Rose’s POV

The broken taillight had been flickering for a week.

I kept meaning to get it fixed. Then midnight came, the highway emptied out, and the red-and-blue lights filled my rearview mirror like a verdict.

I pulled onto the shoulder, heart already climbing into my throat. Twenty-two years old, still living in the house I grew up in, still untouched in every way that mattered. My hands stayed at ten and two on the wheel like the driving instructor taught me.

The officer took his time walking up.

Boots on gravel. A long shadow across my window. Then he leaned down, one forearm braced on the roof, and looked...