When Zachary woke up, he didn’t immediately open his eyes. Instead, he instinctively turned to the side and reached out with his long arms, hoping to embrace Serenity. When he suddenly opened his eyes, he was met with emptiness; Serenity was nowhere to be found. After a moment of shock, Zachary recalled that his grandmother had taken his beloved wife and their son, Sonny, on a trip, leaving him behind alone. This cruel abandonment had kept him awake all night, and he had only managed to fall asleep by hugging Serenity’s pillow, imagining it was her.

He picked up his phone to check the time and saw that it was already past eight o’clock in the morning. Previously, he would have risen at six for his morning jogs. However, without his wife by his side, he found it difficult to get out of bed. Glancing at the date, he realized it was Saturday! He had been so preoccupied that he lost track of the days; it felt as though it was only Monday and now, suddenly, it was Saturday again. The week had flown by.

With no work obligations on Saturdays, Zachary wished to drift back into dreams of Serenity, where it was just the two of them. Unfortunately, the grumbling of his empty stomach prevented him from falling asleep again. Reluctantly, he got out of bed.

There were no missed calls on his phone, but he noticed several unread messages on WhatsApp. Upon checking, he found that aside from work group notifications, the messages were invitations to weekend outings. He reviewed them all but found no message from Serenity.

“Serenity!” he exclaimed, gritting his teeth—he hadn’t called her by her first name in quite some time. “How could you be so cruel as to not send me a message?” He searched her profile for updates, but there were none. Then he remembered that she had even changed her phone number.

Zachary, who had been “abandoned” at home by his wife, took some time to change his clothes and freshen up before heading downstairs, showcasing his charming, handsome face.

As soon as he reached the first floor, a chubby dog bounded toward him, shaking its pudgy body. Zachary had never been fond of furry animals. To make Serenity happy, he had once asked a friend to help him buy a pet dog and two cats for her. However, as the couple became busier, the pets were eventually taken away, and Mrs. Lane was left to care for them.

Noticing the fat dog about to jump on him, Zachary instinctively raised his foot to kick it away. “Master, that’s Grandma’s pet dog!” Mrs. Lane shouted. Nearly kicking the dog, Zachary pulled back at her cry, lowering his foot and sparing the portly animal.

Mrs. Lane quickly approached and grabbed the dog by its leash. “I just went to the bathroom, and you ran in,” she explained. She tried to lead the dog outside, but it stubbornly insisted on rubbing against Zachary’s feet. Disgusted, he remarked, “Is this the pet dog I gave your young mistress?”

“Yes,” Mrs. Lane confirmed. When Zachary had brought the dog home, it had gained a significant amount of weight.

Frowning, Zachary said, “It’s so fat it looks less like a dog and more like a pig. Mrs. Lane, don’t let it eat so much.”

With a smile, Mrs. Lane replied, “It has a big appetite. I don’t feed it much, but it finds food on its own, and with a lack of exercise, it just keeps getting fatter. I’ve told Miss to help it lose weight.”

“Just like its master loves to eat,” Zachary muttered under his breath. His wife enjoyed her food as well, but she managed to eat plenty without gaining weight, unlike their pet dog, which had become as round as a pig and lost its canine appearance.

Zachary said, “Take it out. Just looking at it gives me goosebumps.”

Mrs. Lane attempted to drag the dog outside again, but it stubbornly refused to move and kept rubbing against Zachary’s feet. Ultimately, Mrs. Lane had no choice but to bend down, lift the hefty dog onto her waist, and carry it outside.

As she did, Mrs. Lane remarked about the overweight dog, “The eldest young master doesn’t like you getting too close, yet you insist on rubbing against his feet. Do you want to be shaved and turned into dinner?”

The pet dog snorted in response.