While foraging for mushrooms to scrape by on my meager pension, I tumbled into a hidden bunker beneath the ground… The sight inside left me utterly horrified…

He didn’t move, only closed his eyes. At that moment, silence arose between them, but not empty. Filled.

Sarah looked at the puppy, and then, without taking her eyes off, said. «She will know who you were. And who her father was.»

And at that moment, everyone in that office understood. This little girl, even though tiny, already had a family. The family her father left her in the form of his most loyal friend.

Later that evening, Jack, standing by the window, read the remaining lines of the letter. In it, Alex wrote. «I knew I wouldn’t return.

That night, I felt everything slipping away. But I held on as long as I could. And Rex… He didn’t leave.

He warmed me, licked my face, tried to lift me. But he understood. Then I just pressed her to my chest and whispered to him.

Guard. He understood. He always understood.»

Jack closed his eyes and clenched the letter. He suddenly wanted to believe that Alex’s soul was still here, nearby. That he saw Rex standing guard, his daughter sleeping under the blanket, his wife smiling through tears.

The next morning, the department gathered for an urgent meeting. The question was one. What to do with the puppy? The answer was obvious.

«She stays with Sarah,» said Jack. «And with Rex. This isn’t up for discussion.»

No one objected. Not a single voice spoke against. Because everyone knew.

This wasn’t just a dog. This was the last will of their comrade. And he deserved for it to be fulfilled.

From that day, Rex had a new mission. He didn’t just lose a partner. He found a purpose.

Weeks passed. Sarah named the puppy Bella. She grew under Rex’s watchful eye, who didn’t step away from her….