Chapter 4

The sneer, the mockery she'd worn a second ago, vanished. What slid in to replace it was a voice gone weak and long-suffering:

"Honey, I'm doing the pre-op prep right now…"

"They put me under tomorrow, so I won't be able to pick up my phone."

"Take care of your business trip. Don't worry about me at all, it's a minor procedure. Love you."

Sent.

On my end, in WeChat, three little white bubbles popped up.

She lowered the phone, then traded a look with William James in the passenger seat.

The two of them burst out laughing at the same time, not caring who heard.

William laughed so hard he leaned into her shoulder. "Arlene, honey, it's a real shame you never went into acting!"

Arlene arched a brow, pleased with herself. "With a man like him, you just toss out a couple of lines and he swallows it. In a bit I'll message my mom, make sure she doesn't slip up."

The car eased into a rest area.

Once it stopped, William unclipped his seatbelt.

"I'm going to hit the restroom, grab a coffee while I'm at it. What do you want, Arlene?"

"Anything's fine. Just make it quick."

Once William shut the door and got far enough away, Arlene rolled down the window and lit a long, thin cigarette.

She took a drag, dug out her phone, and called her mother.

"Hey, Mom, it's me. I've got William out here with me."

Her mother said something on the other end. Arlene laughed it off.

"Mom, relax. I know what I'm doing."

"William, yeah, he's honestly better than Roland. He knows how to sweet-talk a girl, and he's good in bed too. But what's a boy fresh out of school actually good for? He's just my little puppy in the car, a fling, something to play with. You really think I'd take it seriously with him?"

"Come on, work's stressful. I'm just finding a little fun to unwind."

Her mother must have asked about me, because Arlene gave a cold snort.

"Roland? I'm freezing him out on purpose. Teach him a lesson."

"You have no idea. Lately he's been getting more and more full of himself, insisting we move into some bigger place, nagging me every single day about having a kid."

"If I actually gave him a kid, what happens to my career?"

"On top of that, I've got my eye on grabbing that case he's handling."

"He's been working way too hard lately. I'm worried he'll climb past me, and then he won't listen to me anymore, and if he goes off looking for some other woman on the side, that's a real headache."

"Honestly, even if I do have a kid, I don't want it to be his. Just having him touch me now makes my skin crawl. Last time William and I didn't use anything. Might as well wait till I'm pregnant and then say it's his."

I nearly laughed from sheer fury.

She wanted me to be good at my job and to bow my head and do whatever she arranged.

And now she wanted to slip me a kid that wasn't even mine?

The other end said something more, and Arlene laughed, smug. "Okay, Mom, gotta go, William's back."

The call ended.

William pulled the door open, dropped into his seat, and handed Arlene a latte.

"Arlene, I've seen you drink both lattes and black coffee. Pick whichever one you like, and I'll take the other."

She took it, leaned over, and kissed him.

William smiled, set the coffee aside, slid an arm around her waist, and kissed her back.

I drew in a slow breath.

This car was my wedding car, and every device in it was linked to my phone.

Before, I'd trusted Arlene. I'd never once checked.

Now, for the first time, I opened the app on my phone and quietly downloaded all of the footage from the in-car camera.

From the moment they got in, every tender little gesture, every shameless word, all of it became the hardest evidence I could ever bring to court.

Right before the car started moving again, I rapped on the window.

"Open up. I want out."

Arlene froze. "Out? Now?"

I nodded. "Yes. Now."

She and William exchanged a glance, then one of them poked a head out, wary.

"Sir, you sure? Even if you get out early, you're still charged for the full trip."

I looked straight at her and pulled down my mask.

"Arlene. I said I want out."