Chapter 1

Working as a sober driver at night, I accidentally picked up a Rolls-Royce ride.

The owner turned out to be my ex-boyfriend from seven years ago.

Anderson had one arm around a tipsy Judy, the other handing me the car keys.

I tugged my baseball cap lower, nervously took the keys, and prayed they wouldn't recognize me.

The car started, and the partition between the front and back seats slowly lowered.

Soon, Judy's languid moans drifted from the backseat.

Anderson's voice was filled with doting affection: "Can't you even wait for that?"

Judy whined, "No, not here. There are no condoms in the car."

"What does it matter?"

"What if I get pregnant?"

Anderson paused. "Then we'll have it."

My heart couldn't help but throb with a dull ache.

He'd said those exact words to me seven years ago.

And because of that, we had a six-year-old daughter. He just didn't know it.

Even with the partition down, the soundproofing was practically useless.

The sounds of their passionate lovemaking assaulted my ears.

The veins on the back of my hand, gripping the steering wheel, bulged, but I dared not let my foot tremble on the accelerator.

Right now, I was Sober Driver 09, not Marta.

For Lester's medical expenses, I couldn't afford a complaint.

"Anderson, slower…"

Judy's voice was sickeningly sweet.

"What, you don't like it?"

Anderson's voice, deep and raspy, held a predatory edge I'd once known intimately.

Only now, that desire was for another woman.

"Ugh... Oh, Anderson, the driver up front looks like a woman."

Judy's words took an abrupt turn, and through the rearview mirror, I could feel two pairs of eyes drilling into my back.

"Hm." Anderson replied indifferently.

"Driving sober at this hour, she must be really desperate for money, huh? So pathetic. Not like me, with you spoiling me."

Judy giggled, her tone dripping with superiority.

"Focus." Anderson seemed slightly impatient, or perhaps just aroused.

The sounds from the backseat paused for a moment, followed by the crisp click of a lighter.

The scent of tobacco drifted through the cracks.

"Open the window." Anderson ordered coldly.

I mechanically pressed the window button.

The biting November wind immediately rushed in, dispersing the sticky air in the car, and making my eyes sting.

"It's freezing!"

Judy shrieked, "Why did you open it so wide? Trying to freeze me to death?"

I quickly raised the window halfway.

"Sorry." I kept my voice low, trying to alter my tone.

"Is anyone allowed to drive a Rolls-Royce these days? Her driving is awful; the way she started made me dizzy."

Judy complained, snuggling deeper into Anderson's embrace.

"Anderson, I'm so dizzy, I feel like throwing up."

"Hold it in." Anderson's voice betrayed no emotion.

"Pull over up ahead, I want to buy a bottle of water." Judy whined.

"You can't stop here, you'll get a ticket." I explained.

"I'll pay the fine. Anderson, look at her!"

Judy was relentless, her tone spoiled and willful.

"Listen to her." Anderson uttered three cold words.

I gritted my teeth, flicked on the turn signal, and slowly pulled over to the emergency lane.

The car had barely stopped when Judy announced, "Suddenly I'm not thirsty anymore. Let's go."

I froze for a moment, then restarted the car.

"Wait."

Judy suddenly rolled down the window and poured the half-empty bottle of mineral water directly outside.

"This water's been sitting too long, it's not fresh. Driver, get out and throw the bottle away for me."

Rain poured outside, turning the ground beyond the emergency lane into a muddy mess.

I looked at her delicate but cruel face in the rearview mirror, and didn't move.

"What? Too dirty? Is a hundred bucks not enough?"

Judy pulled a hundred-dollar bill from her purse, holding it between two fingers, and handed it through the partition gap.

Anderson hadn't said a word, only watching me coldly through the rearview mirror.

I took a deep breath and pushed open the car door.

The rain instantly soaked my clothes.

I picked up the empty bottle from the ground, threw it into a distant trash can, then ran back to the car.

Soaked to the bone, the warm air blasting inside the car hit me with a jarring mix of cold and heat, making me shiver.

"So slow." Judy frowned in disgust. "Turn up the AC."

I silently increased the temperature and started the car.

"Anderson, doesn't she look like a drowned rat?"

Judy leaned into Anderson's arms, cackling.

Anderson didn't laugh, only said blandly:

"No."

My heart eased slightly, but then I heard him add:

"Dogs are more obedient than her."