Chapter 3 Have No Conscience At All

• I sat on the floor littered with glass fragments, Gemma's shrieks when she left still echoing in my ears.
• She was dragged away by Howard.
• I knew that the matter of our marital home was Howard's greatest sore spot.
• He was a prideful man, being the only person in his village who had attended university.
• However, the cost of housing in the city was still far beyond what he could afford.
• So, my parents simply told both our relatives that the house was bought by Howard in consideration of his pride.
• Conversely, he did not know that respect should be mutual.
• He knew full well how much Tutu meant to me... But still, he chose to sell off Tutu, whom I regard as my own child, along with his mother.
• I wiped the tears off my face, knowing it was not the time for me to cry yet.
• Even if they refuse to tell me who they sold it to, I've still got to hurry up and find Tutu. Every minute earlier adds a glimmer of hope to its survival!
• Just then, my phone beside me dinged.
• It was a notification regarding Flora's owner. His profile picture was none other than his dog's golden head, and the name displayed was Felipe Kelton.
• So, the young man who owns the Golden Retriever is named Felipe.
• He had added me into about four or five pet lovers' group chats nearby.
• I hurriedly posted Tutu's photo and information, pleading all the members to keep an eye out for it.
• I even specifically noted a substantial reward.
• Then, I sent Felipe a message.
• It read: Tutu didn't run off. She was sold off by my mother-in-law.
• Perhaps only those who keep dogs could understand my feelings best at that moment, for I received a reply from him in less than a minute.
• He texted back: Don't worry. I've also asked my friends to help search for Tutu.
• I responded with a thank you before climbing up from the ground.
• The only lead available right then was the van.
• Thus, I could only start with the license plate number.
• Property management's surveillance footage only covers as far as the entrance of the residential area.
• Following that thought, I gave my best friend, Chelsea, a call.
• She usually ran her own small business, so she had a wide circle of friends and extensive connections.
• After I had relayed the incident to her, her furious tirade rang out over the phone.
• “Howard must have no conscience at all! He's been with you for so long, so he must know how important Tutu is to you! Rosie, don't worry. I'll make inquiries about this license plate number right away.”
• Having hung up the phone, I unconsciously went downstairs.
• With a stack of printed flyers in hand, I affixed them at the entrance of the elevator bank in every residential area nearby.
• I recalled time when I had a falling-out with my family during the year I was unemployed.
• It was Tutu who lived with me in the cheapest rental apartment every day. Even though I was so broke back then that I couldn't afford to buy canned food for it anymore, it still greeted me daily when I returned home with its tail wagging. There was once when I ran a high fever and was so weak that I simply couldn't muster the energy to take Tutu out for a walk. Despite usually rushing me out the door to have fun, it sat by my bed obediently, standing guard without budging an inch. When I groggily woke up the next day, I even found some dog food it had brought over by my pillow.
• At that thought, my heart ached painfully.
• I stood at the spot where Tutu usually loved to play most, but my vision was already blurred by the tears in my eyes.
• I'm to be blamed for not taking good care of it. I had initially thought that entrusting it to the person I trusted the most for the two days I would be away on a business trip would be safe. Little did I know that I left it in danger. Now, all I can do is wait for news from Chelsea.
• As I thought of the culprits, my heart went increasingly cold.
• Unexpectedly, before I could even find the time to settle the score with them, I received a call from my mother.
• It turned out that Gemma had gone to my parents' house and kicked up a fuss.
• How fortuitous! It's about time I settled the score with her too!