Her scream was short-lived as she disappeared from view, her body plunging toward the jagged rocks below. Ethan stood frozen, his heart racing. He had done it. He’d freed himself from the burden of his mother’s existence.
But as he turned to walk away, something tugged at his heart. It was Charlie, who had stood up and was now pacing back and forth near the edge. The dog’s eyes were wide with confusion, and he began to bark frantically, as if sensing something was wrong.
Ethan’s heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, he felt the weight of his actions. But he quickly shook it off. “It’s done,” he whispered to himself, trying to reassure himself. He turned and walked away, ignoring the frantic barking of his dog behind him.
Ethan’s life didn’t change immediately. The police arrived a few hours after the incident, but they ruled the death as an unfortunate accident. Margaret had been suffering from severe mobility issues for years, and it wasn’t hard for them to believe that she could have lost her balance and fallen over the cliff.
But Ethan knew the truth. He had gotten away with it. The estate was now his, and the family business was finally free of the constant drain of caring for his mother. But his peace was short-lived.
Charlie, who had been his mother’s loyal companion for years, refused to leave the spot where Margaret had fallen. The dog lingered near the cliff for hours, staring down at the rocks below. Ethan tried to ignore the animal, hoping it would simply move on, but Charlie had other plans. Each day, the dog would return to the cliff, barking and whining, as though calling out for his beloved owner.
Ethan grew increasingly irritated by the dog’s behavior. He had no patience for this reminder of his crime, and he grew more aggressive with Charlie. He locked the dog outside the house, hoping it would stop coming around, but it didn’t. Charlie was relentless.
One night, as Ethan sat in his study, a sense of unease filled the room. The silence in the house was oppressive. He glanced over at the family photo on the wall, which included his mother and Charlie. For a brief moment, he felt a pang of guilt—a fleeting, unfamiliar emotion. He quickly pushed it aside.
But the feeling didn’t go away. It festered in his mind, and the dog’s cries grew louder every night. Ethan’s sleep became fitful, his nerves frayed. He couldn’t escape the guilt, no matter how hard he tried.
Then, a few days later, something strange happened. Charlie disappeared. Ethan initially thought the dog had simply run off, but when he went to check, there were signs that the dog had been trying to dig under the gate. Ethan’s heart dropped.
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