Spotting the Dog Lying by the Bench, She Rushed Over—Her Gaze Fell on the Leash Natasha Had Carelessly Left Behind

Spotting the dog lying by the bench, she rushed over. Her gaze fell on the leash carelessly left behind by Natalie.

As soon as she saw the dog curled up near the bench, she ran straight to it. In her line of sight was the leashdiscarded thoughtlessly. Max stared up at her with swollen eyes, whimpering softly.

It had been nearly two years since shed properly spoken to her brother. Emma still couldnt understand how a tiny disagreement had spiraled into such bitterness.

Emma and William Carter were born a year apart. Since childhood, theyd been inseparablealways sticking up for each other. No matter what mischief they got into, they shared the blame equally, never hiding behind the other.

Their hometown, Willowbrook, had flourished over the years. They were lucky with their mayorThomas Whitmore, a local man whod proved himself a brilliant economist. After graduating from agricultural university, he returned home and threw himself into improving the village. His efforts paid off, and within a decade, Thomas became Willowbrooks mayor.

Life treated him well in other ways, too. Emma, after finishing nursing school, started working at the village clinic. Thomas couldnt ignore a beauty like hers, and Emma returned his interest. They married, and the whole village celebrated their wedding. William was genuinely happy for his sister, though his own marriage to Natalie was far from smooth.

When Emma was single, Natalie had occasionally muttered about hercalling her useless or stuck-up. But after the marriage, jealousy replaced the grumbling. Natalie demanded more from her husbanda bigger house, a nicer car, a better coat.

Shed often snap, “Everyone else has everything, and weve got nothing!” William tried his best, but he couldnt satisfy Natalies endless wantsnot with money, not with effort.

Part of Natalies unhappiness stemmed from her inability to have children. Meanwhile, Emma had married well, given birth to a son and then a daughter, built a spacious home, and watched her husband rise in status.

Family gatherings increasingly ended in arguments. Every time William visited Emmas home, Natalie would berate him afterward.

The final blowup happened on Williams birthday. Emma had bought him a Labrador puppy from the cityhed always wanted one. Thomas gifted him a new motorbike.

Everything was fine until Natalie, drunk, flew into a rage and hurled her pent-up anger at Emma:

“Oh, whats this then, Em? The dogsome kind of dig, is it? Since we cant have kids, might as well get a dog, yeah?”

Emma tried to calm her:

“Nat, relax. Youll regret this later…”

But her words fell on deaf ears. A huge row broke out, splitting the guests into factions. Thomas quietly suggested they leave, and after saying their goodbyes, they slipped away.

Two years passed. That evening, William began avoiding his sister. Their relationship dwindled to brief, rare meetings. Meanwhile, tension grew between him and Natalie.

At night, William often walked Max by the river. The two seemed happy togetherWilliam throwing sticks, Max chasing after them, then flopping at his feet, listening to his quiet stories.

Emma heard about this from neighbors but did nothingWilliam remained stubborn.

After the disastrous argument, Natalies hatred for Emmaand for Maxdeepened. When William wasnt home, shed shove the dog outside, yell at him, even hit him sometimes.

Nosy neighbors only fuelled the fire:

“Hey, Nat, your husbands down by the river with that dog again…”

“Yesterday, he ran into Emma, her husband, and the kids. Laughing like old times!”

Jealousy consumed Natalie. One day, William asked:

“Nat, you havent been hurting Max, have you?”

“You think I care about that mutt?!” she snapped before storming out.

Max began hiding from Natalie, trembling whenever she appeared.

Everything ended one morning when William finally snapped:

“Ive had enough of this jealousy!”

Left alone, seething, Natalie dragged Max outside, tied him to the bench, and lashed him with her belt. The poor dog howled in pain. Once her rage was spent, she dropped the belt, packed her things, and left for good.

That evening, William came home to find no dog waiting at the gate. The house was a mess. He discovered Max by the bench, fists clenching at the sight. Quickly untying him, he carried the dog to the clinic.

Emma was about to leave when she saw her brother cradling the bleeding dog:

“Em, help…” he rasped.

They took Max into the treatment room. Emma examined him carefully:

“Who did this to him?”

“Natalie,” William muttered, eyes downcast.

Emma nodded silently. She stitched the wounds, cleaned his eyes, gave him water.

Later, in the hallway, William whispered guiltily:

“Forgive me, Em…”

“Dont be daft,” she smiled tiredly. “And Natalie…?”

“No, Em. Not after this.”

Emma called Thomas:

“Tom, come get me, love.”

Hearing the exhaustion in his wifes voice, he set off immediately.

Half an hour later, he stood in the hallway. Seeing the siblings clinging to each other, Max whining softly beside them, he didnt ask questionsjust smiled:

“Come on then, you lot.”

They took William home and gave him instructions for Maxs care.

When Emma told their mother what happened, she just sighed:

“They shouldve split years ago.”

With that, she headed to her sons house to help tidy up.

On the porch, William sat stroking Max. His mother walked over, ruffling both their hair:

“You alive?”

“Alive,” William replied.

A rich smell drifted from the houseroast meat and fresh vegetables. Max sniffed the air, tail wagging. William smiled and stood up.

Life went on.