Chapter 1Tell My Ex To Cut Deeper

The sky had completely opened up by the time I walked out of the clinic with my prescription. Standing under the meager shelter of the awning, shivering, I dialed my husband’s number.

His voice came through the line, sharp and laced with his usual irritation. "It’s out of my way, Miranda. Just call an Uber."

But the ride-share apps were showing massive surge prices and hours of delay. I was in a rush to get home to cook dinner for Delia, his paralyzed younger sister, so I had no choice but to grab a city rental bike and pedal out into the downpour.

On the way, a sleek black SUV whipped around a sharp corner far too quickly. To avoid a direct collision, I swerved hard. My tires lost traction on the slick asphalt, and I crashed violently into the muddy run-off at the side of the road.

As I lay there, gasping, a familiar masculine voice drifted out from the car’s open window. "Are you okay, babe? Did that startle you?"

A second later, the passenger window rolled down. The woman inside peered out at me, her expression twisted into a sneer. "What is wrong with you? Do you not watch where you're going?"

Wiping the muddy water from my face, I dragged myself up from the wet street. In that brief, agonizing second, I saw exactly who was in the car.

My husband, Willie. And Amber, his first love.

The freezing rain seemed to seep directly into my bones, but the chill in my chest was far worse.

It wasn't that he couldn't pick me up because it was out of his way. I was simply the only one who was out of his way.

…

* * *

Standing knee-deep in the muddy puddle, I watched Willie lean over to stroke Amber’s hair, murmur soothing words, and check on her. A wave of nausea hit me so hard my stomach violently turned.

"Willie, I’m totally fine. Don’t worry so much," Amber said, her voice dripping with sweet, performative fragility. It carried a distinct note of triumphant pride.

I stared at her, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.

Amber glanced in my direction. The small, smug curl of her lips told me everything—she recognized me immediately.

Pointing a manicured finger toward the window, she murmured, "Oh, Willie, look at that poor woman. That looked like a really nasty fall." She paused, her voice softening into an even more delicate coo. "Should we get out and help her? Or since we almost hit her, maybe we could give her a ride to the hospital? Or at least drop her off at home?"

I held my breath, staring through the thick curtain of rain at the man in the driver's seat.

"Willie, what are you going to do?"

But Willie didn't even turn his head.

He restarted the engine, his tone dropping into a cold, detached drone. "Amber, you are far too sweet for your own good. She’s probably just looking for an insurance payout. Don't waste your time."

"But still..." Amber hesitated, playing her part beautifully.

"No buts," Willie said, his voice flat and clinical. "I deal with these kinds of grifters all the time. If you get out to help her now, she’ll find a way to pin the blame on us and bleed us dry."

I felt my chest tighten so violently it felt as if my ribs were crushing my lungs. Every breath tasted of iron.

Amber let out a soft, melodic laugh—a sound of pure victory.

"Well... we can't just leave her with nothing. It’s so sad," Amber sighed, a theatrical touch of pity in her voice. She opened her designer handbag, pulled out two hundred-dollar bills, and carelessly flicked them out the window.

"Here, honey. Take this to get your cheap little bike fixed. Next time, watch where you're going. Some lanes aren't meant for you, no matter how hard you try to crash into them."

The tinted window rolled up smoothly, shutting me out.

The SUV accelerated, throwing up a massive wave of dirty street-water that drenched me from head to toe.

I stood paralyzed, watching the red taillights bleed into the gray rain until they vanished entirely. Standing there in the middle of the storm, I began to laugh. It was a raw, hysterical sound, tears mixing with the rain and the copper taste of blood from my split lip.

Clenching my teeth, I dragged my injured leg forward, limping step by step into the dark, endless downpour.