What Separates Me and You

Lewis stood up, opened the fence gate, and walked toward Josephine. He bent over, grabbed

Josephine’s arm, and forcefully pulled her upright. Josephine, still reeling from the ordeal, struggled to

regain her balance. Her legs trembled beneath her, rendering her unable to stand steadily, causing her

to stumble and fall into Lewis’ arms. However, he pushed her away in disgust.

Josephine staggered several steps, her unsteady gait causing her to collide with the fence. Leaning

against it for support, she gazed up at Lewis, her eyes filled with tears. Lewis retrieved a handkerchief

from his pocket and wiped his fingers meticulously as if he had come into contact with something

repulsive and urgently desired to cleanse himself of it.

However, the drool and footprints left by the dogs were indeed disgusting. Josephine could smell the

stench emanating from her body.

“Tell me, do you like them?” Lewis cast a sidelong glance at Josephine while meticulously cleansing his

fingers. The casual tone in his voice masked an underlying message that no dissent would be

tolerated. To put it simply, it sounded like a threat.

ཾ ༤༤

Josephine’s gaze fixated on the dogs. She hesitated, her mouth opening briefly before she lowered her

head once more. The truth was undeniable-she held no affection for them, not even the slightest shred.

These dogs exhibited an exceptional level of viciousness, as though they had murdered humans

before. Their viciousness exceeded that of typical countryside dogs.

Josephine harbored no doubt that the dogs possessed an insatiable appetite for human flesh. If Lewis

were to depart, she was certain they would pounce upon her, tearing her apart and devouring her

without mercy.

“So?” Lewis lifted her chin with the handkerchief in his hand. He continued, “Why aren’t you saying

anything?”

Josephine looked at his face and saw a hint of stubbornness. He was determined to hear from

her the answer he desired.

Although the sun shone brightly on her, she could not feel any warmth. Josephine felt cold, and her

hands and feet were freezing. She raised her head slightly, and the sunlight shone into her dull eyes,

reflecting a desolated look.

The man saw through her. While he remained silent, his hold on her chin slackened slightly. Josephine

closed her eyes and accepted her fate with a nod. It mattered little whether she actually harbored any

affection for the dogs. What held significance was solely his perception that she should like them,

regardless of her true feelings.

Lewis released her. Josephine slid to the ground powerlessly as she leaned against the fence, sitting

on the dirty surface. She heard the man’s laugh from above her. He spoke coldly, “Since you like them,

you should stay here and play with them. What’s so good about the dogs outside?”

Josephine was stunned. She felt that there was another meaning behind his words, but she had no

time to think deeply. Seeing that he was about to leave, Josephine braced her frail body and climbed to

her feet to chase after him. However, she was still one step too late. He had already left and locked

Josephine inside the fenced area.

Josephine stretched her arm, trying to grab him. Her hand went through the gap between the fencing,

and she reached out as far as she could, but she did not manage to even touch the

corner of his clothes.

Josephine’s fingers tightened around the fence as she fixated her gaze on Lewis’s receding figure. She

frantically shook the fence, but the sound was too soft and insufficient to make

him turn around.

“Don’t go,” she thought, her heart pleading as she watched him walk away without casting a single

glance back. Josephine’s tears flowed freely as he disappeared from her sight, blurring her vision as

the wetness pooled in her eyes.

He left, abandoning her at this place. He had locked her up in this massive cage as if she was a

prisoner. The reason behind his cruel punishment eluded her comprehension. Was it simply because

she went to visit those stray dogs? But they were already divorced.

Her back stiffened when she heard a whimper behind her. She slowly turned around. Sure enough, the

dogs revealed their true nature as soon as Lewis left. They bared their fangs and growled at her. They

surrounded Josephine, keeping their distance about two feet away from her. It appeared that they were

either afraid that she would run away or they were trying to chase away an intruder. Perhaps to them,

she was an outlier and an intruder intruding on their territory.

Josephine’s palms began to sweat as she listened to their growls. She froze on the spot, facing them

off. None of them dared to make a rash move. Time ticked by, and suddenly, a dog at the front barked

sharply at her.

Josephine trembled and clutched the fence tightly. In her desperation, she exerted too much force,

causing the wound on her wrist to reopen and start bleeding once more. Fear consumed her heart,

overpowering any sensation of pain in her wrist.

The dog barked again and lunged toward Josephine with great intensity. Overwhelmed with

fear, Josephine instinctively crouched down and covered her head in a protective gesture. In a split

second, she felt a forceful pressure on her forearm. A dog had bit her forearm. Luckily, Josephine wore

thick layers of clothes, and its fangs did not reach her flesh. However, the feeling of the sharp fang

piercing through her clothes and grazing against her skin was still frightening.

She instinctively wanted to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth. As she was in the midst of

horror, another dog charged toward her and aimed to bite her face and neck. 1