She Needs Me by Her Side

"Carlee Hood, who do you think Dominic would save if we both crashed? My bet's on me!"

The moment five steel bars speared through my body, Paige Ryan, sitting in the passenger seat, calmly pulled her hands back from the steering wheel she had just yanked. She sneered, "Make sure you hang on a little longer, alright? Dying too fast would be such a bore."

The rain had been relentless lately, leaving the roads flooded and treacherous.

Up ahead, a flash flood came crashing down from the mountain, throwing everything into chaos. I was so focused on navigating the road that I barely noticed her.

I never imagined that the student I had been sponsoring, someone I thought I was helping, would harbor such malice toward me.

I glared at her, my anger rising.

Yet, she didn't even spare me a glance. She was too busy on her phone, calling my husband, telling him to hurry up and rescue her.

My husband Dominic Davis' car wasn't far behind ours.

The moment he got the call, he rushed over, braving the downpour like a whirlwind.

We had been together for ten years, married for seven. He practically lived in his lab. However, whenever he had free time, it was Paige he would spend it with.

I had once suspected he was cheating, and we had fought over it countless times. The disappointment and bitterness gnawed at me, wearing me down.

Still, the moment he saw me injured, it didn't matter how he tried to hide it, the sheer panic and worry on his face were unmistakable.

"Carlee, don't be scared! I'm here!"

His voice, mixed with the pounding rain, filtered through the shattered window, sending a chill down my spine.

The smell of gasoline inside the car was getting stronger, and I had no idea when it might explode. Moreover, with the flash flood raging down the mountain, who knew if it would sweep through the road at the base?

I wanted to tell him to leave me behind and run.

Just as I was about to speak, Paige wailed, "Dominic, my head hurts so much! I'm so scared!"

"Carlee, it looks like Paige is in worse shape. Hang in there, okay? I'll save her first and come back for you. Don't worry!" Dominic tried to reassure me.

Then, he rushed to the passenger seat without even a glance in my direction, scooping Paige into his arms and running off.

I had lost count of how many times he had chosen her over me.

I was the one who was his wife!

I wanted to call his name, but blood clogged my throat the moment I opened my mouth. Pain tore through my chest and stomach like a knife, and a wave of despair drowned me.

Everything blurred into a red haze, and I couldn't see or move.

I thought this was the end. But then, a team of firefighters fought to pull me out and rushed me to the hospital.

After I woke up, I ended up back in the emergency room two more times.

The firefighters and hospital called Dominic over and over again. Alas, he refused to come, saying he had to stay with the injured Paige.

In the end, it was the firefighters who covered my medical expenses.

I had internal bleeding in multiple organs, caught an infection from the rain, and the hospital scrambled to call in several specialists for an emergency consultation.

Before I was wheeled into the ICU, I managed to call Dominic. "I just got out of the emergency room, but they're sending me to the ICU. You need to come to the hospital, pay my medical bills, and reimburse the firefighters who paid for me."

At this point, I was barely clinging to life. Frankly, it took every ounce of strength I had left to make that call. Each word I forced out sent fresh waves of pain through my body, sweat dripping from my forehead.

Yet, he simply said, "If you're well enough to call me, it can't be that bad. There's no need for me to come. Paige's unwell and having nightmares. She needs me by her side."

He had to be with her when she was doing experiments, when she was in a bad mood, when it was her birthday…

And now, even when I was on the verge of death, he still had to be with her!

I was done with his favoritism.

"Dominic Davis, I've got five steel rods through my body—I nearly died! Paige doesn't even have a scratch on her. You saw it with your own eyes! Do you really not know whose injuries are worse? Do you even realize the crash happened because she yanked the wheel from me?"

I'm Here to Make an Arrest

I screamed out all my pent-up resentment, my voice cracking as tears streamed into my mouth, leaving a bitter taste.

I thought Dominic would finally see Paige for who she really was after everything that had happened.

Instead, he snapped, "Paige told me you staged the accident to frame her. At first, I didn't believe it, but now I see it's true. You'd risk lives over jealousy? Carlee, you're so vicious. No wonder my family can't stand you. I'm disgusted. You've disappointed me!"

Once he said his piece, he hung up.

Who in their right mind would stage an accident at the cost of their own life?

