Chapter 2

The heat inside the SUV climbed even higher. Blisters appeared on my skin. People passing the rest stop noticed the covered windows and stopped to stare.

A group of older women walked over, worried someone might still be inside.

Jade hurried to intercept them.

"That's my future sister-in-law," she lied. "She's terribly jealous. Wes wouldn't let her sit in front, so she locked herself in the car and pretended to have an asthma attack."

Wes backed her up.

"I work hard to support her and all she does is demand things. Sometimes you have to set boundaries."

Soon the concern turned to scolding. One man rapped on the window and told me to come out and apologize.

There was no response.

Of course there wasn't.

A maintenance worker pushing a cleaning cart looked at the sealed car. She frowned and asked whether its air-conditioning was running.

"She's fine," Wes said sharply.

The woman didn't look convinced. The trucker who'd confronted him earlier kept watching from a distance.

Wes smiled, encouraged by the small crowd agreeing with him. He didn't notice that every passing minute was making the scene less like a lovers' quarrel and more like a crime scene.

I remembered the years I had spent paying for his business while he told his friends I was the one who couldn't manage money.

I'd sold my late mother's house to help him start his company. I'd worked multiple jobs, postponed buying my own asthma medication, and eaten cheap meals so his business could survive.

Now he was telling strangers I was a spoiled girlfriend who wanted expensive purses.

I floated beside him as he basked in their sympathy.

"You're lying," I whispered, though nobody heard. "I gave you everything."