Excommunicated From His Heart

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

My best friend, Chloe Diaz, was sitting beside me. Her face was pale.

"Aria, you're finally awake," she said, hugging me tightly. Her tears soaked my shoulder. "You had a high fever and were unconscious for nearly a day."

I stared blankly at the ceiling. All I could see was the image of Brutus being dragged away.

Just then, my phone buzzed. Bianca had sent me a video.

The footage was shaky and horrific. Brutus was trapped in an iron cage in a squalid, underground dog-fighting ring. He was cowering against the bars, his body trembling with fear.

The cage door was then violently thrown open. Several vicious pit bulls swarmed him.

Brutus's agonized howls immediately filled the hospital room. In the end, he was mauled to death.

I clamped a hand over my mouth and retched, my body convulsing as tears mixed with bile.

"What's wrong?"

Chloe rushed over to support me. When she saw the video, her entire body started to shake. "I'm going to make them answer for this!"

I threw off the covers and got out of bed. My body was still weak, but fury held me upright. "They took everything from me. I won't let this go!"

Chloe couldn't stop me. She had no choice but to follow.

When we arrived at Killian's apartment, I pressed my finger to the scanner, but my access was denied.

I tried the old passcode. Still wrong.

I couldn't hold it in, and tears streamed down my face. Just as Chloe was about to kick the door down, it opened.

Bianca stood there, wearing a silk robe that matched Killian's. A dark cluster of love bites marked the pale skin of her neck. She greeted us with a smile, "Chloe, Aria, come in and have a seat."

Her triumphant air almost made Chloe turn and leave.

I grabbed Chloe's arm and walked into the house. "I'm here for an explanation."

Killian was lounging on the sofa, a glass of red wine in his hand. When he saw me, something flickered in his eyes before they hardened into ice.

"Why are you here again?" he asked.

"What?" Chloe snapped. "You let that bitch murder Aria's dog. You owe us an explanation!"

Bianca shot Killian a coquettish glance, then suddenly raised her hand, brandishing something—a blood-stained collar, the very one I had put on Brutus, with his favorite little bell still attached. The paint on the bell was now chipped, and the leather collar was soaked in blood.

She slammed the bloody collar onto the table in front of me and laughed with malicious glee. "Aria, look at this. Your precious Brutus didn't even leave a whole body behind."

"You demon!" I stared at the collar, feeling the blood freeze in my veins. My trembling fingers reached out to touch it, but Bianca stomped on the back of my hand, her sharp heel grinding down hard.

"Let her go!" Chloe shoved Bianca away, roaring, "Brutus was loyal and protective—how could you do this? You're a vicious bitch!"

Bianca immediately shrank behind Killian, her face a mask of wounded innocence. "Killian, look at them—they're accusing me for no reason. I just wanted Aria to face reality. It's her fault for clinging to you."

Killian frowned, pulling Bianca protectively closer as he glared coldly at Chloe. "That's enough. Watch your tone. It was just a dog, Aria. There's no need to overreact."

"Overreact?" I shot up from my chair, its legs scraping harshly against the marble floor, tears streaming down my face. "Brutus was family! We found him on the street together—you promised we’d raise him, that he’d grow up with our children! Killian, is your heart made of stone? Have you forgotten what you promised him? What you promised me?"

"Promise?" He let out a derisive laugh, as if I'd told a joke. "I don't remember any of it. Stop deluding yourself."