My hand shot out, pointing at the remains scattered across the floor, my voice trembling. "She was with us for fourteen years! Fourteen years, Lewis! And you call her just a dog?"
A sharp sting lanced through Lewis's chest.
His jaw tightened. "I'll buy you another one. Identical."
I laughed. The sound that came out of me was hollow, broken, and my eyes were burning red.
"Don't bother. Even if it looked exactly the same... it wouldn't be her."
I turned around. Slowly, I crouched down and began piecing Mochi's scattered body back together, fragment by fragment.
When my fingertips touched that tiny head, the tears fell without warning.
I slipped off my coat and wrapped her up with all the care I had left, cradling the bundle against my chest.
"Come on, Mochi. Mama's taking you home. We're never coming back."
Lewis watched my retreating figure until it disappeared. His heart clenched, one stab after another, beyond his control.
