Chapter 4

Tiffany walked over, laughing.

“Dr. Reed, wow. Casper really likes you.”

“At this rate, he likes you more than me.”

My throat tightened.

“His name is Casper?”

“Yeah. He’s five.”

She petted his head and said casually,

“I’ve only had him for two years, though. Ethan got him from a friend.”

“He said he didn’t want me getting lonely at home, so he found a sweet, gentle dog to keep me company.”

I let out this awful smile.

Of course it felt familiar.

My grandmother gave me that dog before she died.

I raised him for three years.

Then one day he vanished.

I thought I had lost him.

I cried for a week straight.

Ethan held me while I fell apart and said, “Don’t cry, Clara. I’ll always be with you.”

He wasn’t lost after all.

Ethan had given him away—just a gift to please his new girlfriend.

Tiffany pushed open the bedroom door and started looking for her medical records.

But my eyes got stuck on something mounted to the wall.

A handwritten weekly schedule.

It was Ethan’s handwriting. Clean. Sharp.

Monday through Sunday, every day was packed with chores.

Laundry. Vacuuming. Tidying up.

“What is this?” I asked, and my voice shook.

Tiffany glanced over and smiled.

“Oh, that’s Ethan’s daily checklist.”

“I’m kind of a clean freak, and I don’t like strangers in the house, so I have him handle all the chores.”

She rested her chin on her hand, her eyes shining with happiness.

“And honestly? He’s pretty good at it.”

I stood there, a chill running through me.