Chapter 1 Tutu Had Gone Missing

• When I was two months pregnant, my mother-in-law secretly sold off the dog I had kept for six years.
• In front of the entire family, I hurled my wedding photo onto the floor.
• “If my dog isn't found, I'll never let either of you off the hook!”
• Ever since I was found to be pregnant, my mother-in-law had frequently picked fault with Tutu.
• Tutu was a Lab Retriever I started keeping the year I graduated. At present, it was six years old.
• It had kept me company through countless days and nights when I was single and lived alone.
• To me, it had long since become family.
• I explained Toxoplasma gondii to my mother-in-law, patiently clarifying that I would not contract any bacteria or viruses that would harm the fetus unless I ingested Tutu's fresh excrement.
• Moreover, I made sure to arrange for internal and external deworming for Tutu every month without fail.
• But being advanced in years, she never believed a word of the modern theories.
• She would always wave a dismissive hand and retort, “Anyway, Dr. Lopez from the obstetrics and gynecology department told me that pregnant women shouldn't keep dogs.”
• The doctor she quoted was a female relative from the hometown of my husband, Howard Zeller.
• I inwardly condemned her as a quack doctor but felt that it was not worth arguing with the elderly over such a matter, thus entrusting Howard with changing his mother's way of thinking.
• Unexpectedly, when I returned on the weekend after a business trip, Tutu strangely did not trot over to greet me the moment I unlocked the door.
• Howard took my suitcase from me.
• I asked, “Where did Tutu go? Didn't I just give him a bath before I left?”
• He stuttered and stammered for a long while before he murmured, “Tutu... ran away...”
• The moment I heard that, I felt as though I had been struck by a bolt of lightning.
• What if someone with bad intentions takes Tutu away? What if it gets abused? I just can't bear to think about it.
• Enraged, I yanked at Howard's sleeve and asked him to tell me more details.
• With his head lowered, he narrated, “When I was out walking Tutu the day before yesterday, it suddenly broke free from its leash. I didn't manage to catch up to it, so...”
• “Tutu had gone missing since the day before yesterday, yet you're only telling me now?” I could not help but yell at him.
• Seeing that I was truly furious, Howard quickly supported me and said, “I was just afraid that you'd be worried on the way back. I've been asking around in our residents' group chat these past few days and even got property management's security to help search for it.”
• Anyway, I did not have the time to assign blame at that moment. “Where did it run off?”
• Howard pointed downstairs. “At the garden where we usually take it to.”
• Just then, my mother-in-law, Gemma Lennon, walked out of my bedroom.
• “Rosie, it's just a dog. So be it if it's lost. You're carrying my first grandson right now, so you can't get worked up.”
• It was only then that I noticed her. When did she come over?
• Ever since I was pregnant, my mother-in-law always disapproved of Tutu being around me.
• Worse still, she found me some medicine somewhere, claiming that drinking it would ensure that I had a boy.
• After she had brought it over a few times, I was so irked that I lost my temper with Howard completely.
• Thereafter, she behaved considerably better.
• Ignoring her, I headed straight downstairs to the garden where Tutu was said to have run off.
• The weather was sweltering, so I usually only took Tutu out in the early mornings or evenings out of worry that it might get a heatstroke.
• With it having gone missing for two days then, I could not help but worry deep within.
• I circled the garden a couple of times, repeatedly searching for Tutu at the spots where it usually loved to mark.
• Regretfully, there was no signs of it.
• Under the relentless heat of the blazing sun, coupled with intense anxiety, a wave of dizziness washed over me.
• “Hey, what's wrong, Tutu's Mom?”
• A pair of hands steadied me from behind, and a voice by my ear helped to clear my head for a bit.
• I looked back, only to see that it was a fellow dog owner in the residential area.
• It was the owner of a large Golden Retriever. Our dogs usually played together, so we started addressing each other in correspondence with our fur babies.
• “Thank you, Flora's Dad. I'm fine.”
• I then asked anxiously, “By the way, have you seen Tutu these past couple of days? It has run off.”
• In the past, Tutu liked to pester Flora and its owner most. Every time they met, it was always overwhelmed with excitement.
• The moment Flora's owner heard that, he also became anxious.
• “Calm down first. It couldn't have gone far in such a short time. How about this? Let's connect on WhatsApp. I'll add you to the pet lovers' group chats nearby. Ask around in the groups, and you might just find Tutu.”
• While adding him as a new contact on my phone, I amended with a dejected expression on my face, “It's not that recent. It has already been lost for two days. I only found out when I returned from a business trip today.”
• Upon hearing that, Flora's owner looked up and countered, “That can't be right. I saw Tutu just this morning.”
• What?
• Suddenly, I grew even more panicked.
• Since I remained silent, he pondered for a moment before affirming, “Indeed, I saw Tutu when I was out walking Flora this morning. I remember it was an old woman holding its leash, leading it toward the east gate.”
• Today... an old woman... led Tutu of the residential area...
• The possibility I dreaded most took shape in my mind.