Forgive and Forget? Not This Time

I drove Lydia to the mall. By the time we came out, night had already fallen.

Meanwhile, Evelyn checked her home cameras and saw that I still hadn't shown up to feed the dog. She assumed I had bailed and hurried to call Trevor.

I was about to drive Lydia home when Trevor's name lit up my screen. I put the call on speaker so she could hear.

"Hannie, didn't you say you'd feed Evelyn's dog? Did you forget?"

I pretended to be surprised. "Oh, yeah! I would've forgotten if you hadn't called. I'll go now."

Trevor grunted. "Hurry up, then. Don't drag it out."

After I hung up, I gave Lydia an apologetic look. "Sorry, Mrs. Hayes. Evelyn asked me to feed her dog, but I forgot. How about we stop by her place first, then I'll take you home?"

Lydia had practically watched Evelyn grow up, so she cared for her far more than she ever did for me. When she heard we were going to Evelyn's place, she agreed without a second thought.

All that shopping finally paid off. I had managed to get her to come to Evelyn's place with me.

In my past life, after I was disfigured, Lydia came over just to humiliate me and tell me to stay away from Trevor. She said she would never let an ugly woman like me set foot in their house and even claimed that Evelyn had always been her choice for a daughter-in-law. She blamed me for getting in the way.

When we reached Evelyn's apartment and were about to step into the elevator, I turned to Lydia. "I think I left my phone in the car. Why don't you go up first?"

Right then, the elevator doors slid open. So, Lydia went in.

I stayed where I was, smiling at Lydia as the elevator doors closed.

A moment later, I took another elevator to the floor below Evelyn's place and slipped up the fire stairs.

I had just stepped into the stairwell when a bloodcurdling scream tore through the hallway.

"Help!"

I stayed in the stairwell. Even with the door between us, Lydia's screams pierced my ears, mixed with furious barking.

I pressed against the fire door, afraid the dog would catch my scent, and called the police immediately.

Lydia's screams drew the neighbors, but maybe fate had shifted this time. The kind neighbor who had saved me before wasn't home, and no one else dared to step in.

Pit bulls were fighting dogs and were already banned in the city. I had no idea how Evelyn had even gotten one.

When that dog reared up, it stood as tall as a grown woman. It had also been starved for days. Maybe Lydia wasn't enough to fill its stomach.

The police arrived quickly. It took a struggle, but they finally put the dog down.

Lydia lay there covered in wounds. She clearly hadn't gotten off easy.

When the apartment manager saw the scene, his legs nearly gave out. He called Evelyn right away.

"Ms. Summers, your dog attacked someone. You need to come back immediately!"

Evelyn sounded almost excited. "How could that happen? I'm on my way!"

She had no idea I wasn't the one who'd been mauled.