Chapter 8
Did someone just call him daddy?
He must be imagining things. How could a stray dog talk?
Eric shook his head, dismissing the whirlwind of thoughts, and forcefully stomped his foot down once more.
The noise of breaking bones echoed clearly.
“Oliver…”
Ariana released a heart–wrenching scream, each note tinged with agony. She attempted to crawl forward, but was harshly yanked back.
Another scream erupted from Purchase completed
were a specter emerging from the depths of hell, her face twisted with an insane mix of hatred and despair.
“Eric, I curse you! You’ll never have a child in this life!”
Eric’s body stiffened.
He had never seen Ariana like this before.
Eric was sure that if Ariana had a knife, she wouldn’t hesitate to stab him..
An indescribable panic swept through Eric, as though something precious was slipping away.
“Ariana…”
He crouched down, preparing to explain to Ariana that the sack only contained a stray dog, and not Oliver.
Just then, a person entered the room.
“Mr. Gibson, we located Ms. Moore…”
Eric’s hand, gently running through Ariana’s hair, stopped mid–motion.
“Quick, tell me exactly where!”
He sprang to his feet and dashed out, not glancing back.
The group hurried after him, leaving the area deserted.
With eyes as red as blood, Ariana crawled over and shakily untied the burlap sack.
Inside, Oliver lay drenched in blood, his bones shattered, his body limp
like a broken doll–silent.
“Oliver…”
Gently, Ariana lifted Oliver from the pool of blood, pressing her face against his. Her body gave way, trembling uncontrollably as broken sobs escaped her lips.
Her Oliver, who had only been in this world for a brief three years, had suffered so much from illness.
He had barely recovered, only for his own father to end his life without.
mercy.
At that moment, she wished she were dead.
Soon after Eric left, two men entered, determined to take Oliver out of Ariana’s embrace.
“Mr. Gibson instructed us to tidy up here to prepare for Ms. Moore’s return,” they announced.
11
Ariana snapped out of her trance, clutching Oliver tightly.
“Where are you taking him?”
“Mr. Gibson said to dispose of the body in the suburbs for the dogs,” they answered.
Without any compassion, the men forcibly pulled Oliver from Ariana’s arms, callously placed him in a burlap sack, and made their way to the door, treating him like he was nothing more than a stray dog.
J’Oliver…”
Ariana let out a heart–wrenching scream and ran after them, only to hear the door click shut, locking her inside.
When Eric returned with Mandy, he found Ariana lying still in the hallway, her eyes as lifeless as ashes.
