The uneasy feeling in Zhao Panpan’s heart kept growing.
The black plastic bag looked lifeless and heavy. She didn’t dare believe that Snowball was inside it.
“Weren’t you crying and begging for your dog? Here, I brought it for you!”
Zhou Xiangping showed no mercy at all. She tore open the plastic bag.
Inside, Snowball’s small body lay stiff and cold, already long gone.
Snowball had been an old dog to begin with. After being chased and torn at by Cola, his strength had already been drained. That final hard fall broke his bones, and one of them pierced his spleen. That was the end of his life.
Zhao Panpan covered her mouth as tears burst out of her eyes.
She had suffered from severe depression for years. More than once, she had stood on the rooftop, staring down.
One snowy winter day, she stood by the river for a long time, wind and snow piling on her hair and shoulders. She had been ready to end her life completely.
Just as she lifted her foot to take that final step and say goodbye to the world, a small furry puppy suddenly pushed its way out of the snow.
The puppy looked just as miserable as she did, wrapped in the heavy snowstorm.
Step by step, it carefully approached her, testing the distance. Then it timidly lifted its little paw and rested it on her foot.
The puppy’s wet, shining eyes moved Zhao Panpan deeply. She bent down, picked him up, and slowly walked back.
Behind her, the falling snow covered their footprints one by one, turning the world into a clean sheet of white.
She named the puppy Snowball.
From then on, she treated him like a friend, telling him everything in her heart. Snowball became her best listener. Sometimes, when she broke down crying, he would even reach out with his soft little paw and gently touch her face.
To give Snowball a better life, Zhao Panpan worked hard. She bought good dog food and countless toys.
In a way, it felt like she was trying to make up for the girl she used to be — the one who had nothing and walked alone through the darkness.
Snowball stayed with her through the lowest point of her life. He witnessed her growth, her love, and the changes in her world.
But before she could even share the joy of the new life growing inside her, Snowball had been killed by someone.
She didn’t dare imagine what it must have been like when Snowball lay somewhere alone, suffering and waiting for death to come.
She hadn’t even been there for the final moment of his life.
He had faced it all by himself.
How much pain must he have been in…
Zhao Panpan’s eyes turned bloodshot as she looked at Zhang Liang.
“Why would you do this to me?”
Zhang Liang was annoyed that his mother hadn’t helped hide the truth, but he still hurried to comfort her.
“Panpan, it really was just an accident. The kid didn’t know his strength. But we can’t ruin a whole family’s relationship over a dog.”
Zhao Panpan raised her hand and slapped him across the face.
“You bastard! How could you treat me like this?”
When Zhou Xiangping saw the bright red handprint appear on her son’s face, she exploded instantly. She rushed forward and slapped Zhao Panpan hard.
Years of farm work had given her plenty of strength. Zhao Panpan staggered back two steps, stars spinning in her vision.
When she finally saw the furious, teeth-gritting face in front of her, she raised her hand, ready to slap back.
But Zhang Liang quickly grabbed her from behind, locking her arms so she couldn’t move.
“Panpan, calm down. Let’s talk properly. That’s my mom!”
Zhao Panpan struggled wildly.
“That’s your mom! Not mine! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even know her! She didn’t give birth to me, didn’t raise me, and she’s never helped me with anything. Why should I put up with her?”
The fierceness in Zhao Panpan surged up.
No matter what, she was going to return that slap.
Back when Zhang Liang treated her well, she could tolerate his family. But now that she saw what kind of man he really was, she didn’t want to tolerate any of them anymore.
Zhang Liang tightened his grip.
Zhao Panpan suddenly lowered her head and bit his arm hard.
Zhou Xiangping had always treated her son like the most precious thing in the world. When she saw him being hurt, she rushed over and grabbed Zhao Panpan’s head, trying to pull her away.
But Zhao Panpan refused to let go.
So Zhou Xiangping started slapping her again and again on the head.
