Chapter 1

I found a few chip crumbs in my boyfriend's car.

For three years, he'd had one hard rule. Nobody was allowed to eat in here.

I'd been so careful that even taking a sip of water made me nervous about spilling.

And now someone had left greasy crumbs in the place he guarded like a shrine.

Turned out the rule he'd clung to all this time could be broken, just not for me.

Fine. I was leaving him for good this time.

*****

After the car rolled into the underground garage, Harry Ferrell, my boyfriend, went through his usual routine and checked over the inside of the car.

He'd been doing that for three years straight.

I sat in the passenger seat, watching his fingers run over the leather seats, careful and soft, like he was touching something intimate.

Even in the dim garage lighting, his profile was still sharp and clear. That face used to make my heart pound, but now it just felt like nothing more than a dull, familiar sight.

"Watch the door when you get out. Don't scratch it," he said, not even bothering to look up.

I nodded, opened the door, and deliberately kept my movements gentle.

My gaze swept past the shadow beneath the seat, and I froze. A few crumbs stood out sharply against the black leather.

Chip crumbs.

I reached down and picked one up, the greasy texture sticking to my skin.

Harry came around the front of the car and stopped beside me. The second he saw what I was holding, his expression dropped. "Josie, did you eat in the car?"

His voice was low, simmering with anger. "How many times have I told you—"

"It wasn't me," I interrupted, my voice calmer than I expected.

Harry paused for a moment, then frowned. "Then what is—"

"I have no idea," I said, putting the crumbs back where I found them. "But it definitely wasn't me."

Suddenly, memories from two years ago came rushing back.

It was in this same car. I had opened a bag of chips and hadn't even taken one out when Harry slammed on the brakes.

The bag of chips flew forward and spilled everywhere.

I didn't even remember what he yelled back then. What I did remember was the look on his face and the line that stuck with me. "No food in my car. Nobody gets an exception."

I ended up crouched on the side of the road, gathering the chips one by one while my tears fell into the dust.

From that day on, I never ate anything in his car again.

"Probably from the last car wash," Harry said, glancing away with a hint of awkwardness in his voice. "Come on, it's nothing. Don't make a big thing out of it."

Was it?

I stared at the crumbs.

It might have been nothing to other people, but to me, it felt like the answer to everything.

After three years together, I knew Harry far too well. The way he treated this car was almost obsessive.

A five-year-old kid in his family once asked if he could eat a cookie in the car and got shut down immediately. One of his closest friends tried to smoke, and he made him get out and finish it before getting back in.

Even his mother had never been allowed to drink water in that car.

Now those greasy chip crumbs were sitting right under the passenger seat.

And I, the woman who had been with him for three years and once thought we were heading toward marriage, wasn't even allowed to open a snack in his car anymore.

"Who's been in your car?" I asked.

Harry's face went stiff for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Who sat in your passenger seat recently?" I pressed.

He turned to grab his briefcase from the back seat, moving a little faster. "A coworker, obviously. If we're going the same way, I'll give them a ride sometimes."

"Which coworker?" I pressed.

"Josie, what is this, an interrogation?" Harry snapped, his irritation obvious. "The new one, Roxanne Brooks.

"She's new at the company, and by the time she gets off work, the buses are already done for the night. I just gave her a ride since I was going that way."

Roxanne? I'd heard that name before.

Last week, after Harry's work dinner, he mentioned that name when he got home.

He said this new girl was really innocent, just out of college and clueless about everything. He thought people like him should help her out.

He'd sounded totally casual about it. I even teased him, "Wow, look at you, learning how to take care of people now."

Looking back now, every word felt like a slap on my face.

"Does it happen a lot?" I asked.

Harry finally turned to face me, frowning. "Josie, what is wrong with you today? She lives far away. I've given her a ride two or three times this week, that's it. Why are you acting like this is such a huge problem?"

I looked at him.

It had been three years. The guy who used to take the day off simply because I wasn't feeling well and drive me to the doctor now acts like I was being ridiculous for asking a few questions.

"You let her eat chips in your car," I said, my voice steady.

"I didn't," Harry said right away, though his voice wavered a little. "Maybe she ate them without me noticing. I had no idea."

"You used to say no food was allowed in your car," I said, my voice trembling. "How many times did we fight over this? You said it was your bottom line. And now you're telling me you didn't know."

I laughed, even though tears were already coming up. "Harry, do you think I'm that stupid?"

"You really are," Harry said, his tone turning icy. "All this drama over some chip crumbs. Roxanne is young and clueless. What was I supposed to do, throw her out of the car?"

"Why not?" I stared at him. "Isn't that exactly what you did to me back then?"

Harry's expression darkened.

It was that familiar mix of guilt and irritation. I'd seen it plenty of times before. It was the look he got whenever he knew he'd messed up but didn't want to admit it.

"Josie, can you stop bringing up the past? That was ages ago," he said.

"Two months ago, when your cousin wanted to eat ice cream in your car, what did you say?" I didn't give him a chance to respond. "You said no, absolutely not.

"You made her stand outside in the heat and finish it before she could get back in the car. She was ten years old."

Harry's face flushed red. I knew what that meant. It meant he was about to lose his temper.

He said, "What now? Are you saying I'm being a hypocrite? Strict with everyone else but soft on Roxanne?"

His voice kept getting louder, bouncing around the garage. "I felt sorry for her, that's all. She just graduated and doesn't know anyone in this city. What's wrong with helping her out a little?"

"Does helping her out mean you get to break a rule you've followed for three years?" The tears finally came. "Harry, where was all that compassion when you were dating me?"

My words hit him exactly where it hurt.