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The dog, breaking free from the policeman's grip, lunged violently toward its master, as if it had been trying to part with him for twelve years in an instant.
She fell into his arms, knocked him off his feet, and for the first time in years, the prisoner felt neither the cold nor the weight of his chains. Only warmth.
He hugged the dog tightly, burying his face in its thick fur. Tears he hadn't been able to shed all these years flowed freely.
He cried loudly, shamelessly, like a child, and the dog whimpered softly, as if he, too, understood their time was short.
"You're my girl... my faithful one..." he whispered, hugging her even tighter. "What will you do without me?..."
His hands trembled; he stroked her back, over and over, as if trying to memorize every little detail. The dog looked at him with devoted eyes.
"Forgive me... for leaving you alone," his voice broke, becoming hoarse. "I couldn't prove the truth... but at least you always needed me."
The guards stood still, many of them looking away. Even the harshest of them couldn't remain indifferent: before them stood not a criminal, but a man who, in the final minutes of his life, held the only thing in the world in his hands.
He looked at the guard and said, his voice breaking:
"Take care of her..."
He asked the guard to take her home and promised not to resist and to accept his punishment.
At that moment, the silence became unbearable. The dog barked again, sharply and loudly, as if protesting against what was about to happen.
And the prisoner hugged her once more, as tightly as only a human can, and said goodbye forever.
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