Freeing Her at the Cost of My Life

I was drifting in the air, stunned. I watched as the heart monitor beside me flatlined, its beeping alarm ringing through the room.The person in the hospital bed was barely recognizable—severely burned, completely wrapped in thick bandages, with no way to tell their gender.The patient chart at the foot of the bed was the only clue to their identity.But Quentin Scofield couldn't care less about that. All he cared about was finding a way to clear his beloved Taylor Cross of any charges."Quent, you came…" The nurse, Anya Cross, guided Quentin into the ward, but her words trailed off when she saw my body, still and lifeless.It wasn't that she hadn't seen death before, but it was only natural to feel a little stunned when her lifelong dream finally came true."The victim's dead?" Quentin was surprised, but then a look of excitement flashed in his eyes. "That's great! No witnesses mean I can make the case that Tay's not responsible!"I floated in the air, eyes locked on Quentin,

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,

His colleague paused at the other end of the line, then pressed on, stressing each word. "Quentin, the deceased's info matches Sharon's exactly. The name, ID number, address—everything's the same."Quentin looked like all the strength had just drained out of him, and he crumpled to the floor. His phone slipped from his hand, clattering beside him. His custom suit was a mess, all wrinkled and disheveled.He stared ahead, his eyes lost and empty."Quent, what's going on?" Taylor could see he was completely falling apart. She ignored the murmurs from the guests and bent down to help him up."Quent, can you keep up the act a bit longer, just for me?" she whispered in his ear, her voice as sweet as ever.But Quentin didn't go along with her like she thought he would. He pushed himself up with her help, his steps unsteady.He looked at Taylor, still as beautiful as he remembered.But the way he looked at her had changed. It wasn't filled with the sweetness it once had. It was replaced with s

Quentin seemed to snap awake, his shoulders shaking. He tried to get up and grab the staff member's hand, but he stumbled and crashed to the floor."Ruby's my daughter. Please, I need to see her! I'm her dad!" Quentin exclaimed.I finally saw Ruby again. She used to be so full of life, always laughing.My heart, which had been numb for so long, couldn't keep it together when I saw the small urn sitting quietly on the shelf. I wanted to break down and cry, but all that came out were dry, painful sobs.No one ever told me that tears vanish after death.I tried to find Ruby after I died, but I never saw her, not even once.Quentin stared at the urn, lost in silence. His tears seemed to have dried up, leaving nothing but a heart full of despair.How could he not be heartbroken? This was his first child, the one he begged me to keep, the one he'd been hoping for so desperately.That Ruby, who used to laugh and get into trouble, now lay alone in a small box. No one even knew who she

Taylor came looking for him repeatedly, even bringing Anya with her a few times. They dressed provocatively and threw themselves at Quentin as soon as he opened the door.But every time, he would rip into them and throw them out.The worst time was when Quentin grabbed a kitchen knife. His eyes were bloodshot as he threatened Taylor, warning her never to bother him or me again.He looked totally unhinged, and it scared Taylor senseless. She took off without saying another word.By the second week of Quentin being home, the police finally had some news.As Taylor's defense lawyer, Quentin took back his statement and admitted to tampering with evidence at the scene. His confession played a huge role in moving the reinvestigation forward.The police found my phone in a corner, more than 30 feet away from the accident site. The technicians unlocked it and found the provocative text Taylor had sent me.With the evidence stacked against her and witnesses speaking up, Taylor finally ad