In a marriage, both people should help and support each other, but with Adam, it felt like I was doing all the hard work alone. His selfishness made everything even harder for me. When I first met Adam, he seemed like the perfect person for me. He was nice, caring, and always paid attention to me. He even pretended to really like my dog, Bailey. After we got married, we started to notice some problems. At first, they were little things, like not helping buy food, ignoring chores, and complaining about paying for Bailey’s vet bills. But later, we saw who he really was.

He cared more about saving up money than making a happy life with others. “Adam, Bailey needs her vaccinations,” I said one evening, holding a bill from the vet. “Do you really need to spend that much on a dog?” he replied, barely taking his eyes off his laptop. “She’s more than a dog,” I countered. “She’s family.” That’s Adam. He’s generous when he wants something, but stingy with anything that requires real effort. When I asked to end my marriage, I hoped I would be free from how he tried to control me. But Adam still wanted to be mean and hurtful.

During the process, he kicked me out of the house. The same house I had maintained for years. And he even refused to give me Bailey. “PLEASE GIVE ME MY DOG BACK!” I begged. “SHE’S MINE! SHE’S MY FAMILY!” “I don’t mind,” he said. “You can’t keep her,” I yelled. “She was with me before we were married! It’s not fair!” “Too bad,” he said coldly. “She’s on my turf now.” I asked him really nicely to think about it again, but he was as unfeeling as a rock. I was really surprised that this was the same man who helped me take my dog, Bailey, to the vet when I found her on the street. I can remember that night so clearly. One night, something happened that changed my life and helped me meet Adam. It was raining really hard, and I was rushing through the park to get home. Suddenly, I heard a small sound that sounded like a puppy crying.

I paused and looked carefully through the heavy rain, and then I noticed a tiny, shaking shape hiding under a bench. “Oh no,” I said quietly, bending down to see better. A little golden retriever puppy, all wet and shaking, looked up at me with big, sad eyes that seemed to ask for help. “Hello, dear,” I whispered, picking her up gently. She looked very weak and cold, and I felt really sad for her. I didn’t know how to make things better. I just stood there in the rain, unsure of what to do. That’s when Adam showed up. “Do you need some help?” someone said, surprising me. I turned around and saw a man jogging toward me with an umbrella in his hand. His hair was plastered to his forehead from the rain, but he was smiling warmly and his eyes darted to the puppy in my arms. “She’s cold,” I said, my voice shaking. “I don’t know where to take her.” Adam didn’t hesitate. “Come on, let’s take her to the vet.

My car is right over there.” I thought for a little bit, but I decided to help because the situation was important and he was being nice. “Okay,” I whispered. “Thank you.” He held the umbrella over us as we ran to his car, where I carefully placed the puppy on my lap. While we were driving, Adam talked to me to help me feel less nervous. He asked about the puppy and where I got her. At the vet’s office, we worked together to get Bailey the care he needed. The vet examined him and gave him a warm blanket. “He’s malnourished, but with a little love and care he’ll get better,” the vet reassured us. Adam turned to me with a big smile. “It looks like you’ve made a new friend.” I smiled and felt happy. “I think you’re correct,” I said. After the visit, Adam drove me home. When we got to my apartment, he turned to me and said, “If you need anything for her, like supplies, advice, or anything else… just call me, OK?”

He gave me his phone number, and I said thank you for helping me. For the next few weeks, Adam and I kept talking to each other. He asked how Bailey the puppy was doing and gave me advice on how to take care of her. He even came over to bring us some puppy supplies. Before long, we became really good friends and started to like each other more. When we began going out, he really liked Bailey a lot. At least, that’s what I believed. He threw a ball for her to chase, took pictures of her, and talked about how great it would be to have a family one day. I really liked him and thought it would be wonderful to create a life together. The next year, we got married. I moved into Adam’s house with our dog, Bailey, thinking we would be really happy together. At first, everything felt great. But after a few months, I started to see that things weren’t as perfect as they seemed. As time went on, I understood that he wasn’t really the person he had shown himself to be.