I called him again and again, refusing to give up. No answer. Then, I was blocked.

The cruelty of it all left me boiling with anger and heartbreak.

My emotions hit me like a tidal wave, and I coughed up a mouthful of blood that splattered across the phone and the hospital bed. The metallic taste of it filled my nose, and I felt the sting of betrayal run even deeper.

The hospital hallway buzzed with noise as the medical staff hurried to wheel me back to the emergency room.

Just before the doors closed, I caught a glimpse of Dominic standing with his back to me, holding Paige in his arms like a couple madly in love.

She tilted her head up to kiss him.

At that very moment, my hands, my feet—my very heart—turned ice cold.

"Her internal bleeding has started again!"

"We might not be able to save her."

The voices of the medical staff buzzed around me, constant and unrelenting.

The pain was unbearable, excruciating. Maybe death would hurt less than this.

Suddenly, I remembered Dominic's harsh words, Paige's smug grin as she claimed he would always choose her, and the image of them kissing outside the emergency room.

I couldn't let it end like this. I wasn't ready to die.

I had to survive—if only to demand justice for myself!

Over the next two weeks, I bounced in and out of the ICU three times. I actually survived it all. Even the doctors said it was nothing short of a miracle.

However, Dominic didn't even visit me once during the two months I was hospitalized. Not a single call, not a single message.

When I finally got discharged, I went straight home.

Two months away, and everything had changed. The place was littered with women's clothes and shoes that weren't mine.

My jewelry and bags were tossed around the room like junk, clothes piled up like trash.

And there, in my bedroom, was a framed photo of Dominic and Paige together.

Just when I thought I had seen the depths of their shamelessness, they always found a new way to sink lower.

I bit down hard on my lip, so hard that I tasted blood, before finally letting go.

Dominic wasn't home, and I was still blocked on his phone. Calling him was pointless, so I had no choice but to drive to his university lab.

On the way, I called the police and reported the accident from two months ago, asking them to send someone to the lab to arrest Paige for questioning. I told them it wasn't an accident. Paige had grabbed the wheel, causing the crash.

When I arrived at the lab soon afterward, I barely made it to the entrance before the security guard stopped me. "Sorry, Ms. Hood, your access card is no longer valid."

"That's impossible. I'm part of Dominic Davis' research team. The card must be malfunctioning. Just call him, and you'll see."

The guard had seen me countless times before. So, he agreed and called Dominic. After a brief conversation, he handed me the phone.

Dominic's voice came through, cold and detached. "You haven't shown up in two months. Did you think the research data would just wait for you?"

I gripped my phone tightly. "Dominic, don't you think that's heartless? I nearly died! I spent two months in the hospital!"

"That's your own doing. You hurt Paige! You're no longer part of my research team. She'll take your place, and all your research data will be credited to her. That's what you owe her!"

I was a doctoral student at a prestigious university, yet he wanted to replace me with a sophomore. The audacity!

I was ready to unleash a torrent of insults, but he hung up on me before I could.

A moment later, Paige had the nerve to text me, 'I want your man, your research achievements, and even your fortune… Carlee, when you decided to insult me with your discarded laptop and clothes, you should have seen this coming!'

I had barely finished reading when she quickly retracted the message.

She had knelt before me, tears streaming down her face, lamenting her family's preference for sons over daughters and pleading for tuition assistance. That was why I decided to help her.

She had claimed her clothes were tattered and that people were laughing at her, so I bought her new outfits, snipped off the tags, and gave them to her to lighten her burden.

When she said she had no computer, I even gave her my barely-used laptop after just a month.

Now, it seemed that it had all morphed into some deliberate humiliation!

I frowned, ready to delete this nauseating person from my contacts.

Before I could hit the delete button, Dominic sent me a message. 'You actually want to kick Paige out of the research team? Carlee, let me make this clear. With me around, you won't bully her. You can forget about ever joining my research team again. You're not worthy!'

Until just moments ago, I had wanted to give him and Paige a chance to save face, inviting them to discuss things in person. Now, I had a change of heart.

They dared to engage in such shameless behavior, so whatever insults and hardships they faced were entirely their own doing!

Just then, the police arrived, and I stepped inside alongside them.

