid dog chasing me, Peter immediately grabbed a baton, ready to assist. But Hunter furrowed his brows and stopped him.

Disgust was evident in his gaze as he yelled coldly, "Don't interfere!"

"Renee Meyer, you're pulling the same tricks again just like in our past life! This time, I won't fall for it." With that, he pulled Willow into the car, not sparing me a single glance.

I came to an abrupt stop, my mind reeling as if struck by lightning. Hunter had been reborn too?

Oddly, the rabid dog also stopped and slowly backed away. I thought it was frightened by the number of people present.

Before I could catch my breath, Willow suddenly turned around, flashing me a strange smile. Then, she made a subtle gesture toward the dog.

Immediately, the dog bared its teeth and let out a deep, menacing growl before launching another attack.

"Help me!" Panic surged through me as I desperately called out to them.

Nonetheless, Hunter's car was already gone.

The rabid dog pounced, knocking me to the ground as its teeth sank into my pregnant belly.

"Ack! Help me!" I screamed, my voice raw with agony. I was struggling to breathe through the pain.

One of the security guards hesitated, clearly wanting to step in. But Peter stopped him.

"Stay out of it. Didn't you hear what Mr. Nabb said? This woman must know them.

"Besides, that dog belongs to Ms. White. It should be fine."

"But… she's losing a lot of blood…" The kind-hearted guard still looked uneasy.

His face grew increasingly tense as he watched the pool of blood spreading beneath me. Peter merely glanced down and scoffed.

"She's faking it. Everyone knows there are big dogs in this neighborhood. A real pregnant woman wouldn't be wandering around here."

His words sent shockwaves through me, and my mind couldn't stay calm. Hunter was the one who introduced me to this place.

He had told me it was quiet—perfect for someone in the late stages of pregnancy to take walks.

The more I thought about it, the more terrifying it became. Tears immediately streamed down uncontrollably.

The rabid dog had torn a chunk of flesh from my abdomen, leaving my entire body soaked in blood. I looked utterly wretched.

I struggled to crawl toward the security guards, hoping they would notice something was wrong.

"Please… save my baby. I'm really pregnant."

But the two security guards coldly turned away, ignoring my cries for help.

"Enough already. Mr. Nabb is taken. Stop scheming."

I clenched my fists tightly. So, Hunter and Willow's relationship was never that innocent after all. But right now, my only concern was protecting this child.

Summoning all my remaining strength, I dialed 911. By the time the police arrived, the rabid dog had already fled.

Seeing my weak and unsteady state, an officer quickly carried me into the car while sharply questioning the security guards.

"Why didn't you intervene? Didn't you see she was nearly mauled to death? This happened in your neighborhood—you'll have to bear responsibility for this too."

The guards were momentarily stunned by his questioning. Seeing that I was still breathing, they remained indifferent.

When they glanced at the blood covering my body, their eyes filled with disdain. "She's faking it. Women like her just cause trouble on purpose."

Just as they were speaking, the screech of tires rang out at the entrance. Hunter hurriedly got out of the car with a flustered expression.

He arrived just in time to hear the conversation between the officer and the security guards. As he tightly pressed his lips together, he walked up to me, scanning me from head to toe.

His gaze landed on my blood-soaked abdomen, yet his eyes were cold and unreadable. "Renee, your act is so convincing. If you lose this baby from all your drama, then whatever connection we have ends here."

His voice jolted me awake from my daze. I struggled to crawl out from the backseat, reaching out my bloodied hand to grasp his pant leg.

"Hunter, please take me to the hospital! The dog bit my stomach! Ask your friend, Dr. Kaiser, to treat me, please!"

There were so many things I wanted to ask him, but my condition was critical. Saving my baby came first. Howard Kaiser was a leading gynecologist.

If he were to try, my child would have a chance.

"You let a dog bite your stomach?" Hunter's voice rose in shock.

At that moment, a weak groan came from the car.

"Hunter… my water broke… it hurts so much!" Willow's pained voice trembled.

Hunter immediately turned his attention away from me and rushed back to the car. Seeing the large pool of amniotic fluid beneath her, his eyes flickered with panic.

However, he kept his voice gentle as he reassured her. "There's no time to go home for a change of clothes. I'll have Howard deliver the baby right away."

He jumped back into the car in a hurry. Just as he was about to drive off, he suddenly turned and shot me a vicious glare.

"I almost fell for it again. You were stalling on purpose, weren't you? Hoping Willow and the baby would both die? I won't be fooled in this lifetime."

The car then sped past me. I lost my balance, tumbling hard onto the steps. A sharp, twisting pain shot through my abdomen as cold sweat drenched my body.

Just then, more blood gushed out beneath me. I knew then—this baby couldn't be saved.

"I… I want to file a police report!" I forced myself to speak on the way to the hospital, holding on with all my strength.

As soon as I finished the sentence, everything went black, and I lost consciousness.

When I woke up in the hospital, the doctor regretfully informed me that not only had I lost the baby, but my uterus had suffered severe damage—I would never be able to conceive again.

