Chapter 3

I drove Mrs. St. Clair to the mall, and by the time we came out, it was already dark.

Meanwhile, Fintan noticed through the home security cameras that I hadn't gone to feed the dog yet. He thought I wasn't going to show up, so he quickly called Jolene to discuss.

Just as I was about to drive Mrs. St. Clair back home, Jolene's call came in.

I deliberately put it on speakerphone so Mrs. St. Clair could hear.

"Chase, weren't you supposed to go feed Fintan's dog? Did you forget?"

I feigned shock, "Oh my, I completely lost track! I'll head over right now."

Jolene made a sound of agreement, "You'd better hurry, don't delay any longer."

After hanging up, I turned to Mrs. St. Clair with an apologetic look, "I'm so sorry, ma'am. Fintan asked me to feed his dog and it slipped my mind. Would it be alright if we swing by his place first, then I'll take you home?"

Mrs. St. Clair had watched Fintan grow up and cared for him far more deeply than she did for me. When she heard we'd be going to his house, she agreed without hesitation.

All this maneuvering wasn't for nothing – I'd finally managed to deliver her right to his doorstep. In my previous life, after my face was disfigured, this old hag came to me and humiliated me, telling me to stay away from her daughter.

She said she would never allow an ugly, poor loser to enter her family, and that Fintan was the son-in-law she had long approved of, blaming me for interfering before.

When we reached the ground floor of Fintan's building, just as we were about to enter the elevator, I turned to Mrs. St. Clair and said, "Auntie, I think I left my phone in the car. Why don't you go up first?"

Just then, the elevator arrived, so Mrs. St. Clair went up alone.

I stood outside, smiling as I watched her leave.

After she was gone, I took another elevator to the floor below Fintan's and then used the fire escape to go up.

As soon as I exited the elevator, I heard a piercing scream: "Ahhh—"

"Help!"

I hid in the fire escape, and despite the door between us, the screams still clearly reached my ears, mixed with several barks.

I pressed hard against the fire door, terrified that the beast might catch my scent and attack me, while I immediately called the police.

Mrs. St. Clair's agonizing screams quickly caught the attention of the neighbors. Perhaps due to the change in this lifetime's timeline, the kind-hearted neighbor who had once saved me wasn't home at the moment, so no one dared to step up and rescue her.

Pit bulls are known for their aggressive nature, and they're banned in urban areas. It's unclear how Fintan had managed to sneak one in.

Standing up, the dog was as tall as a full-grown woman. Having been starved for several days, Mrs. St. Clair's petite frame might not even be enough to satisfy its hunger.

The police arrived swiftly, expending considerable effort to finally put the beast down.

Mrs. St. Clair lay on the ground, covered in wounds. It appeared she was seriously injured.

The property manager, witnessing this scene, was so terrified his legs turned to jelly. He immediately dialed Fintan's number.

"Mr. Winters, your dog has attacked someone. You need to come back and deal with this right away!"

Fintan's voice was noticeably excited: "How could this happen? I'll be right there!"

Little did he know, the person who had been mauled wasn't me.