When He Forgot Our Promise

“Do you get a thrill from stealing things? Aren’t you afraid of ghosts knocking on your door in the middle of the night when you dare to take someone else's life?”

She was terrified and sweating profusely. “What are you talking about? That was something Jovan specifically left for me!”

“Let him be a good son to you from now on!”

“Siora, you’re going too far! Dorry!” She shouted toward the door.

A nearly full-grown Rottweiler charged out of the room, glaring menacingly at me. I had heard that Jovan spent a large sum of money on a guard dog for Winona and now I saw it was true.

“Siora, blame yourself for coming here! Dorry, attack her!”

The Rottweiler charged at me like a mad beast. I carefully placed my mother-in-law's ashes under a tree and tried to redirect the dog.

Its patience was limited and it finally seized the chance to knock me to the ground, biting my calf tightly. The pain was almost suffocating.

My screams woke Jovan.

He came outside, displeased. “What’s all this noise?”

When he saw the scene before him, he was furious. “Siora! You’ve dirtied Mom’s yard! Dorry is usually so well-behaved; why did you provoke it? Can’t you even tolerate a dog?”

My mother-in-law was right. Jovan was a blind and heartless brute. Despite me being bitten and bleeding by the vicious dog, he turned a blind eye and twisted the truth.

I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists and smashed the Rottweiler's head wildly. It felt the pain and actually bit off my flesh. My eyes went dark.

Jovan's face changed. "Dorry!"

It ran back to Winona proudly.

I looked down at my skirt stained with blood and my calf bones ached. If I had known this, I would have let Jovan die in the car accident three months ago.

I collapsed on the spot with a bloody broken leg, staring at the couple in front of me fiercely.

"What's that look in your eyes? Dorry was just playing with you, so why hurt it? You are so petty, you are not even as good as a hair of Winona. How dare you come here? Mom is not here, no one will speak for you. I am not going back with you, you vicious woman!"

Winona leaned against Jovan. "Jovan, when Siora came, she was holding a box in her hand and sneaking to the backyard. Who knows what dirty thing she brought with her?”

A sudden jolt of dread surged through me.

The next moment, Jovan's lips parted slightly. "Dorry, go!"

“No!”

My breath caught as I screamed and tried to crawl over, but I had overestimated myself. With old injuries compounded by new pain, I couldn't make it past the dog and fell heavily to the ground.

The Rottweiler had already grabbed the box containing my mother-in-law’s ashes. With a shake of its head, the ashes scattered everywhere. The dog, now in a playful mood, carried the box around the yard, tossing the ashes about. The remains of the ashes were scattered and trampled, quickly diminishing.

“Mom!” My eyes widened in agony as I pushed myself up and frantically crawled over.

The dog was already lying beside the box, chewing on it.

“Mom! Mom! No! Go away… Mom!” I scrambled to gather the ashes of my mother-in-law, but the wind blew and nothing remained.

Winona’s tinkling laughter rang out. “Jovan, look how amusing she is!”

Jovan, equally intrigued, said, “Siora, have you lost your mind? Calling filthy things 'Mom'?”

I could no longer contain my anger and shouted at him, “Jovan! This is your mother, your own mother! Are you even human? Your mother is dead and you let a dog desecrate her!”

Jovan’s expression darkened. He quickly descended and grabbed me by the neck.

“Siora, have I ever told you not to curse my mother?”

He forcefully ground the ashes beneath his foot. “You are seeking death!”

I struggled to breathe as he choked me.

“I’m giving you one last chance. Take your filthy things and get lost!” He threw me harshly to the ground.

Winona looked at me with a smug expression.

The Rottweiler wagged its tail and trotted over, placing the ashes box at Jovan’s feet in an affectionate manner.

When he saw the photo on the box, Jovan froze, as if struck by lightning.