Chapter 2 Two

• Zoraya:
• "Move! You stupid bitch!" Julius, my master's loyal servant, hissed as he held the food for us.
• He had pulled the chain back, yanking me into place so he could put some distance between us.
• My small home, which I shared with Zara, was my safe space.
• Zara was the family's dog, and she was treated the same way I was, though I never understood why. I looked just like the others, but they treated me like Zara. The kennel was my home, and I ate from the same bowl as Zara. I was chained like her—but even worse.
• I was forced to crawl on the ground like a dog. I didn’t understand what I was. I was definitely not one of them.
• And then there was Zara, my only family. For as long as I could remember, she had been by my side. She had cared for me like a mother would. I slept in her kennel and ate with her.
• “So much food, it’s a good day for us,” I heard Zara say, making me turn my head toward her.
• It was strange how I could understand Zara when others claimed she was just barking. In fact, we both understood each other. Others said I sounded like Zara, so they couldn't understand my words.
• Maybe I had learned her language since she was all I knew?
• “Julius, after feeding them, lock their kennel so they don’t run around and bother the guests for more food,” said the voice of none other than the lady of the house—the Mistress of the Manor, Estrella Grayson.
• Estrella Ma’am was a beautiful woman with a strong and commanding presence. Her gray eyes gave her an innocent and sweet look, making people often mistake her for an angel.
• But Estrella was no angel.
• She was the devil in a woman’s body.
• “Mmm, this is so delicious.” I lowered my body, bowed my head into the bowl, and tasted the meat. It had been so long since we had something this good.
• Thanks to Elena’s birthday celebration today, we were lucky to get food.
• As Julius walked out of the kennel to let us eat, I raised my head and caught a glimpse of Elena. She wore a beautiful red gown, looking like a princess. My eyes wandered to my torn rags, and I wondered—why were some given so much love and respect?
• What could I do to be loved the way she was loved by her mother?
• “How do I look?” Elena asked her mother, giving her dress a good twirl.
• “You are the prettiest.” Lady Estrella cupped her daughter’s face in her hands and kissed her forehead. I gently touched my own forehead with my fingers, copying their actions.
• I didn’t feel sad—it was just that, sometimes, water would gather in my eyes.
• It couldn’t be sadness. Why would it be?
• I should be grateful that I had good food today.
• "You are beautiful too," somehow, Zara noticed me watching Elena with wishful eyes.
• "I am not. I am nothing like her.I am just someone existing without an identity," I replied, making Julius peer inside the kennel and hiss at me.
• "You should be on your best behavior. We have guests around," Julius muttered as he locked the kennel.
• From the small window with silver bars, I could still see the guests arriving. They all looked so fashionable, happy, and walking on two feet—while I had to remain on all fours, or I would get scolded, sometimes even beaten.
• "Ew, so filthy!" A woman who had just arrived probably caught a glimpse of me and grimaced. The way her nose wrinkled at the sight of me broke my heart.
• I instantly pulled away from the window and touched my face with my rough, ragged fingers.
• "Am I really that scary?" I asked Zara, who calmly walked over to me and started licking the back of my hand.
• "To me, you are prettier than anyone else in the world," she said, her voice kind and gentle.
• But there was only so much she could do. She wasn’t treated well either.
• Zara was pregnant, and I hadn’t seen Elena or anyone else come over to check on her even once.
• I hugged her and silently shed tears.
• There were times when I wanted to ask the people around me, "Why? Why am I treated differently?"
• But I knew I would never get any answers.
• They wouldn’t understand me either.
• I had lived my entire life in this kennel, and this was where I was going to die too.
• "Ugh!" I bit my bottom lip as I complained about the sudden pain in my chest.
• "What’s wrong? Are you okay?" Zara sensed my discomfort, quickly standing up on all fours and staring at my face.
• "I’m not feeling well," I whispered, barely able to breathe out the words.
• "Huh? We need to get help for you," she said, turning toward the small window we weren’t supposed to look out from.
• "Please—don’t," I begged, realizing that if Julius saw her using the window and barking, he would punish her.
• Julius would do anything to stay in Estrella’s good books. He could kill for her without blinking an eye.
• How could I expect mercy from such a man?
• "Ahhh!" As I groaned louder, Zara stepped away from me and toward the window, risking her life for me.
• As she barked louder, I began to hear heavy footsteps.
• Someone had seen her.
• And it was going to be hell for us.