I really tried to make our marriage better. I talked to him a lot about it, and he said he would change, but nothing got better. When I decided to end my marriage, I felt really sad and tired. I thought that leaving was the only choice I had. Then, he made things worse by not letting me see my pet, Bailey. I didn’t know that he had already made up his mind to get rid of her. He took Bailey to a place where they keep lost animals and left her there. I was so shocked when he told me that! I yelled at him over the phone, “How could you do this? Are you serious, Adam?” He laughed and hung up the phone, not knowing that he would soon wish he hadn’t. For the next few days, I kept imagining her sitting alone in a corner, thinking about why I wasn’t with her. I decided that I would do everything I could to find my little girl. I looked everywhere for my missing dog. I called and visited many animal shelters nearby, showing them her cute pictures. Every day without her made me sad, but I didn’t want to stop searching. When I realized I needed more help, I asked a private investigator named John for assistance. He told me that finding lost pets wasn’t usually his job, but he really cares about dogs and promised to help me find her.

Time seemed to go on forever. I wanted to stay positive, but each day without any news felt harder than the one before. Then, one day, my phone rang. “Ma’am,” John said, “I’ve found your dog!” My breath caught in my throat. “You… you found her? Where is she?” “She’s safe, but that’s not all,” he continued. “There are some facts that will help you win this divorce and leave your husband with nothing. Listen to me carefully.” I held the phone really tight, and my heart was beating fast. He outlined his plan to help me get Bailey back, and hinted at something much bigger brewing beneath the surface. But for now, his focus was on reuniting me with my fur baby. “The shelter is an hour away,” he said. “They have her on paper, but she’s adopted. You’ll have to talk to them to find out more about the new owners.”

I didn’t take any time at all. I quickly grabbed my keys and drove to the shelter, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness inside me. When I got there, the nice lady at the front desk gave me a folder. Inside it was a picture of Bailey, looking at me with her big, sad eyes. The lady told me, “A couple took her home last week.” She said she couldn’t give me their address, but if I wanted, she could send them a message for me. “Please,” I said, my voice shaking. “Tell them I’d like to meet them and explain everything.” A few days later, I got a call from the couple. They’d agreed to meet me at a coffee shop, and when I arrived, my nerves were on edge. I sat across from them and began telling my story, my voice cracking as I recounted how Billie came into my life and how much she meant to me. “She’s not just a dog,” I said with tears in my eyes, “she’s my family.” The couple was paying close attention and sharing secret looks. Then, the woman reached over and held my hand.

She said gently, “We can tell how much you care about her. Even though we have grown to love her too, we understand that she should be with you.” I couldn’t find the words to say anything. I felt so thankful and happy when they gave me Bailey’s leash and papers. When I saw Bailey again, she was wagging her tail wildly and barking as if to say, “What took you so long?” I gave her a big hug and told her that she would always have me and never be alone again. But there were even more surprises! In my phone call with John, he said he found out that Adam was not being honest about his money. Adam had a fancy house that he bought but put it in his mom’s name so no one would know about it during his divorce.

I asked a money expert to look at our money situation, and what he found wasn’t good. The money we used to pay for the house came from our shared bank account, and we were using our shared money to pay the house bills. When my lawyer showed the proof in court, Adam got really nervous. He gave me a nasty look, but I just rolled my eyes at him. The judge didn’t like how Adam was trying to trick everyone, so he got in a lot of trouble and I got a good amount of money from the house. You know what I did with that money? I bought a nice little house with a big yard for Bailey! Now she spends her days running after squirrels and playing in the grass, and I just watch her happily, feeling proud and thankful. Every night, when she snuggles up next to me, I hear her calm breathing and it helps me remember what’s really important. Even when things get tough, love and being strong can help fix everything and make it even better than it was.