Chapter 1
Tonight, working my night job as a driver, I accidentally picked up a Rolls-Royce client.
The client turned out to be my ex-boyfriend from seven years ago.
Nathan Collins had one arm wrapped around tipsy Lillian Hill, and with the other, he handed me the keys.
I tugged my cap down lower, took the keys with a shaky hand, praying they wouldn't recognize me.
The car started, and the privacy divider between the front and back seats slowly rolled down.
Not long after, Lillian's sultry moans drifted from the back.
Nathan's voice was dripping with affection. "Can't handle it already?"
Lillian whined playfully. "No... we don't have one in the car."
"Does it matter?" he said.
"Oh, come on. What if I get pregnant?" she asked.
Nathan paused. "Then we'll have it."
My heart still clenched. He'd said those exact words to me seven years ago.
Which was why we had a six-year-old daughter. He just didn't know it.
*****
Even with the divider down, the soundproofing was basically useless.
Every little rustle and murmur pricked my eardrums like needles.
The veins on the hand gripping the steering wheel were bulging, but I didn't dare let my foot tremble on the gas.
Right now, I was their driver, not Hannah.
For Bella's medical bills, I couldn't afford a complaint.
"Nathan... go easy..." Lillian's voice was saccharine sweet.
"What? You don't like it?" he murmured.
Nathan's voice was low and husky, carrying that familiar possessiveness I knew all too well.
Except now, that desire was for someone else.
"You're so bad... Oh, hey Nathan, that driver up front? Looks like a girl." Lillian's topic shifted without warning.
Through the rearview mirror, I felt two pairs of eyes on my back.
"Yeah." Nathan's reply was dismissive.
"Running errands this late? She must be really broke. How pathetic. Not like me. I've got you to spoil me." Lillian let out a little laugh, her tone dripping with superiority.
"Focus." Nathan sounded annoyed, or maybe just distracted.
The backseat went quiet for a second, then I heard the click of a lighter.
The smell of smoke drifted through the gap.
"Roll down the window," Nathan ordered coldly.
I mechanically pressed the button.
The November wind slammed into the car, sweeping away the thick air inside and stinging my eyes.
"Ah. It's freezing," Lillian yelped. "Hey, what's the big idea? Trying to kill me?"
I quickly rolled it up halfway.
"Sorry." I lowered my voice, trying to disguise it.
"Seriously? Do they let just anyone drive a Rolls these days? Your driving is terrible. All that jerky starting is making me dizzy." Lillian complained, pressing herself even closer to Nathan.
She said, "Nathan, my head's spinning. I think I'm gonna be sick."
"Deal with it." Nathan's tone was unreadable.
"Pull over up there. I want to get some water," Lillian wheedled.
"Miss, I can't stop here. I'll get penalized," I explained.
"So what? I'll pay your stupid fine. Nathan, tell her." Lillian was insistent, her tone spoiled and bratty.
"Do what she says," Nathan said coldly.
I gritted my teeth, turned on my right signal, and slowly pulled onto the shoulder.
The car had barely stopped when Lillian announced she didn't actually want water after all. "Oh, suddenly not thirsty. Let's go."
I hesitated for a second, then started the car again.
"Wait." Lillian suddenly rolled down her window and dumped the half-finished bottle of water right onto the ground outside. "This water's been sitting too long. It's stale. Hey, get out and throw this away for me."
It was raining. The shoulder was a muddy mess.
I looked in the mirror at her delicate but cruel face and didn't move.
"What? Too dirty for you? Is a hundred enough?" Lillian pulled a bill from her purse and held it up between two fingers through the gap in the divider.
Nathan stayed silent, just watching me coldly in the rearview mirror.
I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
The rain immediately soaked through my clothes.
I picked up the empty bottle, walked to a trash can far away, and threw it in before running back to the car.
Drenched, the car's heater hit me and I shivered, the mix of cold and heat making it worse.