Chapter 1
On the day I picked up my brand new car, it got remotely locked by the system while I was driving on the highway.
My speed dropped from 120 to zero in a split second, and the car behind me nearly smashed me right into the barrier.
I turned on my hazard lights and pulled into the emergency lane, and my boyfriend, Edward Foster, was still laughing on the phone.
"Why are you on the highway? Sophia said her parents are visiting the city for the first time and wanted to see my new car.
"I had my buddy at the big tech company lock your car so you wouldn't run off too far."
I stared at the truck that had just passed me in the rearview mirror, unable to say a word for a long moment.
His voice turned even colder. "Just wait by the side of the road. I'm coming over now."
I laughed and called for a tow truck.
And my destination was the police station.
*****
I pointed at the brand new car on the tow truck, the red ribbons still dangling from it.
I said, "Someone hacked into my car and took control, which nearly got me killed on the highway."
The tow truck driver handed over the dashcam's memory card, looking pretty shaken himself.
"Officer, when I got there, the owner was still shaking. The car was stopped in the emergency lane, and there were long skid marks from a truck behind it. This was seriously dangerous," he said.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the doorway.
Edward pushed the door open, his suit jacket draped over his arm, his brows furrowed deeply.
Sophia followed behind him, dressed in a white dress, holding an unopened box of car air freshener.
Her parents stood at the back, looking uneasy and shooting me a look of obvious disapproval.
When Edward saw me sitting there, the first thing he said wasn't asking if I was hurt.
"Olivia, have you finished with your drama yet?"
The red mark from the seatbelt was still stinging on my palm.
I looked at him, and suddenly it hit me. These seven years felt like chasing the wrong cure.
"I'm not making a scene," I said.
"You drove the car to the police station. Isn't that causing trouble?" Edward said.
He lowered his voice, like he was trying to soothe a clueless kid.
"Sophia's parents just got to Seaford, and I promised to take them out for dinner. Do you really think it's okay to act like this in front of them?"
Sophia Lane gently tugged at his sleeve.
"Edward, just drop it, okay? Olivia must've been really shaken up," she said softly.
When she called me "Olivia," it felt even colder than the wind whipping down the highway.
I paid for the car in full.
The receipt had my name on it, I was the beneficiary on the insurance, and I even waited in line myself to get the temporary plates.
But in Sophia's eyes, I was just some outsider borrowing the car and making a scene.
Edward's expression softened a bit.
"See? Even Sophia is sticking up for you," he said.
"What exactly is she defending me about?" I shot back.
I looked up at him.
I asked, "Is she defending me by saying your friend locked my car on the highway, and somehow I'm the one who's being childish?"
Annoyance flickered in his eyes.
"Like I said, I just asked my friend to remotely stop the car from starting. How was I supposed to know you were already on the highway?" Edward said, sounding exasperated.
The officer next to us set his pen down.
"Limit the ignition?" he asked, sounding skeptical.
Edward paused, caught off guard.
Sophia's dad, Sammuel Lane, jumped in right away.
"Officer, it's just a little spat between the kids. No need to blow it out of proportion. Edward was just worried she'd take the car too far and our family wouldn't get a chance to check it out," he said.
"Mr. Lane," I said, turning to face him.
I turned to look at him.
"I'm not your family's chauffeur, and I'm not just here to be your daughter's sidekick," I said.
Sophia's mom, Janet Lane, face darkened.
"Is that any way to talk? Edward bought you this expensive car to drive, and you're still complaining?" she snapped.
Edward didn't even try to explain.
He just gave me a cold look and said, "Olivia, apologize."
Seven years ago, he held my hand for the first time under the streetlights on campus, the winter air biting cold.
He said, "If anyone ever makes you feel wronged, I'll stand up for you."
Now, standing under the harsh white lights of the police station, he was telling me to apologize to the very people who almost got me killed.
The officer tapped the desk.
"Got the vehicle registration, purchase receipt, and payment records?" he asked.
I pulled a folder out of my bag.
When I laid out the purchase receipt, Janet's expression froze.
Edward was taken aback, too.
I calmly slid the proof of payment across the desk.
"The car is mine," I said.
The sound of the pen scratching across the paper was loud in the quiet room.
Edward reached out and pressed his hand down on the folder, his voice dropping, almost a warning.
"Olivia, don't make this ugly," he said.
He was still wearing the watch I gave him.
Last year, when his business hit rock bottom, I sold the diamond bracelet my grandma left me so I could buy him that watch.
Now, he was wearing it to impress Sophia's family.
I pulled the folder out from under his hand.
"I'm not the one making this a mess," I shot back.
The officer looked up at Edward.
He asked, "What's your friend's name? Which company does he work for? And how did he get access to the system?"
Edward swallowed hard.
Sophia's face went pale.
The wind from outside blew in, and the air freshener box slipped from her hand, falling to the floor as the plastic wrapping split open.