I kept wondering what I had done to deserve such suffering. Now that I had finally escaped all the agony, I still had to watch Quentin tear me down as a mentally unstable drunk driver, even in death.

He stood before my body, looking unusually relaxed for someone always so serious. "Tay won't have to worry anymore now. I'll have more chances in court to fight for what's right for her."

Quentin threw aside the papers he'd planned to use against me, his gaze hardening with hostility. "You've caused Tay enough trouble. I'm not letting you off the hook, even if you're dead!"

He planned to put all the blame for the accident on me.

But it was Taylor who messed with my car. She sabotaged the brakes and mixed psychoactive drugs and alcohol into my sleep tonic, planning to take me out in a crash.

Quentin seemed to recall something and turned to Anya beside him. "I heard they found a child's body at the accident site. Is that true?"

After Anya confirmed it, his eyes lit up with satisfaction. He wore that confident, courtroom swagger like he already had the victory in the bag.

"That makes it even easier. She's probably some immoral woman who had a kid out of wedlock. She put the kid in the front seat and drove drunk without caring about the kid's safety. That just added another charge to her," he said.

But it was Quentin who begged me to have Ruby. The child he insisted I bring into the world was sitting in the front seat just to make sure the birthday cake didn't tip over.

She was our Ruby—desperately seeking his approval and hoping for happiness for both of us.

Ruby always cared about her appearance and was afraid of pain, but she shielded me from the explosion without hesitation. After suffering unimaginable pain, she died in my arms, her face unrecognizable.

Now, Ruby had become another excuse for Quentin to slander me.

"What was the name of the person who died again?" Quentin asked. "I need to look her up and see if she has any criminal history!"

Anya freaked out for a second, but Quentin was too caught up in his vengeful frenzy to even notice.

"Quent, she's dead, so there's no reason to waste your time on her. Tay's waiting for you!"

Yeah, I had died in agony. I overdosed on the drugs Anya had given me on purpose. Of course, she didn't have the nerve to tell Quentin who I really was.

After all, as long as I was here, I'd always get in the way of Quentin and Taylor's relationship—especially with Ruby in the picture.

Quentin thought for a moment and realized Anya was right. "You're right. With the evidence we have and no one to back up her side, it's enough to ruin her and leave her with no way to clear her name!"

He pulled out his phone and saw there were no messages on WhatsApp. A thought crossed his mind, and he felt like something was off.

"Anya, did Sharon stop by your hospital today?" Quentin asked.

Anya got nervous but quickly pulled herself together. "Why would Sharon come to the hospital when she's perfectly fine? And if she did, you'd be the first to know."

Everyone knew how much I depended on Quentin.

Quentin sighed, nodding like he was on the same page as her. "That woman's nuts! She called me earlier, saying she had a car accident, too! Like, seriously? Couldn't she come up with something more believable?

"Tay just had an accident, and she's claiming the same thing right after! And now she's giving me the cold shoulder and hasn't texted me in days. Does she think I'm just going to cave?"

His voice dripped with disgust, like he was talking about a sworn enemy.

But I'd been gone for a while by then. His precious Taylor was the one who'd ended me.

I wasn't giving him the cold shoulder or trying to make him cave. He'd never hear from me again or have a daughter named Ruby.

My soul followed Quentin back home. The home I'd put so much effort into decorating was now full of signs of Taylor.

"Quent!" The moment Taylor saw Quentin walk in, she jumped into his arms.

He softly stroked Taylor's head and didn't push her away, letting her tighten her hold.

Meanwhile, even if I just tried to be a little cute with the way I talked, Quentin would always call me out. "You're all grown up, yet you still act so childish."

Now, he smiled warmly, his voice full of affection. "You're all grown up, yet you still act like a kid."

He said the same thing, but it wasn't me he was doting on.

Taylor hugged him even tighter. Her voice had the perfect blend of annoyance and hesitation.

