My Ex Chose His Mistress, the Billionaire Heir Chose Me

Les handed me the keys.

"Drive safe. I'll stay with Lila for a couple of days, then come find you."

I didn't look at him. I pulled the door open, dropped into the seat.

Key in. Turn. The engine rumbled to life.

The car didn't move.

I turned the key again. Nothing. Not even a tremor through the wheels.

I got out and found a wide dark stain spreading across the ground beneath the car.

Someone had punctured the fuel tank.

Les walked over, glanced under the chassis, and frowned.

Lila bit her lip, her voice so small it was almost a performance. "Hope… I loosened it. I just wanted a little more time with Les… I'm sorry…"

Les reached over and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, casual as breathing, as if he still had the right.

"Hey, relax," he said. "I'll get someone out here to fix it."

"Wait in the car for now." He turned, wrapping his arm around Lila. "Let me see if I can find some tools."

Lila leaned into him, then looked back at me over her shoulder.

Tears still on her face, but the corner of her mouth twitched, just slightly.

The sight of them walking away like that—his arm around her waist, her head against his shoulder—stung behind my eyes like something had been driven in.

That was when my phone buzzed.

A message from my mother: Hope, Grandma keeps calling your name. Please come back.

I stared at the words and clenched the phone until it dug into my palm.

I pulled the diamond ring off my left hand.

I had to see Grandma one last time.

I searched every corner of the rest stop.

No other cars. No other people. No tools.

The signal on my phone kept cutting in and out.

I finally found a spot with enough bars and dialed roadside assistance.

The nearest team couldn't come until tomorrow.

A section of the road had collapsed.

I hung up. Les came over.

"Hope, just leave it till tomorrow." He glanced at my arm. "Look—you've gone and scraped yourself up. Be good. Don't make me feel bad."

I ignored him.

A little while later, my phone lit up.

Grandma's number.

I answered immediately.

"Grandma."

"Hope…" Her voice was so faint. "When will you be here?"

"I'm on my way, Grandma. Soon."

"Hope, dear… Grandma misses you so much. You were so little, you'd lie across my lap and pull at my sleeve until I told you a story…"

"Grandma, don't tire yourself—"

"I'm afraid there isn't time." A small, quiet laugh. "When your grandfather went, I never got to say even one last thing to him. Hope, you be good to yourself."

My tears fell.

"Hope, that boy Les… is he good to you?"

I didn't answer.

"Hope."

Les walked up behind me.

"Give me your phone a sec," he said. "Lila's is dead. She's got a work message to send."

I gripped the phone tighter and turned my back to him.

"I'm on a call. My grandmother—"

"Yeah, I know." He stepped around in front of me. "One minute. She'll send it and I'll hand it right back."

"No."

Les's brow creased.

On the other end, Grandma was saying, "Hope? Hope, are you still there?"

"Hope." His voice went low, the way it did when he'd decided the conversation was over. "This client matters to Lila. It could decide whether she makes full-time."

"I said no."

Lila had followed him over at some point. She stood behind Les, eyes rimmed red.

"Hope… just one second… please, I'm desperate…" Her voice cracked, tears sliding down. "I won't keep it long… I'm begging you…"

Les looked at her tears, then turned back to me. His expression changed.

"Give it to me."

He reached out.

I pressed the phone behind my back.