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The Fake Animal Psychic Took My Dog, My Hand, and My Man
Novelix
Completed
"My best friend, Megan Cross, was the internet's most famous animal psychic. A million fans believed she could read animals' minds. My boyfriend Ethan believed it too. The day she met my rescue dog Bolt, she pressed her hand over her mouth and cried. ""Bolt told me you beat him in training. It hurts."" Without a look, Ethan took Bolt away from me. Then came the landslide. Scanners swept the rubble three times. No life signs. Bolt never alerted. But Megan hugged him and sobbed, ""He says there's a child trapped down there."" Ethan pushed me in without hesitation. ""Megan wouldn't make this up. The kid's life matters."" CRASH! The second collapse came in under five minutes. They found me under the rubble with my left hand destroyed. After the amputation, the first thing I did was reply to the International Search and Rescue Corps. [I accept.]"
Chapters (4)
第1章
My best friend Megan looked at my rescue dog and burst into tears. "He says you beat him during training."
She was the most famous animal psychic on the internet.
Millions of followers. Brand deals. Viral Reels of her 'translating' what pets were thinking.
And that was the first thing she said when she met Bolt.
Ethan Cole, my boyfriend of six years and team leader of our Search and Rescue unit, didn't investigate. Didn't ask me a single question.
"Vivi, how could you do that?"
Just like that, the dog I'd raised and trained for five years was taken from me.
Then came the landslide.
The sensors swept the rubble three times. No life signs. Bolt never alerted. He sat still, calm, nose down.
But Megan grabbed him and started sobbing. "Bolt says there's a child trapped down there."
Ethan didn't hesitate. He ordered me to continue the search.
I told him the structure was unstable. A secondary collapse could happen any second.
He grew angry. "Megan can understand animals. She wouldn't lie about something like this. Why can't you just trust her?"
So I crawled into the rubble.
Five minutes later, the second collapse hit.
When the rocks came down, Ethan grabbed Megan first. Pulled her to safety.
He never once looked back.
By the time the rescue crew dug me out, my left hand was crushed beyond saving.
There was nothing under that rubble. No child. No body. Nothing.
After the amputation, I sent one message to the International Search and Rescue Corps.
[Accept.]
Your trust costs too much, Team Leader Cole.
I only have one hand left. I can't afford a second round.
...
When I opened my eyes again, the hospital room was dark.
The anesthesia had worn off. The stump of my left arm burned like someone was dragging a dull blade across the wound, over and over. Every breath pulled at the stitches.
I reached for the water on the nightstand with my right hand. My fingers barely touched the cup before it tipped over.
Water everywhere.
The door didn't open until evening.
Ethan walked in still wearing his unit jacket. He saw the puddle on the floor and frowned. "What happened?"
I opened my cracked lips. "Ethan, my hand..."
"I thought you got out on your own ages ago." He cut me off. "The rescue crew said you were near the edge when the collapse happened. If you weren't badly hurt, why are you still in the hospital instead of back at base?"
I stared at him.
The doctors said the boulder had crushed my left hand and forearm.
To save my life, they amputated. The surgery took seven hours.
And he was telling me it wasn't that bad.
Rage filled up my heart. I said, "Did you even look at my chart?"
"I'm busy, Vivian. I don't have time for this." He stood at the foot of my bed. His voice had no warmth in it at all. "Megan's been blaming herself this whole time. She trusted Bolt's read. She wasn't trying to hurt you. You knew the rubble was dangerous. Why did you go in?"
"Because you gave me a direct order!"
Ethan sighed. "I told you to continue the search. I didn't tell you to play hero."
My chest clenched so hard I couldn't breathe. "I warned you it could collapse again. You told me Megan would never lie. You told me to trust her!"
His jaw tightened. "And now you're blaming me?"
I said, "There was no child under that rubble."
Ethan's expression didn't even change. "Misjudgments happen. You're a trained professional. You should've managed the risk instead of pointing fingers after the fact."
第2章
I stared at Ethan.
I didn't have the strength left to argue.
The nurse pushed the door open, saw the cup on the floor, and immediately steadied me upright.
Then she turned to Ethan. "This patient just came out of major surgery. She can't be left alone. You're listed as her emergency contact. Why are you only showing up now?"
Ethan's expression froze. "She's always been tough. It's not that serious."
The nurse's voice shook with anger. "Not that serious? She just went through..."
"Viv!"
Megan burst into the room, cutting the nurse off mid-sentence.
Her eyes were red and swollen. She rushed to the bed and grabbed the edge of my blanket.