"Why can't I? I don't get much time with you, and if Sharon comes back, she'll call me out for being shameless again!"

I fought with Quentin so many times because of Taylor. I told him he was crossing the line with her, but he thought I was blowing things out of proportion and that it was all in my head.

The most ridiculous moment was when Ruby was really sick with a high fever. I still hadn't learned how to drive yet, but Quentin left me behind to celebrate Taylor's birthday at her place.

He even left a whole room full of friends and family on our engagement day. He didn't care about the whispers or the stares I was getting from everyone and just bolted out of the hall to look for Taylor.

It was all because of a message from her saying she couldn't live without him and wanted to end it all.

Quentin spoiled Taylor and let her have her way with everything, including calling him her husband. It was all because she was his childhood sweetheart and had a history of suicide attempts.

That was why Anya, Taylor's younger sister, felt comfortable seeing Quentin as her brother-in-law.

That was also why, even though Taylor had no professional experience, Quentin was fine with having her around and even brought her along while handling cases.

I was concerned the other partners might have issues with it, and given the clients' privacy, I kept telling Quentin not to let Taylor get involved at work.

But Taylor thought I was targeting her and kept throwing digs at me before Quentin.

So, when I received her threatening message, I didn't take it seriously—I figured it was just empty threats. I never thought she'd actually mess with my car and try to run me over.

When I saw Taylor speeding toward me in her car, I hit the brakes hard, trying to swerve out of the way, but it was pointless. Just before my car flipped, I heard her triumphant laugh.

She messed up her clothes and gave herself a few cuts. Before Quentin showed up, she made herself look like a scared victim who'd just accidentally caused the crash.

…

After hearing Taylor's response, Quentin pulled her out of his arms, irritation obvious in his eyes.

"Why do you keep bringing her up? She's just some self-righteous woman. Does she really think giving me the silent treatment will make me want to make up with her? No way!"

Even so, he faltered. He pulled out his phone and hesitated before dialing my number.

But Taylor stopped him with a playful tone. "Quent, Sharon's just being childish. She's probably still mad, so don't egg her on!"

Her words seemed to calm Quentin, and his voice shifted from uncertain to determined. "You're right, Sharon's way too narrow-minded. She doesn't even come close to how great you are!"

He gently stroked Taylor's face, his fingers brushing over the scar left by the car accident's flying debris. "That must hurt, huh? Don't worry, Tay. I'll make the person who did this to you pay!"

Quentin was asking her if it hurt, but he never bothered to check on me when I was burned by the raging fire.

I'd already paid the price. I'd been branded as someone who didn't love herself, and I lost Ruby and my life, didn't I?

In the days that followed, Quentin never brought me up again. Instead, he was always by Taylor's side—shopping, watching movies, getting ready for her birthday.

Since I was dead and had no family or friends to speak for me, the court made its final call after deliberating—Quentin's side won.

How ironic that was. Quentin, my boyfriend, was a top lawyer, yet I didn't even have anyone to represent me in court after I died.

Quentin was in great spirits in the days leading up to the judgment.

Logically, this case was another win for his career—something that could boost his future. Emotionally, his involvement meant Taylor wouldn't have to take the fall, which fed right into his need to protect her.

I floated beside Quentin, watching him and Taylor act all lovey-dovey, calling each other husband and wife. But they never crossed that final line, not even at the end.

I couldn't help but feel the irony. Quentin's behavior now was pretty much the same as crossing that final line. I wondered who he was pretending to be so principled for.

He had quietly checked out of our relationship a long time ago.

The night before the judgment was handed down, I saw Quentin actually take the initiative to message me for the first time.

"Sharon, that should be enough for your little show. If you come home now, I'll let you off the hook for the tantrums you've been throwing lately."

His text oozed with condescension, like he was doing me a huge favor by sending it.

He paused for a moment before texting again. "I've got Ruby now, so don't worry. I'm not going to leave you. I just see Tay as a sister."