“Let go! You shameless woman! You little slut!”
The hospital room turned into complete chaos.
When the nurse rushed in after hearing the noise, she saw Zhao Panpan being restrained from behind by Zhang Liang while Zhou Xiangping swung her arm again and again, slapping Zhao Panpan’s face and head.
Even when Zhao Panpan lost consciousness and could no longer fight back, Zhou Xiangping didn’t stop.
The nurse quickly called security. Several people rushed in and finally stopped the one-sided beating.
By the time the police arrived, Zhao Panpan had just regained consciousness.
After a series of examinations, the doctor confirmed she had a mild concussion.
When Zhou Xiangping saw the police, she immediately shrank back behind her son like a frightened quail.
Zhao Panpan looked weakly at the officers.
“I want to report this. I’m accusing them of intentional assault.”
She deliberately didn’t call it domestic violence. She was worried the police might refuse to take the case.
But since she and Zhang Liang were husband and wife, the female officer beside them sighed.
“A married couple should value their bond. Besides, you’re pregnant right now. If things get too ugly, and your child finds out in the future, it could leave a serious psychological scar.”
Zhao Panpan stared at her in disbelief.
“Whether we’re married or not, hitting someone is still illegal, isn’t it?”
“Arguments between husbands and wives happen all the time,” the officer replied. “Sometimes people push or hit in the heat of the moment. And technically, he didn’t hit you. He was just trying to stop you and his mother from fighting. After all, that’s his own mother. If you really hurt her, it could create a permanent rift in your marriage. How would you live together after that? If he’s willing to change and promise never to do it again, forgiving him once for the sake of the child might be better.”
Hearing this, Zhang Liang immediately dropped to his knees in front of Zhao Panpan.
“Panpan, I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I didn’t protect you. I promise it will never happen again. Please forgive me, okay? For our child’s sake… give me one more chance.”
Zhao Panpan felt dizzy with anger.
“So once violence gets wrapped in the label of marriage, it can just be brushed aside like nothing happened?”
She refused the police’s attempt to smooth things over.
“He teamed up with his mother to beat me, and you still expect me to think about our future together? We don’t have a future anymore!”
The female officer wanted to persuade her again, but when she looked at Zhao Panpan’s bruised and swollen face, the words caught in her throat.
“I’m carrying his child,” Zhao Panpan said bitterly. “And he still helped his mother beat me. He helped outsiders bully me. If I don’t divorce him now, what—should I wait until they beat me to death? If they kill me, who will take responsibility?”
Zhao Panpan wasn’t the kind of person who made trouble for no reason.
But everything that had happened today left her no room to stay gentle.
“This case must be filed.”
The female officer frowned slightly.
“If this goes on record, it might affect the child in the future. Are you sure you want to do this?”
Zhao Panpan pulled out a bleak smile.
“There won’t be any child between us.”
The room fell silent in shock.
Zhao Panpan didn’t just want a divorce.
She also planned to abort the baby.
Zhou Xiangping pointed at her, ready to curse again, but when a police officer shot her a sharp look, she shrank back. Still, she glared viciously at Zhao Panpan and muttered under her breath,
“She’s the real murderer. Arrest her! Arrest her!”
Zhang Liang looked deeply hurt.
“Panpan… do you really have to be this cruel? Just for a dog, you want to divorce me and kill our child?”
Zhao Panpan didn’t want to argue anymore.
Their relationship had once been sweet. When they were dating, everything felt warm and hopeful. When they worked hard together for their shared dreams, they had truly loved each other.
But none of that could erase the harm Zhang Liang and his family had done to her.
“We can only divorce.”
She couldn’t tolerate even a grain of sand in her eyes. The love she believed in had always been pure, without compromise.
Divorce was the last bit of dignity she could give to their ten-year relationship.
And the child carrying both her blood and Zhang Liang’s…
would only bring endless danger in the future.
So perhaps…
it would be better if the child was never born.