It was not until my death that I realized my husband would not touch me because he was deeply in love with my best friend.

The two spent their entire lives longing for each other, but never crossing the line, staying loyal from afar.

Even my best friend's professor husband lived his life like a celibate monk.

After being reborn, I seized the moment and held the professor's hand. "I like you. Let's be together."

His eyes darkened as he replied, "Perfect. I feel the same."

We instantly connected. However, this time, it was my husband and best friend who were not happy about it.

As I was weakened to my very last breath by lung cancer, I finally closed my eyes.

However, my soul did not disappear. It simply left my body.

I watched as my husband, who was not yet past his 40s, and my childhood best friend tightly embraced each other in the hospital room. They looked like a pair of inseparable lovebirds, pouring out their hearts to one another.

"Hen, don't be too sad now that Ren's gone," Sadie murmured.

"Sadie, I'm just glad I still have you with me," Henry replied.

"Mm, I'll take Ren's place and stay by your side forever from now on. I'll even give you a child so we can be together," she promised.

If I were not a ghost at that moment, I would have applauded this shameless pair.

I thought back to when Sadie Shaw's husband passed away from stomach cancer. She had not seemed all that sad.

Instead, it was my husband, Henry Wagner, who had teary eyes as he tirelessly arranged everything for her. He even told me to take extra care of her since she would be all alone now.

At the time, I comforted her, and she said, "Honestly, I never really did love Quinn. You don't know how much I envy you for having Henry by your side."

I was too foolish back then to catch the hidden meaning behind her words. I hugged her and said, "We're all family. If it makes you happy, you can treat him like your husband too."

When I said those words, I did not notice Henry's hand knocking over a plate in his agitation, nor did I see the affectionate gaze Sadie cast in his direction.

Looking back now, I realized how inappropriate my words had been.

After 20 years of marriage, I never once realized they had been secretly involved all along.

The bitterness and resentment I felt swelled into a powerful force that dragged my soul into an abyss.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself 20 years in the past, sitting in a cafe. My best friends and I were at a matchmaking event.

Across the table sat a much younger Quinn Green. He still wore his signature gold-rimmed glasses, and his face was delicate and handsome, like a character straight out of a comic book.

In my previous life, Sadie had said she did not like tall men. After the event, she proactively asked Quinn out, and they quickly got married.

Meanwhile, I ended up with the leftover option—Henry. Day after day, we had been dating and gradually decided we were compatible enough to settle down together.

However, looking at Henry now, I supposed his gaze was fixed on the petite Sadie the entire time.

I decided to take the initiative this time. Even if we could not end up together, saving Quinn from his fate would at least earn me some good karma.

"Mr. Green, right? I like you. Want to go for a walk with me?" I said, breaking from my usual habit of letting Sadie choose first.

Sadie looked at me in surprise.

Across from me, Quinn remained silent. I expected him to refuse, but to my astonishment, he replied, "Sure."

Quinn stood up and even picked up my bag for me. "Shall we?"

It was not until we were a good distance from the cafe that I snapped out of my daze. I looked at him apologetically.

"Sorry about earlier. I didn't mean for you to misunderstand. I'm not—"

"Not what?" he asked. There was a faint smile playing on his lips as he adjusted his glasses with a finger.

"Ms. Caswell, don't you want to go on a date with me?"

His smile sent my rational thoughts scattering, leaving only the pounding of my heart.

Frankly, Quinn's appearance did not align with conventional standards of attractiveness. He was too refined, and too scholarly.

He had a slim frame that did not exactly scream physical strength.

However, I still heard the sound of my own heart skipping a beat when Quinn looked at me.

"Mr. Green, aren't you bothered by how average I am?" I asked hesitantly.

Quinn smiled. "I think you're wonderful, Ms. Caswell."

For the next few days, Sadie did not come to see me. She was probably busy romancing Henry.

I could not be bothered to ask about them and instead focused all of my energy on dating Quinn.

In this era, love was not rushed like fast food. Dates were simple—just strolling through the streets and chatting about life and dreams.

One day, while talking about how I had to drop out of school to support my younger brother, I mentioned how much I regretted it. He suddenly interrupted me.

"Take the exams again, Ren," he said.

"What… what did you say?"

"Take the SATs again. Education will only become more important in the future."

He was right!

I had been so focused on avoiding the mess with Henry and Sadie that I had not even considered this possibility.

Then again, after having spent an entire lifetime as a housewife, I knew nothing about academics anymore.

Doubt crept in. "Can I really do it?"

He took my hand and said firmly, "Trust me, Ren. You can."

When I got home and sat down, I heard someone shouting from the doorway. I went to check and found Sadie standing there, her face filled with anger.

"Renee Caswell, why are you trying to steal Quinn from me?"

What?

Unlike me, who had grown prematurely weary from raising my siblings, Sadie was a lively and romantic girl. She had always dreamed of dramatic, fairy-tale love stories.

That was why I had always assumed her growing distance from Quinn happened only after they got married.

After I married Henry, I had been busy with my own life and rarely interacted with them too much.

Henry was a skilled laborer with a decent income. He was not the stereotypical macho type and was generally considerate.

He would finish work early to cook dinner when I was pregnant. If I felt unwell, he would massage my feet and chat with me about our day.

Sadie had once seen this when she visited and said enviously, "Your Henry is so sweet."

Her words made me happy, but I thought Quinn was likely just as caring. So, I said, "Quinn is an intellectual. I'm sure he's even sweeter when he wants to be."

