Chapter 2: The Unanswered Call
Time ticked by, second by agonizing second. Shen Ke, who had promised to rush over, was nowhere to be seen. An hour had passed—enough time for him to make the trip from the hospital to the restaurant four times over.
I tried calling him, but it went from no answer to his phone being switched off. After working overtime for three nights in a row just to clear my schedule for our date, I felt utterly exhausted, both physically and emotionally.
Suppressing my anger, I was about to leave when the phone rang with the专属 ringtone I had set for Shen Ke. The frustrations of the entire evening erupted like a volcano.
I grabbed the phone—
“Where have you been?!” I demanded, my tone as fierce as a lioness.
“Le Ning, I’m so sorry!” Shen Ke apologized without a beat.
“It’s like this, Sui Sui wouldn’t let go of my neck, crying and making a fuss at the hospital. I wanted to leave after calming the little one down, but she’s as clever as a fox. I just couldn’t get away. I had to show her cartoons on my phone, but then the battery died…”
A sour lump rose in my throat, tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. But my pride wouldn’t allow me to show weakness.
I bit back, “Is your brain eaten by dogs? Didn’t you think to borrow a phone to say something when yours died?”
Shen Ke quickly explained, “It was my fault, I was overwhelmed.”
He cautiously asked, “Are you still at the restaurant? Or… have you gone home?”
“Who would wait for you anymore?” I wiped away my tears, putting on a brave face, “I went back to the company to work overtime.”
“Phew—”
“Good,” he said, and I thought I heard a barely audible sigh of relief from the other end of the line.
Shen Ke continued, “It’s raining outside, and you didn’t drive. It’s not convenient for you to go home tonight, so just stay at your company’s dormitory.”
Perhaps it was a woman’s sixth sense, but I sensed something fishy in his words. Was he trying to prevent me from going home?
After a few more words, I hung up and took a taxi home directly.
…
On the way, I had imagined countless scenarios, but I never expected the reality to be so devastating.
The cloakroom was a sight for sore eyes. Cosmetics were scattered everywhere, dozens of lipsticks snapped in half, and more than a dozen bottles of perfume spilled haphazardly…
The situation in the bathroom was even more shocking. The sink was filled with a mixture of filth; upon closer inspection, it was my eyeshadow, foundation, facial cleanser, and everything else I could recognize or not.
Amidst the chaos, my three-year-old Bichon, whom I had raised, was nowhere to be found.
“Dou Dou! Dou Dou!”
Cold sweat trickled down my back, and a bad feeling washed over me.
Dou Dou was very well-behaved, usually staying on the balcony of the small room, never wandering around.
Unable to find him anywhere, I was about to call Shen Ke to ask if he had taken Dou Dou to the hospital when the front door of the house suddenly clicked open.
From the doorway came Shen Ke’s gentle inquiry: “Sui Sui, does your arm still hurt?”
“Hurts!” Zhou Sui Sui cooed in a childish voice, “Uncle’s blow will make it not hurt.”
“Oh, that’s more magical than the anesthetic at the hospital,” Bai Wenyan teased with a laugh, then she added, “The doctor said that after the rabies vaccine, there might be adverse reactions, it’s better to have a light diet.”
I seized on the word “rabies.”
My brain momentarily shut down.
“Where is Dou Dou?” I rushed out of the room.
After scanning around and not seeing the small figure, the panic in my heart grew.
At the same time, hearing me ask about “Dou Dou,” Zhou Sui Sui burst into tears.
Shen Ke’s gaze flickered: “Le Ning, why are you at home?”
I stared at him, word by word: “I’m asking you, where is Dou Dou?”
He paused, handed Zhou Sui Sui in his arms to Bai Wenyan, and didn’t dare to look me in the eye.
“Don’t scare the child, let’s talk in the room.”
I bit my teeth and followed him step by step, but my heart couldn’t stop trembling.
After closing the bedroom door, Shen Ke was silent for a full half minute before he finally spoke.
“Dou Dou is gone.”
To make the story more dramatic, consider deepening the emotional turmoil, adding suspenseful elements, and perhaps introducing a twist that complicates the situation further. This could involve revealing a hidden secret or motive behind the actions of the characters, or an unexpected event that forces the protagonist to confront her deepest fears and insecurities.
