Spark ( Book 3: Stronger Series )

36. Light Heart

I finally caught up to that damn dog when she cornered herself in one of the spare bedrooms. She barked and growled, getting low on her front paws as she tried to fight me. The irony was not lost on me, and I wondered if Darren was going to poke fun at it later. I wouldn't put it past him. I picked up the puppy, and she fought for only a moment until I held her tight enough for her to relax. As soon as I turned around, I found Romero and Alex standing in the doorway, watching me.

"I assume Darren has retreated somewhere," I said as I walked toward them and into the hallway.

"Yes, ma'am. He will see you at dinner."

So I was still to be left alone even on Christmas. Well, good; I'd had enough of Darren this morning anyway, but I had no idea what to do with the puppy. Did she need to go outside at some point or something? I'd never actually had a dog before or any pet for that matter. Never had the time or the patience.

"So what am I supposed to do with her?" I asked.

Romero glanced at it for only a second before returning his eyes to me. He clearly wasn't affected by her puppy cuteness.

"I don't know. It's your dog. All the supplies for her care are up in your room."

"Okay. I guess I'll go check that out then."

When we got back to the room, Romero was right about there being a shit ton of stuff for my new puppy. There was a crate, a bed, toys, food, leashes, an adorable puffy puppy coat, cleaning supplies, and a potty bin complete with puppy pads. No collar, though, which I thought was weird.

Setting the puppy down, she instantly raced off to the other end of the room while I began to set up her crate, bed, and potty bin. She barked, growled, and played with the bear rug while I organized everything until she ran up and began tugging on my sweater dress. Grabbing one of her toys, a long, sturdy tug-of-war rope, I placed it near her mouth, and her little teeth clamped on it almost immediately. She tugged and tugged on it, jerking her head and her body until I eventually let go to let her have it. She chewed on it while I watched for a moment. She was so fucking cute. I hated it.

Every now and then, she'd forget the toy and run around some more, racing from one end of the room to the other, barking at me and basically anything she could lay her eyes on until I finally got up to play with her. She pawed at me, gnawed on my hands without leaving a mark, and when she grew tired, curled in my lap and fell asleep. Instant melt. Damn Darren and his stupid manipulation. Out of all of them, I liked this one the most, and I fucking hated it.

Leaning against the wall, my hands caressed the puppy's fur, relishing in her softness and enjoying the heat she provided to my legs. But as I petted her fine black fur, my eyes couldn't help but linger on the infinity ring that once again claimed the space on my left-hand ring finger.

I wanted to rip it off and chuck it across the room, but I remembered that it was to never leave that finger. The diamonds glittered in the light, mimicking the same ones that adorned my wrists, ankles, and neck. I doubted I would ever appreciate diamonds again. They were meant to be pretty, admired, and cherished, but the only thing they did was fail at distracting me from the chains they tried to conceal. The ones that shackled me to this life, to Darren.

I didn't understand why he wanted to decorate me with diamonds; they were just carbon forced under severe pressure and heat. The results were something beautiful, but it took a lot of bullshit to get there. Maybe that was how Darren saw me. His pure black carbon specimen that he was slowly converting into his perfect little diamond.

Motherfucker, I was already a diamond. Good luck breaking the hardest substance in the world.

Not wanting to get myself worked up, I let the anger go. I had a full stomach, a roof over my head, clothes, unbruised skin, and a puppy in my lap. I deserved one small moment that didn't reflect my anger of Darren. Closing my eyes, I continued to pet my Christmas present until I eventually dozed off.