Elise had long lost the courage to continue, leaving only endless regret.

Andrew seemed to relish in belittling Elise as a way to win Kimberly’s favor. Sure enough, upon hearing his scornful words, Kimberly immediately stopped sobbing. She turned around, buried her head in Andrew’s neck, and spoke with feigned grievance, “Drew, I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me, Elise wouldn’t have told such lies to trick you into coming back. But this time, Elise has truly gone too far. How could she joke about her own life like this? And Mrs. Watson actually joined her in this farce, deceiving you together.”

“Drew, they clearly don’t take you seriously at all!”

Hidden from Andrew’s view, Kimberly’s eyes gleamed with malice, her face twisted by jealousy.

Even though she knew they couldn’t see her, Elise’s heart skipped a beat when she caught Kimberly’s hate-filled gaze.

A wild thought sprang to her mind—could the car accident that killed her have been orchestrated by Kimberly?

The idea was so shocking that her knees gave way, and she fell heavily to the ground.

“Kim, no one understands me like you do,” Andrew said, holding Kimberly tightly. His voice was filled with venom as he added, “You're different from that two-faced slut Elise, who pretended to love me deeply but mocked me behind my back.

“She always carried herself with that condescending attitude, as if she was doing charity work, looking at me with pity like I was some beggar."

“Who wants her damn pity?” he seethed.

Kimberly gently touched Andrew’s cheek with her delicate hand, her eyes brimming with feigned tenderness.

As their intimacy escalated, Elise clenched her teeth in fury. Yet, she had no place to hide and could only squat in the corner, staring blankly.

Her heart seemed like a barren wasteland. She had spent eight years with Andrew—helping him build his career, traveling with him from city to city, enduring hardships together. In their poorest days, they couldn’t even afford a decent meal and survived on water and plain steamed buns.

Back then, they were comrades-in-arms, trusting and relying on each other. During those days, Andrew often apologized to her, saying, “Elise, you wouldn’t have had to suffer so much if it weren’t for me. You wouldn’t have endured so many sneers and insults.”

The concern and guilt in his eyes were real. At the time, Elise would always smile and comfort him, feigning toughness. “As long as I can help you, it’s all worth it.

“So, knowing how hard this is for me, you must love me even more in the future. Got it?” she teased.

Andrew would nod firmly without hesitation, tears brimming in his eyes. “Elise, I swear, I, Andrew Williams, will never let you down for the rest of my life. If I break this promise, may I meet a horrible end.”

Elise had hastily covered his mouth, playfully scolding him for making such a vicious oath, fearing it might come true.

But now, squatting on the floor with her hands over her ears, she wished every word of that oath would be fulfilled.

Andrew and Kimberly spent an entire day in their sordid affair.

A full day and night had passed without any news from Elise. This unusual silence momentarily broke through Andrew’s lust-clouded mind.

He grew restless, distracted even while speaking with Kimberly.

However, Kimberly was busy preparing for her upcoming art exhibition—a reward from Andrew for her devotion—and didn’t notice his unease.

Watching him hesitate, Elise saw Andrew finally open her contact number on his phone. For once, he actively called her.

The other end of the line greeted him with the same piercing busy tone.

Andrew made several calls, but no one answered. His face darkened with fury as he angrily sent a voice message. “Elise, have you had enough of this nonsense?! If you have the guts, never pick up my calls or respond to my messages! Just wait to sign the divorce papers!”

Elise stood silently to the side, her heart calm and unmoved. She now wanted the marriage to end even more than Andrew did, but unfortunately, it was no longer within her power to make it happen.

In the past, whenever Andrew abandoned her for Kimberly, she would confront him in a fit of rage. At first, Andrew would explain himself and try to coax her patiently. But the moment she demanded he cut ties with Kimberly, his demeanor would shift, and he’d threaten her with divorce.

The word "divorce" had always been Andrew’s ultimate weapon against Elise—a weapon that never failed. The moment he brought it up, Elise felt as if her throat was seized, her strength drained completely. She would humble herself, sometimes even apologize, begging him not to end their marriage.

But this time, as the seconds and minutes ticked by, her phone remained silent.

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Now, she truly wished she could sign the divorce papers Andrew spoke of so often. But she was already dead.

Andrew, enraged, grabbed the nearest object on the table and hurled it at the white wall. The loud shattering sound startled Kimberly, who jumped in fright.

The glass cup smashed against the wall, sending shards flying everywhere. One sharp fragment grazed Kimberly’s cheek, and blood instantly seeped out.

