Quentin doted on Kelly even more after she moved in, while I became virtually invisible.

With that, what last vestiges of hope I had for Quentin went up in smoke.

One night, I was going downstairs to get some water when I suddenly heard Kelly's voice from the guest room. "Quen, I can't sleep."

Quentin asked in concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

Kelly sighed. "Oh, it's just the baby… she always starts kicking when it gets late. But I heard that the necklace your family passed down can help soothe one's nerves… May I borrow it?"

Quentin was silent for a moment, but he soon said quietly, "No problem. I'll get it from her—she can have it back after you deliver your baby."

I felt a pang of pain on my chest as I listened.

That necklace wasn't just priceless—it was a symbol of status, passed down among the ladies of the Smith household across generations.

Quentin himself had given it to me when we got married, telling me that it would only belong to me.

That I was the only one he loved.

That I was now the lady of her house.

But now, he was taking it away, so he could give it to another woman just because she asked.

I covered my mouth, refusing to cry out, but that was when the floorboards beneath my feet suddenly creaked softly.

The next second, the door opened, and Quentin appeared.

He was stunned for a moment when he saw me, and a look of guilt showed as he asked, "What are you doing staying up so late?"

I looked up into his eyes, fighting back my grief as I replied, "I needed a drink. Kelly wants my necklace?"

Quentin appeared a little embarrassed. "She's not sleeping well, and the necklace really soothes one's nerves. Don't worry, she's just borrowing it for a while—she'll return it to you after her baby is born."

I nodded and said readily, "Okay, but on one condition."

Quentin's face lit up, and he took a step forward, wanting to hug me. "Oh, Jolin! You're such a considerate person. Don't worry, after Kelly delivers her baby, I'll definitely—"

I quickly stepped back, avoiding his touch—the scent of Kelly's perfume was clinging to him, and it repulsed me.

That cut Quentin off mid-sentence, but he quickly recovered and continued, "Once Kelly gives birth, I'll definitely make it up to you… Look, Jolin—you'll always be my wife and the lady of this house. No one will ever change that."

I nodded, impassive as I said, "Like I said, on one condition."

Turning, I went upstairs to pick up the divorce papers I had prepared, flipped to the signature page, and handed them to him.

Quentin, assuming it was just a matter of his name, signing it without thinking twice. "It's alright—you can buy anything you want. I'll pay."

With that, I unfastened the necklace from my neck and handed it to him, calmly saying, "Here, take it—in fact, Kelly can keep it as long as she wants."

Quentin took the necklace, his fingers trembling a little, and clearly intent on correcting me.

However, all he ended up saying was, "Don't worry, Jo. I'll make it up to you after Kelly gives birth."

I nodded and started back upstairs, when he suddenly reached out to hug me again.

I avoided his touch once more, and this time, I could see a brief flicker of pain in his eyes.

But he said nothing else and returned into Kelly's room with the necklace right away, and she was squealing in delight at the very next second. "Quen, you really got it? Oh, you really spoil me too much!"

I stared outside the window, my heart cold as ice.

Tomorrow.

Once tomorrow ended, I would be gone from this place.

That night, Quentin returned to our bedroom early, hugging me from behind like he always did—like nothing had happened earlier.

I pretended to sleep and didn't return to his embrace, though a second had barely passed when Kelly called his phone, and he left again.

The next day, I opened my eyes to find no one around me, and I started packing my things.

When I went downstairs with my suitcase, I found Quentin sitting beside Kelly, carefully feeding her soup.

He sprang to his feet when he looked up and saw me, panic showing on his face.

Still, he quickly put down the bowl, rubbing his hands nervously as he said, "Good morning, Jolin. Now, don't get the wrong idea here. Kelly wasn't feeling an appetite, so I made her some soup to help."

I nodded calmly and continued toward the door with my suitcase, and Quentin's face darkened when he noticed it.

He leaped up, snatching it off my hands as he snapped, "What do you think you're doing?! Are you really leaving over something so trivial? Can you stop behaving like a petty child for once?! Kelly's here all alone and helpless—it's only right that I take good care of her!"

I stayed silent, but that only made Quentin even angrier as he bellowed, "I told you that she's just staying here for a while! Stop being so jealous!"

He slammed the suitcase on the floor right then, causing me to jump and instinctively clutch my stomach, terrified that it shocked my baby.

Quentin seemed to realize something was wrong, a flicker of guilt crossing his face.

But before he could speak, Kelly came running, holding her bowl of soup and pleading meekly, "Calm down, Jolin. I know it's all my fault, but this soup is really good. You can have some!"

She held out the bowl to me, and my stomach churned when I saw the distinct smear of lipstick on the rim.

Having had enough, I tried to push her hand away. "I'm fine! I don't need it!"

I was as gentle as I could, but the bowl dropped somehow, shattering with a resounding clang even as Kelly screamed dramatically, "Argh! It burns!!!"

She held out her hand, and there wasn't even a smudge on it, but Quentin was panicking anyway and rushed to her side.

Once he was done calming Kelly down, he strode up to me and grabbed my arm, then started dragging me toward the basement.

