I Married His Brother to Save Him

Chapter 4 Hurt Spotty

"You shameless slut!" Camilla shrieked, raising her hand and slapping Sylvia hard across the face. Terrified that the drug scandal would implicate her, she was quick to shift the blame. "Leon just passed away, and you're already cheating on him?"

The burning pain in her cheek made Sylvia's ears ring, and the slap reopened the wound on her forehead, sending fresh blood trickling down her skin.

She had no way to explain—she brought the drugs, but never intended to use them. It was all a terrible misunderstanding.

She forced herself to look up at Julian, silently begging him to believe her.

Julian pressed his lips into a thin line, watching the blood run down her face. Instead of satisfaction, he felt a surge of irrational irritation, an unexplained unease settling in his chest.

George was equally enraged, raising his foot to kick her. "A woman this loose has no place in our family. Throw her out!"

Julian pulled Sylvia behind him, shielding her from the blow.

"Dad, stop," he said coldly. "My brother just passed away. Throwing her out now will make us look heartless. Lock her in her room—there's no need to air our dirty laundry for the world to see."

Sylvia's vision blurred, the voices around her fading into a muffled hum, before everything went black and she fainted.

When she woke up again, she was back in her bedroom, her little dog Spotty gently licking her palm, warm and comforting.

Sylvia patted the puppy's head and turned to the floor-to-ceiling window, where she saw Julian walking hand in hand with Grace in the garden below.

A sharp, searing pain shot through her chest as the events of the previous day came flooding back. It hadn't been a nightmare—it had all been real.

She had really seen Julian again, and he had moved on with another woman.

Remembering his cruel words and the intimacy she had witnessed, tears streamed down her face unchecked.

Spotty barked softly at her, and when she didn't stop crying, the anxious puppy scrambled over to the set of pet communication buttons on the floor, pressing one with its paw, "Mom, happy."

Hearing the tiny, mechanical voice, Sylvia—her eyes already swollen shut from crying—sobbed even harder.

After rescuing Spotty, she had taught the clever puppy to use the buttons to communicate, and the little dog had picked it up quickly. With the buttons, they had talked, laughed, and found solace in each other.

Now, Spotty was using the words she had taught him to comfort her.

Sylvia wiped away her tears, scooped the puppy into her arms, and kissed his soft fur. She forced herself to push Julian out of her mind, refusing to dwell on the pain he had caused.

There was no going back to the way things were.

She rose to fill Spotty's food bowl, and once the puppy finished eating, she prepared to take him for their usual walk—only to be stopped by a maid at the door.

"Sylvia, Mr. Hugo has forbidden you from leaving your room," the maid said firmly.

With no other choice, Sylvia handed Spotty to the maid for the walk and stayed in her room, reading to pass the time. She glanced out the window occasionally, watching Spotty play with a ball in the yard, her mood slowly calming.

Then, a sudden, pained yelp from Spotty cut through the air, followed by a woman's shrill shriek.

Sylvia's heart leaped into her throat. She threw down her book and rushed to the balcony, her blood running cold at the sight below.

Grace had kicked Spotty away, clinging to Julian's arm and simpering, "Julian, this mutt bit me! We can't keep it—let's put it down, skin it, and cook it!"

Terrified, Sylvia slammed her hands against the balcony railing, desperate to get their attention.

Both Julian and Grace looked up at her.

Sylvia shook her head wildly, waving her hands in a frantic plea, begging them to spare the puppy.

Julian took in her pale, panicked face, then turned to kiss Grace's forehead tenderly. "Honey, you're right. A dog that attacks has no place here."

Grace shot Sylvia a triumphant, taunting smirk.

Sylvia's entire body went numb, as if all her blood had drained away in an instant.

She tried to rush downstairs to save her dog, but the servants blocking the doorway barred her path. In a desperate, reckless frenzy, she climbed over the balcony railing and jumped from the second floor.

Acting on Julian's order, a servant grabbed Spotty, only to be bitten on the hand. Enraged, the servant slammed the whimpering puppy onto the ground, kicking it twice more in brutal retaliation.

"Ah—!" Sylvia's vision turned red with rage. Dragging her injured leg, she lunged forward, desperate to reach her beloved pet.

Spotty lifted his head, giving her a weak, wobbly doggy grin, trying to stand. But his hind leg was broken, convulsing violently when it touched the ground. He crawled toward her with his front paws, the injured limb dangling uselessly.

His white fur was stained pink with blood, every small movement accompanied by a pained yelp that broke Sylvia's heart.

Before she could reach him, Julian stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

He crouched down, gripping Sylvia's chin roughly, his voice cold and bitter. "Sylvia, you'd leap to your death for a dog, but you discarded me without a second thought. In your eyes, I'm not even worth as much as a damn mutt."