“Ah! Blood!” Kimberly cried out, trembling as she clutched her face.

Andrew froze mid-motion, then quickly discarded whatever he was holding and rushed to her side, panicked. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Since Elise couldn’t stray far from Andrew, she had no choice but to follow them into the car.

The hospital was just past the traffic lights. As they reached the intersection, Andrew’s phone suddenly rang. A flicker of excitement crossed his eyes before he quickly suppressed it.

Elise caught the fleeting expression in the rearview mirror and let out a bitter, mocking smile. Did Andrew think it was her calling him?

No wonder he deliberately let the call ring, only picking it up right before it would go to voicemail, as if doing the caller a favor.

Before the other party could speak, Andrew’s voice rang out, full of smugness and condescension.

“Hello? Have you come to your senses?”

“Elise, let me tell you, even if you beg me on your knees this time, I’m determined to divorce you.”

“You’re shameless…”

To his surprise, the voice on the other end was not Elise’s but instead the weary tone of Grace, Elise's mother.

Elise’s heart twisted painfully, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably as she choked out a single word. “Mom…”

Since relocating to Los Angeles with Andrew for his business, Elise rarely went home except during holidays.

Andrew had said he didn’t like her focusing on anyone but him, not even her own parents.

At the time, her heart had felt a twinge of unease, but Andrew’s tender kisses convinced her that his possessiveness stemmed from his deep love.

Looking back now, Elise wished she could slap herself. She finally understood the unsaid words in her parents’ eyes every time she visited home.

The signs had been there all along; she had simply been too blinded by memories of love to confront the cruel reality.

On the phone, Grace’s voice was heavy with sorrow as she continued, “Andrew, even if you dislike Elise, she is still your wife. For this final journey, you should see her off—for the sake of both sentiment and reason.”

"Elise... she's about to be cremated," Grace choked out.

Andrew froze mid-action, his brows furrowing deeply in irritation. "Her final journey? You people are really putting on quite the act, aren’t you?"

"Put Elise on the phone! Or we’ll meet in court!"

On the other end of the line, Grace finally broke down, her voice trembling with rage and despair. "Elise is really dead! How is she supposed to answer your call?"

"She loved you so much, yet you won’t even show up for her final send-off. Andrew, you heartless beast!"

Andrew’s patience snapped. Muttering a curse under his breath, he abruptly ended the call, his face dark as ink.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Kimberly hunched over, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

Andrew forced himself to suppress his frustration and offered some half-hearted reassurance. "We’re almost at the hospital. There won’t be a scar, don’t worry."

Kimberly pressed her lips tightly together and murmured a soft "Mm," lifting her head to gaze out of the window.

Her face betrayed no sign of concern. Instead, it radiated triumph and satisfaction, as though a well-executed plan had succeeded.

A chill ran through Elise’s ghostly form. Her earlier suspicions felt increasingly validated.

If Kimberly could orchestrate an accident to kill her, did that mean she could also harm her parents?

If her parents were gone, then everything that belonged to the Watson family would inevitably fall into Andrew’s hands.

The thought sent Elise into a cold sweat. Her jaw trembled violently, and her cheeks ached from clenching her teeth.

What could she do? What options did she have?

How could she warn her parents to beware of Kimberly?

She racked her brains, only to realize with despair that she was utterly powerless.

No one could see her. She couldn’t touch anything.

Guilt, regret, and hatred twisted together, swallowing her whole.

She hated herself—for her blindness in life, for her helplessness in death. She had not only met a tragic end but might also drag her parents into the abyss.

The traffic light turned green, and Andrew stepped on the gas. His phone rang again.

It was a call from the traffic police.

"Is this the owner of the Bentley with license plate ending in 0312?"

Andrew frowned in confusion. "Yes, that’s me. What’s the issue?"

"You can’t leave your car in the middle of the road. Please come and have it towed immediately."

Andrew’s expression shifted slightly, and he slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching against the asphalt.

"What are you talking about?"

The officer, sensing his unease, kindly explained again, "Your car was involved in a serious accident and is totaled. I understand it’s hard to accept losing a loved one, but leaving it there obstructs traffic..."

Elise’s mind jolted with realization. The car the officer was describing was the very one she had been driving when she died.

Horns blared and curses flew from the cars behind them, but Andrew ignored it all.

"Lost someone? Who died?"

Suddenly, Andrew slumped back into his seat, his face pale as a sheet. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.

The officer, realizing that Andrew was completely in the dark, shuffled some papers before continuing,

"The deceased was Elise... a double fatality. she and her unborn baby died in that car accident!"