Was it just to get an heir? I refused to believe it.
Suddenly, I heard a faint whine. There was a hole nearby with a pup inside it.
It was gaunt and weak. One of its legs was injured, so it could not even stand properly.
I gently picked it up for a better look. “You don’t have a family either?”
The pup did not struggle to break free. It stuck its tongue out to lick my tears away, as if it was trying to take my sorrows away.
I looked at the docile pup and thought, ‘The Moon Goddess must have sent him so that I wouldn’t be alone.’
I brought the pup back to the house where I lived before I got together with Jacob.
Once I started feeding the little one, it got much better. In time, its injuries healed, and it started to walk again.
That night, I slept in bed with my new family.
The next morning, before the sun even rose, I woke up to rapid knocking.
It was Elizabeth, Jacob’s mother.
Elizabeth had always thought that I was unworthy of Jacob. She not only looked down on me, but also hated me.
After I opened the door, she stared at me in disdain. “Why don’t you go home? Don’t you know that you still have chores to do?! You’re lazy and infertile! What on earth does Jacob see in you?!”
I pulled a long face and no longer tried to win her favor by waiting on her hand and foot. “I moved out. Didn’t Jacob tell you? Besides, Molly is Jacob’s mate. Ask her to do the chores! Why did you come to me?”
“Molly is pregnant! How can she do any chores?!” Elizabeth rolled her eyes at me. “Seriously, spoken like someone who has never given birth before. You have no idea how it feels like to be pregnant!”
I gnashed my teeth.
How could I not know how it felt like to be pregnant?
There was once a time when I was pregnant with Jacob’s pup, but I miscarried to save him. It nearly cost me my life.
When I learned that I could no longer get pregnant, I bawled like a baby.
At that time, Jacob had teared up too and held me tightly in his arms while saying that he would always love me, even if we did not have any pups.
I believed him, but he had lied.
Tears came unbidden, but I held them back. I no longer wanted to have any more interactions with Elizabeth.
But Molly suddenly showed up and walked over while looking all pitiful and weak.
“Elizabeth, don’t blame Zoey. She’s right. I should be doing the chores.
“I’m not feeling that bad. I just can’t move around freely and am a little nauseous. It’s fine! I can do it—”
Before she could finish, she covered her mouth and gagged.
“Look at you!” Elizabeth glared at me. “Molly is feeling so sick, yet you’re still asking her to do the chores?! Don’t you have any shame?!”
She shoved me angrily.
As I stumbled back, the pup limped over while wagging its tail. It moved in front of me to shield me.
Molly grabbed it before I could sweep it off the floor into my arms.
“Who is this?!”
The brief panic in Molly’s eyes was instantly replaced by joy.
“He’s so cute!”
She smiled gently and pressed the pup’s injured leg.
The pup yelped in pain and bit Molly.
“Ah! Get off me!”
Molly teared up from the pain and threw the pup on the floor.
I hurried over, but Jacob, who had just come in, shoved me away.
“What did you do to Molly, Zoey?!”
