For over a decade, Rex had been her constant companion.

At first, she assumed he was just nervous, but what she soon discovered changed her view of love forever. Anna paused, her dress billowing around her as Rex pressed himself against her legs. He didn’t bark or growl, he simply looked at her with an intensity that sent a chill down her spine.

“Rex, come on, buddy,” she whispered, trying to move him. He didn’t budge. The whispers grew louder, her father reaching for the leash.

“Anna, we need to move on,” he urged. Rex let out a low growl, causing even her father to hesitate. Anna’s heart sank.

Rex never growled. She knelt down, her dress falling around her, and took his face in her hands. “What’s wrong, boy?” she murmured, stroking his sitting muzzle.

Then she saw it, the heavy breathing, the trembling legs. Her breath caught in her throat, something was terribly wrong. Anna called her mother, her voice full of impatience, we are running out of time.

“What is going on?” But Anna was oblivious to everything but Rex, the one who had been with her through every sorrow and triumph. She leaned down, gently pressing her forehead to his. “I’m here, Rex,” she whispered.

“I won’t leave.” “You.” When she helped him sit up, his body pressed heavily against hers.

The guests murmured in confusion, but Anna heard nothing. Rex’s amber eyes begged her, as if trying to say something words could not express. “Rex,” she whispered again, her voice shaking…

Her fiancé, Ivan Kovalev, stepped forward, concern written all over his face. “Anna, are you all right?” he asked softly. She looked at him, then back at Rex.

The knot of anxiety in her chest tightened. Her father crouched down next to her. “Anna, we can’t wait much longer.”

“The ceremony must begin,” he said. She barely heard his words, her mind racing to memories. Rex as a puppy, shivering in a thunderstorm.

Rex standing guard during her worst heartbreaks. Rex running through the park the day she met Ivan. He had always been her anchor, and now something was terribly wrong.

Without hesitation, she decided, we’re going to the vet, she said firmly. Her mother gasped. “The wedding can be postponed,” she added, standing and gathering her skirts.

She turned to Ivan, her voice soft. “I’m sorry, but I can’t leave him like this.” Ivan didn’t hesitate.

“You don’t need to apologize.” “Rex comes first,” he said. The shocked guests watched as Anna, still in her wedding dress, led Rex to her car.

Ivan followed them, calling the vet, while her father explained the situation to the priest. As they drove away, Anna’s attention was only on the dog who had devoted 13 years of love to her. Rex snuggled against her, his breathing shallow but steady, trusting her completely…