Chapter 4

The ultimate breaking point didn't happen during a screaming match.

It happened on the side of a dark, rain-soaked highway.

I was driving home from work when my front tire blew out.

My car swerved, skidding violently before slamming into the guardrail.

I wasn't seriously hurt.

But I was completely terrified.

My hands were shaking so badly I could barely unlock my phone to call Liam.

He picked up on the second ring.

"I'm on my way, Clara. Just lock the doors and stay put," he promised.

His voice was full of genuine, frantic concern.

For fifteen minutes, I sat in the freezing car, watching the rain hammer against the windshield.

I felt safe, knowing my husband was coming to get me.

Then, my phone rang again.

It was Liam. But he sounded completely different.

Tormented. Frantic.

"Clara... are you okay? Is the tow truck there yet?"

"No," I shivered. "Where are you?"

"I... I have to turn around."

My stomach dropped. "What? Why?"

"Delaney just called. The storm knocked the power out at the house."

He took a ragged breath.

"She's in the dark. She thinks she heard someone trying to open the back door."

"She's having a full PTSD breakdown, Clara. She's hiding in a closet."

"Liam, I just crashed my car. I'm stranded on the highway."

"I know!" he groaned.

He sounded like a man tearing himself apart trying to do the right thing for two women.

"But you are an adult, in a locked car, waiting for a professional. You are physically safe."

His voice hardened into that familiar, unyielding tone.

"Laney is a traumatized girl having a severe psychological emergency. I have to go to her."

"Please," I whispered, tears finally spilling over. "I need my husband."

"Clara, be reasonable!" he snapped.

"Stop making everything a competition!"

"I am trying to prevent my sister from doing something drastic, and you're crying over a flat tire?"

He didn't wait for my answer.

He hung up.

I sat alone in the freezing, wrecked car.

I listened to the rain hammering against the glass.

He didn't leave me to bleed out on the road.

He just calculated the math of our marriage.

And he decided that Delaney's tears were more urgent than my safety.

As I sat shivering in the dark, a cold, absolute clarity washed over me.

I would never be his priority.

Not as long as she needed saving.

I opened my contacts.

I scrolled to a number I hadn't called since before my wedding.

Reid.

My ex-boyfriend.

And, technically... Liam's distant, older uncle.

I hit dial.

He answered on the second ring.

"Clara?"

His deep, steady voice came through the speaker.

"Well. Look who finally remembered my number."

"Reid," I swallowed the lump in my throat, staring out at the dark highway.

"I wrecked my car. I'm stranded in the rain, and Liam isn't coming to get me."

The amusement in his voice vanished instantly.

"Drop your pin," Reid said.

His tone was ice-cold and dangerously protective.

"Lock your doors. I'm leaving right now."

"Reid, wait. I need another favor."

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

"I need you to pack a bag. Come stay in our guest room for a few weeks."

"Just a long, overdue family visit."

There was a heavy, three-second pause on the line.

Then, Reid let out a low, dark chuckle.

His tone shifted into something dangerously protective.

"Clara, are we up to something wicked?"

"Yeah," I replied quietly. "I'm calling a bluff."

"Say no more," Reid answered immediately.

"Send the location. I've got you."