Chapter 1

When the lab lost power, my boyfriend, Alex Reed, turned the car around to go comfort his lab partner, Sophie Lane.

I broke down and asked him who his girlfriend even was.

He just told me coldly to stop making a scene.

Then he made me get out of the car and left me stranded on the highway in a thunderstorm.

Because of that, I missed saying goodbye to my grandma, the only family I had left.

*****

On the highway, with the storm raging outside, I sat in the car, my heart pounding with anxiety.

An hour and a half ago, I got a sudden call from Helen, my neighbor. She told me my grandma, the only person I could rely on, had suddenly fallen seriously ill and was rushed to the hospital.

"Emily, your grandma's in really bad shape. They're trying to save her at the hospital right now. You need to find a way to get back here as soon as possible," Helen said.

My mind went blank. All I could think was that Grandma had to be okay.

Cabs were nowhere to be found in this storm, and there was a huge line ahead of me, at least dozens of people. Desperate, I begged Alex to drive me to Riverside City himself.

Alex hesitated, his brows furrowing. He said, "Can't you just call a cab or something?"

I felt my eyes burn, but I forced myself not to cry. I said, "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't for this awful weather."

Finally, he gave in, sounding totally fed up.

On the way, I was a nervous wreck, my hands kept moving restlessly, feeling totally lost.

When we stopped at a red light, Alex snapped, "Will you cut it out? You're making it impossible for me to drive. The rain is already driving me crazy."

So I just gripped the hem of my shirt tightly, trying to keep it together.

But after we hit the highway, Alex got a call from Sophie, his lab junior.

"It's okay, don't be scared. I'm on my way back," he said.

He sounded like a completely different person compared to how he'd just spoken to me.

I hadn't seen him this soft and patient in ages, but that kindness wasn't for me.

After hanging up, he turned to me, looking a bit anxious. He said, "I'll drop you off at the next rest stop. You'll have to try and find a ride to Riverside City on your own."

Just then, a flash of lightning split the sky outside, followed by a deafening crack of thunder.

Just like my heart right now.

I was so stunned I couldn't even speak.

Seeing I didn't react, Alex frowned and then said, "The lab's lost power. Sophie's afraid of the dark, and the data's really important. I need to go back and deal with it, or she'll freak out even more."

I broke down.

I said, "You seriously want me to get out on the highway in this pouring rain? Are you kidding me?

"Is Sophie really that fragile? She freaks out just because the power goes out? What's she even doing in grad school then?

"Isn't there anyone else in the lab? Does it really have to be you who goes running to comfort her?

"Have you even figured out who your girlfriend actually is, Alex?"

Sophie was always haunting my relationship with Alex, never giving us a moment of peace. I was beyond fed up with her constant presence.

Ever since she got accepted into Alex's advisor's grad program, she'd been clinging to him, always finding ways to stay close and never backing off.

And Alex went from being annoyed by her to tolerating her, and now he actually feels protective of her. Without even realizing it, his attention has quietly shifted from me to her.

He didn't show a shred of concern, just pure annoyance. He said, "You said your grandma's really sick, so why are you still acting jealous? Sophie and I are just seniors and juniors in the lab. Stop overthinking and twisting everything with your petty suspicions.

"Just go inside the rest stop, it's not a big deal. The rain's not even that bad anymore, so calling a cab should be way easier."

We pulled into the rest stop, and he stopped the car, said, "Alright, get out. I need to turn the car around."

I stared at the rain still pouring down outside, about to ask him to at least take me all the way to Riverside City so I could catch a cab from there.

But before I could say anything, his face turned cold. He said, "If you don't get out now, then I'll just turn the car around."

He reached over and opened my door, letting the rain pour in and hit my face like ice.

I stepped out, numb, and he slammed the door shut and drove off.

I forced myself to calm down, rushed inside, and started trying to call a ride through an app. But with the rain pouring and being stuck out here on the highway, it was basically hopeless.

I kept refreshing over and over, hoping I'd finally get a ride, but the queue never seemed to move, no matter how many times I tried.

Suddenly, my phone screen went black.

Panic hit me, and I dropped my phone; it hit the ground with a sharp smack.

I snatched it up, poking at the screen like crazy, but no matter how hard I tried, it just stayed black.

I stared at this unfamiliar place, rain pouring down outside in relentless sheets.

Feeling utterly overwhelmed and wronged, panic rising in my chest, I slowly crouched down and let out a choked sob.

"Emily?" a voice called out.

I looked up, surprised to hear a stranger call my name, but his face tugged at some half-remembered part of my memory.

"Are you Emily Carter?" the young man in front of me asked, sounding a little unsure.

Still uncertain, I hesitated and asked, "And you are?"

"It's me, David Miller, your grandma's old neighbor, your big bro from back then," he said.

"David," I whispered.

All those childhood memories came rushing back, and somehow, it just made my heart ache even more.

David saw the tears streaming down my face and rushed over. He asked, "Hey, what's going on? Are you in trouble?"

I grabbed onto him like he was my last hope, crying and stumbling through my story as I tried to tell him what happened.

I didn't care if he was a stranger or not. All I wanted was to get to Grandma as fast as possible.

David didn't even think twice. He said, "I'm heading to Riverside City anyway. Let me give you a lift."