His beagle had done nothing wrong, but his girlfriend had finally decided she was tired of sharing her life with a dog. One night, she gave him an ultimatum: “Either the dog goes, or I do.”
Emily had never liked Molly.
At first, she told Daniel it was just the barking.
Then it was the dog hair.
Then the smell.
Then the fact that Molly had been sleeping beside Daniel long before Emily ever moved into his apartment.
For months, Daniel tried to keep the peace.
He bought a better vacuum.
He paid for professional grooming.
He kept Molly out of the bedroom whenever Emily stayed over.
But Emily wanted something much simpler.
She wanted the dog gone.
One Friday night, after another argument, she finally gave him an ultimatum.
“I’ve had enough, Daniel.”
She pointed toward Molly.
“Either she goes, or I do.”
Daniel didn’t argue.
He just looked at her for several seconds.
Then he said quietly:
“Give me until tomorrow.”
Emily nodded.
She was certain she had won.
The next morning, Daniel was already gone when she woke up.
Molly was gone too.
Emily immediately assumed the worst.
She called him.
No answer.
Then, around noon, a message finally appeared.
Daniel: “It’s taken care of. She’s going to a new home.”
Emily stared at the message.
For the first time in months, she felt relieved.
She asked where Molly was going.
Daniel replied:
“Somewhere she’ll be appreciated.”
That answer bothered her.
But she decided not to push it.
That evening, Daniel came home carrying dinner.
Emily expected an apology.
Instead, he acted completely normal.
“You really found someone to take her?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“And she’s gone?”
“She’s gone.”
Emily smiled.
“Good.”
Daniel nodded.
“Very good.”
For the first time in a long while, the apartment was quiet.
Emily thought their biggest problem was finally over.
Then, while Daniel was in the shower, she noticed his phone lighting up on the kitchen counter.
A notification appeared.
“Your post has received 147 comments.”
Emily frowned.
She picked up the phone.
There was a Facebook post.
The title read:
“HELP NEEDED: Looking for a new home.”
Her heart sank.
She opened it.
The first line said:
“My girlfriend does not like my beagle Molly, so I have decided to re-home her.”
Emily smiled.
Finally.
He was actually giving the dog away.
Then she read the next sentence.
“She is 30 years old and has been with me for several years.”
Emily stopped smiling.
She read it again.
Then the next line:
“She comes from a wealthy area and is accustomed to expensive things.”
Her stomach tightened.
The description continued.
“She enjoys games, requires a lot of attention, and is not completely trained.”
Emily slowly looked toward the bathroom.
The shower was still running.
She kept reading.
“She has long hair and is quite high-maintenance, especially when it comes to her nails.”
Her face went pale.
Then:
“She stays up all night talking, but somehow sleeps while I work.”
Emily’s hand tightened around the phone.
She finally understood.
Daniel hadn’t re-homed Molly.
He had used Molly’s name to disguise what he was actually doing.
The rest of the post made it impossible to misunderstand.
“She only likes the best and most expensive food.”
“She will never greet you at the door after a long day or give you unconditional love when you’re feeling down.”
“She doesn’t bite, but she can be mean as hell.”
And then the final line:
“Anyone interested in this 30-year-old, selfish, wicked, gold-digging girlfriend? Come and get her. Molly and I would like her re-homed as soon as possible.”
Emily stared at the screen.
Then she heard the bathroom door open.
Daniel walked into the kitchen.
He looked at his phone in her hand.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Emily whispered:
“You didn’t give Molly away.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
“Then where is she?”
He pointed toward the balcony.
Molly was lying in her usual bed, chewing on a toy.
Emily looked back at him.
“You lied to me.”
“No,” Daniel said calmly.
“I told you I had taken care of the problem.”
He picked up Molly’s leash.
“I just misunderstood which one you wanted me to get rid of.”
Emily stared at him.
Then his phone buzzed again.
A new comment had appeared under the post:
“I’ll take her. Is she house-trained?”
Daniel looked at the comment.
Then at Emily.
“I’ve already got one application.”
For the first time that night, Emily had nothing to say.
She had given Daniel an ultimatum expecting him to prove that she came first.
Instead, she had accidentally forced him to reveal exactly where she stood.
And Molly?
Molly never left the apartment.
