Miles to betrayal.

I’d been driving down to my boyfriend’s house after lying to him that I had an important meeting in Texas—only to surprise him for his birthday. It was all I could think about behind the wheel. I kept replaying the frown on his face when I’d told him I’d be “away” for work. Thomas and Joe, his closest friends, were in on the surprise, and I was finally going to gift him his dream car. We’d been saving for a G-Wagon for almost a year, lagging behind on a few thousand dollars—but I’d paid the balance off a few days ago, just in time for his birthday.

Charles and I had been together for three years. Our relationship had been nothing but smooth. He bought me flowers every week, checked up on me constantly, and my mom literally loved him more than she loved me. After years of bad luck in relationships, Charles coming into my life felt like a blessing.

“Are you sure he’s home?” Thomas asked.

I smiled, remembering how we’d FaceTimed about an hour ago. He was definitely home.

Absentmindedly, I glanced into the rearview mirror—and froze.

A blue Sienna was tailing my car. I hadn’t noticed until now. I’d only just gotten my black Audi and wasn’t about to risk a flimsy accident. To be safe, I switched lanes. The car switched lanes too.

Thomas and Joe were arguing when I asked, “Is it just me… or is that car following us?”

I squinted at the mirror. They turned to look.

Thomas shrugged. “I don’t think so.”

“Drive left,” Joe said. I did.

The car followed.

I swerved right. The car swerved right.

“Stop the car,” Thomas said.

“Are you insane? We’re in the middle of a freaking expressway! We can’t just stop—we’ll get towed!”

“Well, I’d rather you stop than let a stalker follow us,” Thomas yelled.

“Try to lose him between other cars,” Joe suggested.

“I can’t—” I began, but Joe cut me off.

“I knew I should’ve driven the damn car. But no, Kylie always wants to do everything herself.”

“Do you think someone recognized you?” Thomas asked.

“I don’t think so,” I said, though it sounded more like a question than an answer.

I’m an actress. Not an award-winning star—just commercials, short roles, passers-by. But my most recent film had changed things. The A-list company I’d worked with had chosen me over 200 other women for the part. When the movie sold out in ten of the fifteen countries it premiered in, I started getting real recognition. I’d finally been able to afford my Audi and finish paying off the G-Wagon.

Still… I wasn’t sure I was famous enough to have a stalker.

“You need to stop the car, Kylie,” Thomas said softly, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Before we hit a closed area.”

“Okay. Okay.”

I let out a deep breath and eased the car into a slow stop. That’s when the car jolted. Another car slammed into us from behind.

The blue Sienna.

I let out a deep breath and pulled the car into a slow stop. I'd only been aware of my confusion when the car stumbled with the effect of another car behind us—the Sienna had rammed right into us.

The airbag exploded from the steering wheel, slamming into my chest. Joe, in the backseat, was thrown forward with a loud scream, hitting the head rest.

Everything went silent save for the frantic pounding in my chest.

"Kylie, are you okay?".Thomas muttered, pushing his door open with a pained groan.

I fumbled with my seatbelt, my mind already on Joe. I stumbled out onto the Audi just as two tall figures, both wearing dark clothes and masks pulled up to their noses, emerged from the Sienna.

"Give us everything! Wallets, phones, watches! Now!" one of them barked, his voice muffled and sharp. He held a rusty pipe that glinted under the highway lights.

"Just... cooperate, Kylie." Thomas whispered, his hand going to his empty pocket.

The second robber, ignoring Thomas completely, jerked open the back door of my Audi. He roughly grabbed Joe, who was still dazed and unconscious from the impact, and yanked him out, dumping him on the pavement. He then ripped the small leather backpack Joe had been holding for me off his shoulder.

"Leave him alone!" I screamed, stepping forward, but the first robber was faster. He slammed the pipe against Thomas's shoulder. Thomas cried out, clutching his arm and collapsing against the wreckage of the Audi's rear bumper.

The two robbers were a blur, tearing through the glove compartment and grabbing my purse from the floor. They pocketed my expensive watch, which was a guft from my late grandpa and Thomas's phone. I watched, helpless, as they emptied my purse onto the hood of their battered van. The only thing they left was a photo of me and Charles.

As the second robber knelt over the still-unconscious Joe to rip the chunky chain off his neck, a sudden, blinding flash of light filled the rearview mirror. A black Tesla had slammed on its brakes just behind the Sienna, its futuristic headlights bathing the scene in an intense, white glow.

Before the robbers could react, a man unfolded himself from the driver's side of the Tesla. He was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in a black trench coat, and he moved towards us, so quickly I almost lost him.

"The police are already on the line," he said, his voice deep and calm, amplified by the highway’s echo. "You have five seconds to drop everything you took and get back in your car."

The robbers hesitated, suddenly losing all their confidence. They looked at the imposing figure, then back at their paltry haul. The threat, combined with the sudden, bright intrusion, was enough.

The second robber tossed Joe's backpack onto the ground near his head, and both men sprinted back into the Sienna. Its tires squealed, and it sped off into the night, vanishing almost instantly.

The stranger scoffed and simply walked toward me.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his dark eyes scanning me quickly before resting on Thomas and Joe.

I could only shake my head. "I— I need to get them to the hospital……..Thank you. Thank you so much."

"I'll call this in," he said, pulling out his phone. He had an air of quiet, controlled efficiency.

I knelt beside Joe. "Thomas, you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. Just a bruise," Thomas grunted, holding his arm. "Joe... he took a nasty hit to the back of his head, but he's breathing."

The tall man knelt beside us for a moment.

"Stay on the line with the police. I need to go."

"Wait!" I stood up, desperate to know the name if the man who'd just saved my life.

"Who are you?"

He looked me straight in the eye, and there was a knowing intensity there.

"Just someone passing by," he said simply. He offered a brief, polite nod, then turned and got back into his Tesla.

The car pulled away silently, leaving no trace but the lingering shine of its brake lights.

Almost immediately, the police arrived, taking our statements and the report of our robbery.

Miraculously, despite the damage to my new Audi, it was still drivable. Thomas’s arm was merely bruised, and Joe had a bad concussion but was okay—a head injury was all he suffered.

Against every sensible instinct, I didn't want to go to the hospital.

I needed Charles. He would hate himself for not being around while the whole thing had happened to me.

I dropped Thomas and Joe off at the nearest medical clinic and, with shaking hands, drove the crippled Audi the rest of the way to Charles’s house.

The G-Wagon was sitting around the corner, covered in a tarp, I feared that the dealer might not have Brought it earlier than I expected.

I fumbled for my key, unlocking the door and stepping inside.

"Charles! I'm home!". I took off my shoes and stepped into tge living room. “You will not believe what happened to me on our way here!”

The living room was dark, but a low light shone from the doorway of the master bedroom. I walked toward it, my heart finally slowing down, ready to break down in his arms.

“Happy —”. I started, pushing the door open, the sight before me instantly freezing the words in my throat. Charles wasn't alone. He was in bed, and his arms were wrapped around a familiar woman: his secretary, Lisa.

The fear of the highway, the pain of the impact, and the shock of the robbery, it all dissolved into a single, white-hot blaze of betrayal.

The birthday surprise I had driven hundreds of miles to deliver had just immediately felt like a waste of time.