"You've gone too far this time!" he bellowed. "Kelly is being nice, and not only did you refuse to accept her, but you had to hurt her too! You had better start reflecting on yourself right now!"

"Argh!" I screamed in pain, tears welling up in my eyes as I struggled against his grip.

Along the way, I knocked over the dining table, spilling the soup that scalded my legs and left them burning red.

Even as excruciating pain overwhelmed me, I curled up and collapsed on the floor, trembling uncontrollably.

"Sorry! It's just an accident! Look, you wouldn't be hurt if you just stop struggling!"

Quentin promptly defended himself even as he whipped out his phone to call an ambulance, pursing his lips apologetically when he saw my tears. "Just hang on. I'll get the doctor…"

He hesitantly reached out, intending to pick me up when Kelly cried out in distress from the other side, "Oh, Quen… my stomach hurts so much! Help!"

Quentin's face turned pale as he promptly left my side, sprinting away while telling me, "The ambulance will be here soon. I have to check on Kelly first..."

Exhausted, I collapsed to the floor when I felt a sharp pain tearing through my abdomen.

I reached down and felt the blood streaming down my thighs…

My face turning pale, I cried, "Quentin! The baby… The baby's hurt…"

Quentin turned to look at me, not seeing the blood on the floor as the couch was in the way.

He promptly frowned and snapped, "Did you just threaten me with our child?! How dare you curse your own child like that! Well, let me give it to you straight—your cheap tricks won't work on me!"

And with that, he scooped Kelly up in his arms and soon disappeared.

Even as I lay on the floor, writhing in agony, I pulled out my phone with what strength I had left, calling 911 even as my fingers trembled…

I woke up to the sharp scent of disinfectant filling my nostrils.

I jerked up, instinctively reaching out to feel my stomach, and was left thunderstruck when I felt flatness.

My baby! Where was my baby?!

Even as my face turned pale, and I was about to get out of bed, a nurse hurried into the room toward me, handing a tiny bundle into my arms.

My fingers were trembling as I looked down, my heart calming when I saw my baby's sweet little face.

-

Meanwhile, Quentin was pacing around restlessly in another end of the hospital after rushing Kelly over—the sight of me collapsing on the floor and crying out in pain seemed to echo in his mind.

There was a dull ache in his heart, the sense of foreboding only growing stronger as my tear- covered face was all he could think about.

A trace of guilt would show on his face as he vividly remembered the way I fell so violently and got burned.

And I was pregnant too, but he simply walked away despite my clear distress.

Even so, whenever he reached for his phone, Kelly would lean on him, clutching her belly and gasping in pain. "My tummy hurts… What should I do if the baby gets hurt? I honestly just wanted to apologize… I didn't know she would snap at me like that."

And with that, Quentin put down his phone and assured her, "It's not your fault—I've spoilt her too much. I'll make sure she changes that attitude."

Still, he hung his head and sighed in regret. "It's true that she shouldn't have hurt you, but she got her just deserts when she got hurt too. If anything, it's my fault—she's pregnant too, and I should've been more considerate of her. If I had been, then maybe she wouldn't have been so upset."

Seeing that Quentin really felt guilt over what he did to me, Kelly's eyes briefly flashed in resentment.

Still, she soon sighed miserably as she said, "I didn't want to tell you, but I think Jolin might be insane. She threatened me to leave, or she'd kill my baby..."

Quentin did a double take, as he knew for a fact that I wasn't that ruthless.

That was when Kelly simply showed him his phone, and what good opinion he had of me vaporized as he dropped it angrily.

Still, he reasoned, "Maybe her hormones are causing her to be so emotionally unstable during her pregnancy, and that's why she'd go that far. Don't worry, as long as I'm around, she won't hurt you or the baby… If she dares try anything, I'll kick her out of my house."

Behind Quentin, Kelly smiled triumphantly again.

-

A couple of days later, I arrived at the airport, holding Bonnie, my baby, tightly in my arms.

When my flight departure was announced, I boarded the plane without looking back.

Meanwhile, Quentin and Kelly stayed in the hospital for a week, and once they were sure Kelly was fine, they returned home together.

However, Quentin opened the door to find the house strangely empty, all my possessions nowhere to be found.

His face dropping, he whipped out his phone and finally called me, but all he heard was static beeping.

He snorted angrily, thinking that I was just being petty and hiding from him.

We had been together for so long after all—he'd never believe that I would give up on us so easily.

However, when I still didn't return after another week, Quentin started to panic.

He would call me repeatedly, but the number remained dead.

After searching the whole city but still finding no sign of me, he finally broke down and sent all his men to find me.

Eventually, one of them arrived gingerly with a report and some documents. "Sir, you're officially divorced, so you're not legally allowed to call for a search… There's even copies of divorce papers with your signature on it."

"What?!" Quentin exclaimed, incredulous.

Seeing that he was ready to kill, the man quickly added, "But wait! I've already searched for her and found her name registered on an airline manifest. She left the city on Flight WB123 just two weeks ago, but it crashed with no survivors… I think we lost her, sir."

Quentin was left standing there, thunderstruck.