"I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have trusted Bolt. I shouldn't have said there was a child down there." Her shoulders trembled as she cried. "But I really did hear him say it. Viv, please don't blame Bolt, okay?"
I didn't answer.
Bolt had five years of professional training. If he didn't detect a living scent, he would never alert.
He just wouldn't.
The only one who 'alerted' was Megan.
Ethan rubbed her back gently. "Meg, you don't need to apologize. You were trying to save a life."
Megan wiped her tears. "But Viv got hurt. She must hate me."
Ethan turned to me. His eyes went cold. "Megan came all the way here to apologize. What more do you want?"
I stared at them. "The truth."
Ethan raised his brow. "What truth?"
"Why she lied."
Megan's face went white. The tears fell harder. "I didn't lie. Viv, we've known each other our whole lives. How can you say that about me?"
Ethan stepped in front of her immediately. "Enough. You know Megan is kind, and you're still trying to hurt her. Being in a hospital bed doesn't mean the whole world owes you something!"
The nurse spoke up. "The person who needs care right now is the patient. She can't even reach her water, and you two are in here pressuring her to apologize. How could you?"
Ethan ignored her.
I looked at him and said it. "We're done."
He stared at me. Then he let out a short, cold laugh.
He clearly didn't believe it. "Cool off first. When you've thought it through and you're ready to apologize to Megan, call me."
He left with Megan.
The moment the door closed, I heard her whisper. "Ethan, do you think Viv is really going to shut us out?"
His voice was calm. "No. Give her a few days. She'll come around."
The footsteps faded.
I looked down at the empty left sleeve of my hospital gown.
The tears finally came.
Six years together. He knew exactly how I worked.
Yet in every argument, I was the one who caved first.
Even with my hand crushed to nothing, he was certain I wouldn't leave.
Late that night, I filled out the employment paperwork one letter at a time with my right hand.
The last field asked: [Are you willing to accept long-term overseas deployment?]
I didn't hesitate.
I hit confirm.
[YES.]
第3章
The next morning, a colleague from the unit sent me a photo.
Three words in the message: [Look at this.]
The first thing I saw was Megan's name.
The official commendation stated that during the landslide rescue operation, she had persisted in her life-sign assessment, urged the team to continue searching, and demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to preserving human life.
Bolt's service commendation was credited to her as well.
As for me, there was one line.
[Vivian Dawson exercised poor judgment, disregarded safety protocols, and entered a hazardous zone without authorization, resulting in injury.]
I read the whole thing.
Nobody mentioned I'd been working sixteen hours straight.
Nobody mentioned I went into that rubble because I was ordered to.
I'd become the textbook example of insubordination.
I filed a formal objection with the unit that same day.
The ISRC was reviewing my credentials. Once this mission report was finalized, that false commendation would follow me for the rest of my career.
I requested the body cam footage, the collapse warning data, and the on-site command log.
The request was denied within hours.
Denied by Ethan.
That night, he video-called me.
His face on the screen looked annoyed. "Vivian, how long are you going to keep this up?"
I was propped against my hospital bed. The wound was still hot with infection. "I didn't act without authorization."
He was still angry. "I'm the field commander. I have the authority to adjust the rescue plan based on conditions."
"Then why did you delete the record of your order?"
He went silent for a second or two. Then his expression turned cold. "Are you really going to hang on to one sentence? Megan's been getting trashed online for days over this. She has no professional credentials. This commendation matters to her."
I stared at him. "So you erased my record for it?"
"You've got me and the unit behind you. There'll be plenty of missions ahead. Megan only has this one shot."
He said it like it was obvious.
Like what I lost was just a piece of paper that didn't matter.
I gripped the phone. "I trained Bolt for five years. Why is his service record under Megan's name?"
He shrugged. "Megan's the one taking care of him now. She understands him. She's a better fit as his partner than you ever were."
I stared at him. "Her so-called understanding cost me my hand."
"Here we go again." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Vivian, you're clearly emotionally unstable right now. I'm not doing this with you."
The next day, I received a personnel file update.
Ethan added a note.
[Emotionally unstable. Lacks team compliance. Not recommended for rescue operations. (noted by Ethan Cole)]
The ISRC HR officer contacted me immediately, requesting clarification.
I stared at that evaluation. The last trace of hope I had left died right there.
Ethan wasn't just handing Megan my commendation.
He was cutting off my exit.
...
I didn't call him to argue.