I couldn't hold back my cries any longer. Tears streamed down my face as I broke down completely. Hatred spread from the depths of my heart.

Desperate, I shared my experience online, pleading for help. The post quickly gained traction, drawing immense public attention.

Realizing the severity of the situation, the police launched a citywide search for the rabid dog. But it was as if the dog had vanished into thin air. Days passed, and they found nothing.

In the end, it was an online user who provided a crucial lead. Using surveillance footage from the location they mentioned, the police tracked the dog to an abandoned chemical plant.

It was aggressive and classified as a banned breed under national regulations. The officers had to break one of its legs before finally restraining it to capture it.

A photo of the captured rabid dog quickly spread online, and the public cheered in unison.

"They caught the dog—now they can find the owner!"

"Keeping an illegal breed without a leash? The owner should be jailed too!"

That very day, Willow had just given birth when she came across the news. Tears streamed down her face, making Hunter's heart ache unbearably.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying like this?"

"Hunter, I… I just feel so sorry for the dog. Renee used it to fight for your attention, and now she's making it take the blame. They even broke its leg… It's so cruel…

"They found it at an abandoned factory, which means it was a stray. A stray dog is like a child without a mother—no one to speak up for it."

Her tears fell onto Hunter's hand, burning into his heart.

He immediately pulled her into his arms, whispering soothingly. "Willow, you're just too kind. No one could compare to you."

Little did they know, her tears caused her milk supply to dry up. Their newborn refused to drink formula and cried out in hunger, even wailing desperately. Willow was heartbroken, and she was unable to bear the sight.

Furious, Hunter stormed into my hospital room, kicking the door open.

Willow followed closely behind, pretending to hold him back, but there was a sinister glint in her eyes when she looked at me.

Hunter dismissed the nurse administering my IV, then rushed toward me, jabbing a finger in my face as he exploded in rage.

"How could you be so vicious? All this just to fight for attention—even using a dog!

"You claimed you miscarried because of a dog attack, that you were bleeding out—yet here you are, perfectly fine!

"Renee, you weren't like this before. When did you become so manipulative? If people find out you're lying, their words alone will drown you!"

After the uterine curettage, I survived on nutrient injections. Just as I finally started to regain some color, he dismissed it as an act.

Even though days had passed, the image of my stillborn baby, its tiny body tinged purple, continued to stab at my heart like a thousand needles.

Fixing my gaze on their intertwined hands, I forced myself to stay composed.

I met his eyes calmly and let out a soft scoff. "Once they find the dog's owner, you'll know whether I was lying or not. I just hope someone won't be too scared when the truth comes out."

I deliberately shifted my gaze to Willow. Her innocent-looking face turned deathly pale in an instant, and she nearly fainted.

"Willow!" Hunter immediately caught her and helped her into a chair.

Though his words carried a hint of frustration, his concern was unmistakable.

"I told you not to come. Yet you're still worrying about her at a time like this?"

"Hunter, just talk things through with Renee. As long as she feels better, I don't mind." She stole a timid glance at me before quickly lowering her head, looking every bit the helpless victim.

Her act only fueled Hunter's rage. He had never been able to stand seeing her like this.

In the past, whenever I so much as expressed discomfort about their closeness, he would explode in anger.

I had swallowed my grievances again and again for the sake of my child, convincing myself that I was just overthinking things. But now, with no child to hold me back, my mind was suddenly crystal clear.

They had been involved all along. They even had a child together.

Lost in thought, I didn't see it coming when a hard slap landed across my face. Hunter had struck me, and his eyes were swirling with fury.

"Get up and withdraw the case immediately! I won't be humiliated like this! And figure out a way to heal that dog. Willow's worried sick about it."

When I didn't move, his patience snapped. He stormed over, grabbed me, and threw me to the floor.

"Sir, you can't treat her like this! She just had a uterine curettage—you can't be so rough with her!"

The nurse, who was unable to bear it any longer, mustered the courage to push him away. With the blanket no longer covering me, Hunter's gaze fell on my now-flat abdomen.

His eyes suddenly widened, his breath hitching. Then, his voice trembled with horror.

"You… Your stomach… Where's the baby?"

The last few words were almost a roar. But even that wasn't enough to vent his fury—he even lashed out, kicking me hard.

"Renee, you're getting back at me, aren't you? You're a heartless woman! You aborted my child just because of some petty jealousy!"

"Hunter! She set the dog on me! That's how the baby died!" Curled up on the floor, my body was wracked with unbearable pain.

His kick landed on my abdomen, and I felt a warm gush of blood flowing down my legs again.

"You're still lying—you—" Hunter couldn't tolerate Willow being accused.

Losing all reason, he grabbed my collar with a murderous look in his eyes. Then, suddenly, his gaze dropped to the pool of blood beneath me.

For a fleeting moment, he hesitated. And right then, two police officers walked in.

They brought the rabid dog with them, its broken leg dragging behind. The dog bared its teeth, growling in a low, menacing tone.

Yet the moment it saw Willow, it immediately calmed down. It was wagging its tail at her obediently.

"Looks like we've found the real owner."