**The Leash of Fate**
Morning sunlight, soft yet persistent, slips through the thin curtains, casting golden patterns across the sleeping womans face. It whispers, *Wake upthe world is beautiful and waiting for you.* Victoria stretches in bed, savoring the lightness in her limbs after a deep, restful sleep. This peace is her hard-earned reward after years of rebuilding herself.
Its been exactly eight years, two months, and seventeen days since she showed her husband the door. Not that shes countingthe date is simply etched into her memory as the day her real life began. Their son, James, is now a grown man, independent and thriving. He studies at Oxford, in his fourth year at a prestigious university, and rarely comes home. Just phone calls, his voice on the line, still warm but growing more distant with each passing day.
*”Mum, Ive got exams, then a part-time job, and Lottie and I”* she hears, masking her quiet sadness with cheerful replies: *”Of course, love, I understand. Im doing just fine!”* And shes not lying. Her life is full of purpose and order.
Victoria is forty-three but feels thirty at heart. Slender, poised, with sharp grey-blue eyes, she looks younger than her years. Her secret? Four years of unwavering routine: up at six, a morning run, a cold shower, a healthy breakfast, then off to the office. Shes a manager at a thriving firm and values her position. Her boss, a punctual man with an uncanny sense for tardiness, despises unpunctuality.
More than once, shes seen him materialise in the hallway at 9:01 sharp, blocking the path of a flustered employee. *”Late again? Set your alarm earlier! Explanatory note on my desknow!”* His deep, commanding voice sends shivers even through the innocent.
At work, Victoria is respectedsmart, driven, always ready to help. Humble, easy to talk to. Yet her personal life has been quiet since the divorce. She fills her free time with work, self-care, and her loyal companion: a Labrador named Barney, whom she affectionately calls Bear.
It was Bear who started these invigorating morning runs four years ago. Hes her alarm clock, trainer, and most devoted friend. A stunning chocolate-brown dog with wise, understanding eyes and endless kindness. Hes never been a hassle; his easygoing nature is the best antidote to loneliness. When choosing a breed, shed consulted her best friends husband. *”Get a Labradoryou wont regret it. A friend, a therapist, and an antidepressant in one,”* hed said. He wasnt wrong.
Shed always had dogs as a child, but during her marriage to Michael, that dream was shelved. He despised animals. *”If you and James drag some hairy mutt into this flat, Ill throw it off the seventh floor. Promise.”* The venom in his eyes made her believe him.
In the end, *she* nearly threw *him* off the seventh floor when, in a drunken rage, he raised a hand to her. She didnt have the strengthonly the heartbreak. Shed sobbed in the bedroom while he raged in the living room. Then hed slammed the door himself, taking the bags shed packed for him. Fifteen years of marriage, the last three a living hell. Michael failed as a husband and fatherselfish, bitter, never satisfied. That slap was the final straw. Thank God James wasnt home.
*”Good riddance. Well manage. My salarys decent. Better alone than trapped in that misery, setting a terrible example for my son.”* She hadnt been wrong. Eight years of happiness, harmony. She kept men at arms lengthMichael had soured her for life.
On a warm August morning, the air thick with late summer, Victoria rises and peeks into the hallway. Bear sits by the door, leash clamped in his jaws, tail thumping the floor. *”Bear, lets go! Such a clever boywho needs an alarm with you around?”* She grins, slipping on her trainers. *”Alright, alright, were going!”*
She adores their parkjust a quick walk through the underpass, and there it is: a green oasis with neat paths. Mornings are livelyjoggers, cyclists, fellow dog owners. Victoria unclips the leash, and Bear bolts ahead, glancing back to ensure she follows.
She jogs leisurely, breathing in the crisp air, nodding at familiar strangersfellow morning enthusiasts. Suddenly, a sharp yelp cuts through the air. Victoria veers off the path and freezes. Bear stands rigid, hackles raised, before a tiny black kitten, ears flattened in fear. Her heart lurches. She knows Bear wont hurt it, but instinct drives her forward
Then the world tilts. Her foot catches on a hidden rock, twisting with a sickening *crack*. White-hot pain sears through her leg. She collapses with a cry, vision blurring. *”No… please, no”* she whimpers, forcing herself to look. Her leg lies at a grotesque angle. *”Bear, what have you done?”* The kitten vanishes. Bear licks her cheekthen bolts.
Despair claws at her throat. Pain, fear, thoughts of her dog, her job, her utter alonenessall blur into one. She tries to push up, find leverage, but fails. Tears spill freely.
Meanwhile, Bear races down the path like a madman. He finds who hes looking fora tall, athletic man he sees most mornings. The dog skids to a halt before him, barking urgently. *”Hey, handsome! Wheres your mum?”* the man asks, puzzled. Bear barks again, spins, and sprints back, glancing to ensure the man follows.
Pushing through the bushes, the manOliverfinds her. Pale, tear-streaked, clutching her twisted leg. *”Morning… though I see its not a great one,”* he amends, kneeling beside her. *”What happened? Your furry alarm clock sounded the alert. Clever dog.”*
Through gritted teeth, she gasps, *”My leg… I think its broken. Cant move it.”*
*”Ambulance it is,”* he says calmly, dialling. His steadiness soothes her.
Paramedics arrive swiftly. The doctor assesses her. *”Fracture, needs X-rays and setting.”*
*”Hospital?”* Her voice wavers. *”But Bear… I live alone. Wholl take him?”*
*”Absolutely no pets allowed,”* the nurse confirms.
Oliver doesnt hesitate. *”Give me the leash.”*
*”Butweve only just met! Im Victoria.”*
*”Oliver. Its fine. Lets swap numbers.”* He says it like offering to carry her shopping.
As medics load her into the ambulance, she watches Bear whine, straining toward her while Oliver holds him firmly, murmuring reassurance.
Later, Oliver calls the hospital. *”Victorias doing alright, but its a complex break. Shell need follow-ups,”* the doctor says.
*”Uncomplicated breaks exist?”* Oliver jokes.
*”Plenty!”* the doctor laughs. *”Visit her. Shell need rides to appointments later.”*
Victoria lies in her hospital bed, leg in plaster, aching for Bear. When Oliver arrives with fruit and juice, fresh tears well up. *”Why the sad eyes?”* he asks, unloading the gifts.
*”Im so embarrassed, Oliver… and Bearhow can I thank you?”*
*”Dont be daft. Bear sends his love. Were getting on brilliantly. But he misses youhurry up and heal.”*
His jokes and stories coax a smile from her. Oliver noticesand files away how her smile lights up her eyes.
After a week, Victoria is discharged. She calls Oliver. *”Could you…? Ive got crutches, I could manage a taxi”*
*”Already on my way!”* he cuts in.
An hour later, his car idles outside. As he helps her in, a chocolate-brown whirlwind launches from the back seat. Bear licks her face, whining joyfully. *”Bear! My darling boy!”* She hugs him, crying freely.
Oliver carries her upstairs, then fetches groceries. *”Enough for a few days. Ill pop back later to walk Bear. Call if you need anything.”*
Alone at last, Victoria laughs through tears as Bear nuzzles her. *”Dont cryIm here. Its alright now.”*
And so begins their odd little trio. Oliver arrives dailyearly walks for Bear, so she can rest. Evenings bring groceries, dinners, chores. He drives her to check-ups, steadies her on crutches, fills her quiet with stories. They talk endlessly, discovering shared loves: books, old films, quiet evenings.
She sees past his confidence to the lonely heart beneath. He admires her strength wrapped in fragility.
Months