The nurse had photographed my emergency intake forms when I was brought in. The hospital had my full admission timestamp and surgical records. The collapse monitoring system had auto-uploaded a warning to the central platform. The unit had no authority to delete backend data.
I gathered every piece of evidence I could find and sent it to the ISRC.
Typing with one hand was slow. Every keystroke sent a jolt of pain through the stump.
I didn't stop.
At 2 a.m., their reply came.
[We have initiated an independent background check. We will not accept a unilateral assessment from your former unit.]
[Focus on your recovery. Your capabilities should not be defined by a falsified report.]
I stared at those two sentences for a long time.
A stranger who had never met me was willing to look for the truth first.
Yet the man I'd loved for six years only believed Megan's tears.
I closed the commendation page and submitted a request to seal my evidence.
Those people who only believed Megan, I didn't need them.
第4章
The doctor found signs of infection during rounds.
"You can't take care of yourself right now. You need to apply for a full-time care aide. The prosthetic fitting and your Rehabilitation Allowance should be filed soon too."
I submitted the application.
The colleague processing it couldn't look me in the eye.
"Coach Dawson, the care aide slot is already taken."
I frowned. "There was still one left this month."
She lowered her voice. "Team Leader Cole gave it to Megan Cross."
I thought I'd heard her wrong. "Was she injured?"
The colleague sighed. "...No. The stated reason was psychological trauma from witnessing the landslide. She needed... emotional support."
I looked at what was left of my left arm. I couldn't speak for a long time.
Megan told one lie, got scared, and received the only care aide the unit had to give.
I lost my hand and got to lie here alone.
I called Ethan.
When he picked up, I heard Bolt whining in the background. "What now?"
I questioned him. "You denied my care aide request?"
"You're in a private room. The nurses are taking care of you."
I shouted. "Nurses handle treatment. They're not on-call twenty-four hours. I can't even dress myself!"
Ethan was quiet for a moment. "Megan's been having nightmares. People online are saying she made a bad call. The pressure's been brutal on her."
Silence.
"And what about me?"
He sighed. "You've always been stronger than her. Why do you have to make everything a competition?"
That sentence burned a hole straight through my chest.
I was strong, so I deserved nothing.
I could take it, so I should hand everything over to Megan.
"Give me back the slot."
"Vivian, don't be selfish." His voice went completely cold. "If the unit pulls Megan's care aide now, how's that? You want everyone to say she stole resources from an injured person?"
"Didn't she?"
He hung up.
...
The next day, I went to pick up my medication alone. I held the IV stand with my right hand. At the doorway, my shoe slipped.
I hit the floor hard.
The stump slammed into the corner of the wall. Blood soaked through the gauze in seconds.
By the time the nurse reached me, I was shaking all over.
The doctor sutured the wound again. Recovery was extended by at least a month.
I was barely back in bed when the billing office called.
"Ms. Dawson, your rehabilitation account has insufficient funds. Tomorrow's session will have to be paused."
I blinked. "That's impossible. There should be over $120,000 in that account."
That was everything I'd saved over the years. It was supposed to go toward a house after Ethan and I got married.
I opened my banking app.
Balance: $11.34.
Every cent had been transferred out three days ago.
Recipient: Megan Cross.
Memo: [Animal Communication Nonprofit, seed funding.]
I used to give Ethan access to my account when I was deployed on long missions. I'd authorized his login years ago.
It never occurred to me that he would give all of it to someone else.
I called him. My voice wouldn't stop shaking. "Who said you could touch my money?"
"I'll pay you back eventually."
I shouted again with tears. "But I have rehab tomorrow!"
"Skipping a few days won't kill you." His tone was flat. "Megan's nonprofit is at a critical stage. She needs equipment, she needs to rent a space. You can always earn more money. If she misses this window, it's gone."
That night, the infection spiked into a fever.
The nurse kept applying cold compresses, asking if I wanted to call a family member.
I looked at Ethan's name in my contacts. I shook my head.
"No."
He wouldn't come. And if he did, he'd only blame me for causing Megan trouble.
At dawn, I froze the bank account. Revoked every authorization.
Then, with my right hand, I signed the resignation letter and the medical transfer consent form.
When the ISRC learned my rehabilitation had been suspended, they responded within hours.
[We will send a team to get you ahead of schedule. All subsequent treatment will be covered.]
I pressed the phone against my chest. Tears fell without a sound.
Not because I felt sorry for myself.
Because I finally knew for certain there was somewhere left to go.
Ethan took my last dollar.
And cut the last thread holding me there.