Chapter 3: The Last Place Dad Took Him
I drove home faster than I should have.
Not because I was angry.
Because I was terrified.
Every explanation I had built in my head was falling apart.
My mother didn’t just give Max away.
She had hidden something.
And somehow, Kevin knew more about my father’s dog than I did.
When I walked through the front door, my mom was sitting at the kitchen table.
Waiting.
She looked at my face and immediately knew.
“You went to Kevin’s.””
I didn’t answer.
“Emily.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Her expression tightened.
“Tell you what?””
I laughed.
A painful, empty sound.
“Stop pretending.””
She looked away.
That was the first time I had ever seen my mother look afraid of me.
“Where is Max?””
She stayed silent.
“Mom.””
“I was going to tell you.””
“When?””
She didn’t answer.
“After he was gone?””
Her eyes filled with frustration.
“You don’t understand.””
“No. I don’t.””
I stepped closer.
“I don’t understand how you could take Dad’s dog away while I was gone.””
“It wasn’t like that.””
“Then explain it.””
She pressed her hands together.
“Max was getting old.””
“He was twelve.””
“He was suffering.””
I froze.
“Suffering?””
“He stopped eating sometimes. He couldn’t climb stairs like he used to.””
I swallowed.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
“Because you were preparing for college.””
“So?””
“You were finally moving forward.””
The words hurt more than I expected.
“Moving forward?””
She nodded.
“Yes.””
My voice became quiet.
“You thought Max was something holding me back?””
She didn’t respond.
And that was an answer.
I looked toward the hallway.
Dad’s old pictures were still hanging there.
A life that my mother had slowly packed away piece by piece.
“You should have called me.””
“I knew what you would say.””
“No, you knew what Dad would say.””
Her eyes snapped to mine.
“What does that mean?””
I pointed toward the empty space where Max’s leash used to hang.
“You knew Dad would never abandon him.””
My mother looked down.
For a moment, she looked guilty.
Then defensive.
“Your father made me promise things.””
I frowned.
“What?””
She stood up.
“You weren’t supposed to know.””
My heartbeat changed.
“Know what?””
She walked to a drawer and pulled out a small envelope.
Old.
Yellowed.
My name was written across the front.
Dad’s handwriting.
My breath caught.
“Where did you get that?””
She held it tightly.
“Your father left it before he died.””
I reached for it.
She pulled it back.
“He wrote it for you.””
“Then why didn’t you give it to me?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because I was angry.””
The honesty shocked me.
“At Dad?””
She nodded.
“He left me with everything.””
The kitchen became silent.
“He left me bills. A house. A daughter who couldn’t sleep without crying.””
Her voice cracked.
“And he left me a dog who looked at the door every night waiting for him to come home.””
I stared at her.
“I hated that dog because he reminded me he wasn’t coming back.””
The anger inside me softened for one second.
Not disappeared.
Just softened.
“Mom…”
She wiped her face quickly.
“But that doesn’t mean I should have done what I did.””
I looked at the envelope.
“What happened to Max?””
She closed her eyes.
“I took him to the vet.””
“Which vet?””
She hesitated.
“The one Dad used.””
I remembered.
Riverside Animal Clinic.
The place Dad always took Max.
The place Kevin mentioned.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
“Because the vet said Max had a serious condition.””
My heart sank.
“What condition?””
She looked toward the window.
“Emily…”
“What condition?””
Before she could answer, her phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
This time, she didn’t hide it.
It was the veterinarian.
She answered.
“Hello?””
Her face changed after three seconds.
“What?””
She stood up.
“No, that’s impossible.””
I watched fear spread across her face.
“Are you sure?””
A pause.
Then she whispered:
“But I thought he was gone.””
My entire body went cold.
“Mom.””
She slowly lowered the phone.
I stared at her.
“What did they say?””
Her lips trembled.
Then she looked at me and said something that changed everything.
“They found Max.””
I stepped forward.
“Where?””
She looked terrified.
“Emily…”
“Where is he?””
She swallowed.
“He’s been waiting at the clinic.””
I frowned.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
My mother’s eyes filled with tears.
Then she whispered:
“Because someone came back for him.””
I felt my heart stop.
“Who?””
She looked down at Dad’s old envelope in her hand.
And for the first time in three years, my mother said my father’s name like she was afraid.
“Your dad’s old friend.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Why would Dad’s friend have Max?””
My mother didn’t answer.
Because the next sentence came from the phone still in her hand.
A voice from the veterinarian.
And I heard every word.
“Emily… you need to come here.””
A pause.
Then:
“Max wasn’t abandoned.””
My fingers tightened.
May you like
The voice continued.
“Someone tried to make it look like he was.””
