Chapter 1

My cousin Leo stole my car keys to impress a girl on a date.

Not only did he drive drunk, but he also hit someone and fled the scene.

When the traffic cops knocked on my door, my mind went completely blank.

I immediately called Leo. His phone was off.

I called his mother, Aunt Brenda. Her phone was off too.

I let out a bitter, disbelieving laugh.

Two minutes later, Brenda sent me a text:

"Harper, Leo is still just a kid. He can't go to jail! Just tell the cops you were the one driving. You have full coverage insurance anyway. A little payout will settle it. If you take the fall for him, I'll give you a thousand dollars. Leo has his whole life ahead of him; a criminal record will ruin him! You're just a girl, and your future won't be affected like his would."

I stared at the screen, my heart turning to ice. I texted back two words: "No way."

Then I opened the building management app on my phone and pulled up the garage surveillance footage.

While I was at work, Leo had swiped my spare key, rifled through my glove compartment to steal three thousand dollars in cash, and stumbled drunkenly into my driver's seat before speeding away.

The whole thing was caught in high definition.

I turned my phone around and handed it straight to the officer.

"Officer, grand theft auto, petty theft, DUI, and hit-and-run. Throw the book at him."

The officer watched the video, nodding with a grim expression.

"We have everything we need, Miss Vance. You're completely clear of liability, but we'll need you at the precinct to file an official report."

My knuckles turned white as I clutched my phone. "Whatever you need. I'll cooperate fully."

Right on cue, my phone began to buzz.

It was my mother.

I took a deep breath and answered.

"Harper, have you lost your mind?!" she screamed before I could even say hello. "Leo is barely an adult! How could you let the police hunt him down?! Brenda is having a panic attack! Do you have any loyalty to this family at all?!"

The verbal barrage came relentlessly, leaving no room to breathe.

I leaned against the cold corridor wall of the police station. "Mom, he stole my car. He stole my cash. He got drunk, slammed into an innocent pedestrian, and left them to die in the street. What exactly did you expect me to do? Go to prison for him?"

"Couldn't you just keep this within the family?!" she yelled. "Brenda said insurance would cover the damages! Why do you always have to blow things out of proportion?!"

"A little damage?!" My voice shook with fury. "The victim is in the ICU with multiple fractures and a brain hemorrhage! You call that a little damage?!"

The line went silent for two seconds.

"Even so, you shouldn't have involved the cops!" she stammered, shifting tactics. "You should have sat down with Brenda and talked it out! Why air our dirty laundry to the police?"

I scoffed. "Mom, he hit someone and ran. The police tracked down the license plate to my name. They found me—I didn't call them!"

"Brenda said you're turning on Leo! Why can't you just tell them you loaned him the car?!"

I closed my eyes, exhaustion creeping into my bones. "Fine. Let's say I tell them I loaned him the car. Who takes the blame for the felony DUI and the hit-and-run? Me? Do you want me in an orange jumpsuit?"

"Don't twist my words! You know I'd never want you in jail!" she snapped defensively. "Brenda offered you money! Just let your insurance handle it—"

"Mom." I cut her off, cold and steady. "Listen to what you are actually saying."

"What am I saying?! I'm trying to save your cousin! Brenda is threatening to end her life right now!"

"If she wants to pull that card, that's her choice," I said flatly. "Leo committed multiple felonies, and now she wants me to sacrifice my clean record and my freedom for him? You honestly expect me to carry that burden? It carries hard prison time! Do you even care?"

"Harper!"

"And for the record, I took a screenshot of Brenda's text trying to bribe me into obstructing justice. Suborning perjury is a felony too."

Dead silence hung over the line for three agonizing seconds.

Then, Mom broke down into manipulative sobs. "Brenda said if you don't fix this, she's going to swallow a bottle of pills!"

"Tell her to go ahead."

"Harper! Where is your soul?!" she shrieked. "Have you forgotten how Brenda used to look after you when you were little?! She fed you and drove you to school!"

"I haven't forgotten," I replied evenly. "And while she was babysitting me, Dad was paying Leo's private school tuition, Dad lent her fifteen grand to fix her house—which she never paid back—and every holiday she raided our pantry like a parasite. Did you forget all of that, Mom?"

"Why do you hold on to grudges like a venomous snake?!"

"I don't hold grudges. You just have amnesia when it comes to who actually sacrificed for whom. If Brenda is having a medical emergency, dial 911. Don't call me."