She frowned and shook her head. "Don't even get me started. He's just a boring bookworm. Everything about him annoys me.”

"Do you know what happened on our wedding day? He didn't say a single word, and he thought he could touch me then at night? Dream on!"

I was shocked. "So, you two never…"

"Exactly!" Sadie said, lifting her chin with pride. "A woman's body and mind must align to feel joy. Otherwise, how are we any different from animals?"

At the time, I did not know she had forced Quinn to live like a monk his entire life.

It was not until Quinn passed away from stomach cancer that Sadie cried to me about how unfairly she had been treated.

I clearly remembered how much she seemed to hate him, so why was she now acting like I had stolen the love of her life?

I furrowed my brow and asked, "Do you like Quinn?"

If so, what did that make Henry?

She opened her mouth, but did not speak. Still, I could see the truth.

"Oh, I get it. You're upset because I beat you to him. It doesn't matter who it is—as long as I choose someone, you suddenly want them too, right?"

Her face flushed red. "You're spouting nonsense! How could you say that about me?"

"Then what exactly did you mean by what you just said?"

When she realized she could not win the argument, she resorted to throwing a tantrum.

"I don't care! I like Quinn now, so you have to give him to me."

I let out a laugh, feeling both angry and amused.

"I'm not your mother. Why should I give you anything?"

I would not let this ungrateful brat ruin Quinn's life again, not in a million years.

My refusal made her stomp her feet in frustration. Just as she was about to say something else, a cool voice interrupted.

"Even if she were willing to let go, I wouldn't agree to it."

Quinn had returned and was now standing beneath the willow tree. His gaze was icy and resolute.

Quinn looked at Sadie with mockery in his eyes.

"And who do you think you are? Trying to decide my life? Do you even deserve that?"

Sadie's face turned crimson. She looked at Quinn with a pitiful expression, but he was completely unmoved.

Quinn walked over and handed me a stack of books.

"I thought it might be inconvenient for you, so I went ahead and bought them for you."

His thoughtfulness only fueled Sadie's jealousy, which burned brighter in her eyes. She turned her gaze to me with an aggrieved look.

"Renee, we grew up together. I've always seen you as an older sister. Why are you taking Mr. Green from me?"

She clasped her hands together, tears streaming down her face like a tragic heroine.

"I really want to be with Mr. Green. Please, I'm begging you—could you let me have him?"

Quinn let out a cold laugh.

"Do you not speak the same language? I already said, even if she let me go, I still wouldn't get together with you!"

His tone carried undisguised contempt, and I instinctively glanced at him. It was odd—at this point in time, he should not have known Sadie very well.

Before I could dwell on it, Sadie stomped off in frustration.

Quinn turned back to me. "Don't even think about letting her have me, got it?"

I nodded. "Alright."

I carried the books home, but I was struck on the back of my head before I could set them down.

"Where did you get the money to buy books, you little brat?" my mom, Kate Summers, yelled out. Her face was stormy with anger.

"A friend gave them to me," I replied.

"What friend? You're lying! Did you steal money from the house?" she accused.

Her expression darkened further.

"Are you insane? That money was for your brother's health supplements. He finally has a weekend to rest, and I wanted to prepare a nice meal for him. How could you spend it instead?"

Everything was so chaotic that day, and the details were a blur. All I remembered was how embarrassed I felt the next day when Quinn saw my bruised face.

"Sorry, the books you bought for me... my mom returned them," I said awkwardly.

His face turned grim.

"Don't worry, I'll pay you back."

"It's not about the money," he said with a sigh, but did not press further.

That evening, Quinn showed up at my house with several bags of fruit. I had no idea what he discussed with my mom, but after he left, she was all smiles and told me to prepare for marriage.

"Oh, my! I didn't realize my daughter had such good taste. You managed to find a teacher! Ren, when you're successful, don't forget to take care of your brother!"

I said nothing and watched as she cheerfully headed to the kitchen. It did not matter—once I got into college, I would leave anyway.

…

Soon, I married Quinn.

The day when he brought the fruit to my mom, it was to formally propose. The wedding was rushed, but every necessary ritual was properly observed.

I sent invitations to both Sadie and Henry, but neither of them attended.

During the reception, my mother-in-law, Jill Appleton, suddenly asked me to honor the family tradition by kneeling and bowing to their ancestors.

It reminded me of Sadie's stories about her in-laws creating unnecessary hurdles for her. I hesitated, but chose to go along with it.

I knelt and lowered my head three times, trying to appear composed, even though my knees ached on the hardwood floor.

Jill laughed softly at my seriousness. She then leaned forward with a warm smile and clasped a delicate emerald bracelet around my wrist.

What?

Was this the "deliberate humiliation" Sadie had complained about?

I looked at the verdant bracelet, and there was a mix of emotions stirring in my heart.

Quinn took my hand and said softly, "Since Mom gave it to you, just accept it."

After the guests left and the house quieted down, I sat on the wooden bed, feeling a rare sense of shyness.

It was absurd to think about, but Henry barely touched me anymore after my miscarriage. The few times he did, he would sit against the headboard afterward, smoking silently for what felt like hours.

I only learned after my death that the miscarriage had been caused by medicine Sadie gave me—something to "improve blood circulation".

Quinn came out of the bathroom, now in his pajamas while holding a towel. He walked over to me and gently began wiping my hands.