As soon as Paige spotted me, panic flashed across her face, and she shrank back behind Dominic. "Dominic, C-Carlee is here…" Her voice trembled as if I were the one bullying her.

Dominic lapped up that act like a particularly pathetic dog.

He rushed over, positioning himself protectively in front of her. "What are you doing here? Get out right now, or I'll call security!"

He even tried to shove me aside, but a police officer next to me quickly intervened.

Standing beside the officer, I declared, "I'm here to make an arrest! Paige seized the steering wheel, committing a crime of endangering public safety. You're shielding her and even trying to threaten me, the victim? Are you trying to obstruct the law?"

Let's End This

Dominic didn't even hesitate. "Endangering public safety? Are you serious? You've completely misunderstood my relationship with Paige and caused that accident on purpose. She's already let it go, and now you want to drag her through the mud by calling the police?"

Behind him, Paige sniffled, clinging to his arm like a lost child. "Dominic, thank goodness you trust me and protect me."

Her gaze turned to me, filled with sorrow. "Carlee, you gave me a concussion, and I was willing to let that slide. But why won't you stop? Is it because I'm young, successful, and beautiful? Are you so jealous that you feel the need to ruin my life?"

Her pitiful sobs made her look even more helpless.

Dominic gently wiped away her tears, his expression full of tenderness. Then, he turned to the police.

"Carlee's been playing you all for fools. She's nothing but a liar; if she says a hundred words, ninety-nine of them are false. I don't care that she's my wife. I won't cover for her anymore. She saw the truck coming and crashed into it on purpose. She gave Paige a concussion, made a false report, and put lives at risk. Take her away right now!"

They played off each other so well. It was like they had rehearsed it, certain they would get away with it this time, too.

Unfortunately for them, the police were handling things.

It wasn't as simple as them flapping their gums and tossing dirt on me.

One of the officers stepped forward, stating they had evidence of Paige's crime and would be taking her to the station.

She broke down in tears, refusing to go. "Dominic, please help me! There was no dashcam in the car, and there weren't any street cameras on that road either. It was pouring that day, and none of the other cars' dashcams could have caught anything clear. What evidence could they possibly have? These cops must've taken Carlee's money! They're just trying to frame me!"

Dominic still tried to shield her.

I let out a sneer. "You want the cops to arrest you for obstructing their investigation?"

He hesitated for just a moment before stepping back.

After the officers left, he shot me a glare, but he didn't say a word. He had no time for me now. He was busy calling up lawyers and connections, desperate to find a way out of this mess.

The officers had already taken Paige away. Yet, he still believed they were in my pocket, never once doubting that Paige was the one who set me up. He actually thought he could clear her name and get her out unscathed.

The boy who once stood so firmly in front of me, protecting me, was now just as determined to stand beside another woman.

There was a time when that would have broken my heart. However, that person was gone. After I stared death in the face, all I had left was anger and hate.

I pulled out the divorce papers and threw them at him. "Let's end this, Dominic."

After I barely escaped with my life, I refused to let someone like him waste another second of it.

We were in the lab, and everyone was watching. Dominic, too proud to be embarrassed in front of them, grabbed me by the arm and dragged me into the stairwell.

And then…

With a loud rip, he tore the divorce papers in half, letting the pieces flutter to the ground like they were trash. "Carlee, I don't have time or patience for your little games. Get lost!"

His arrogance made my blood boil. My fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms.

"Games? You think this is a game? I nearly died in that car crash. I was in the hospital for two months, and you never visited once. I didn't even receive a single call. You were too busy with your little fling… And you think you're worth my time?"

He sneered, completely shameless. "That's what you get for trying to hurt Paige. You brought it on yourself."

Even after I barely survived, he had not an ounce of warmth left for me. He would always protect Paige without thinking twice, no matter the cause.

The fury inside me was like a wildfire, threatening to tear me apart. My body shook uncontrollably as I glared at him.

Fine. Let's see how he reacts when I expose Paige for what she really is!

My hands shook as I pulled out my phone, opened the footage in cloud storage, and shoved it in his face.

"You're right. There weren't any street cameras, and someone did rip out my dash cam. But I had a hidden camera installed in the car. Now, watch with those eyes of yours and see what really happened!"