Chapter 2

Claire's POV

The bear didn't charge.

It stopped right in front of Natalie, let out a low growl, and slammed one massive paw onto the pavement. Dust exploded in her face.

Classic bluff charge. The mother was making one thing clear: get away from my cub.

Natalie's legs gave out. She went down hard on the gravel, and a sharp, acrid smell hit the air almost immediately — she'd pissed herself.

The bear looked at her for a second, picked up her cub by the scruff, and lumbered back into the trees.

The second that silhouette disappeared, Natalie lost it.

"CLAIRE! Open the DOOR! You crazy bitch — you tried to get me KILLED!"

She hammered the door with both fists, nails dragging across the paint. The sound made my teeth clench.

From the back seat, Daniel was already screaming. "What the FUCK, Claire? Do you have ANY idea — if something had happened to her, I would NEVER forgive you. NEVER."

I looked at his face. Felt nothing but contempt.

Last life, I actually loved this man. Cut ties with my father over him. Pulled two hundred thousand from my trust to fund his bullshit "business." Turned down an Ivy League offer to stay in LA — all for him.

And when it mattered? He threw me to the bear. Literally. Shoved me in front of it, wrapped his arm around Natalie, and hit record.

I cracked the window an inch. Cold air poured in, mixed with the stink coming off her.

I wrinkled my nose. "Daniel. Let's be clear. She got out on her own — I warned her twice. I locked the doors to protect the people still inside this car. That includes you, by the way."

A beat.

"And you're so worried about her? Where were you when the bear showed up? Why didn't you jump out and play hero?"

"I — I didn't have TIME!" His face went bright red. "What you did — locking that door — that was attempted MURDER!"

"Murder." I let out a short laugh. "The dash cam caught everything. Every word I said, every second she was out there. So yeah, call the cops. I'll wait. Let's see who they fine for violating federal wildlife regulations."

I glanced out the window. Natalie was still on her knees, ugly-crying into the gravel.

"Hey — back away from the car. You reek." I paused. "And keep your hands off the paint. You can't afford what it costs to fix."

"Daniel—!" Natalie's face was streaked with tears and mascara. "Are you seriously just gonna sit there?"

Daniel's jaw clenched. He slammed his fist into the door.

"Claire. I mean it. You apologize to Natalie right now and let her back in, or we are DONE."

"Done?"

I raised an eyebrow.

There it is.

"Okay. Sure." I nodded. "We're done."

He froze. Blinked. Then his eyes went wide.

"Wait — no — Claire, come on—" Panic cracked through his voice. He'd never once considered I'd actually do it. In his head, I was still the girl who handed over her credit card and thanked him for taking it.

"I'm serious. You're dumped." I popped the trunk. "Grab your stuff, grab your girlfriend, and get out of my car."

"Claire! You can't be serious!"

"I'm dead serious." I turned and looked him straight in the eye. "The flights from LA, the hotels, the meals, that jacket you're wearing — I paid for all of it. We're done, so I'm done paying. Simple as that."

I pulled a stack of receipts from my bag and dropped them in his lap.

"Twelve grand total for this trip. I'll round down since we were together three years. You've got seventy-two hours to transfer it. After that, my lawyer takes over."

"Are you KIDDING me right now?" He shook his head, jaw hanging open. "Three years, Claire. Three YEARS — and you're seriously gonna sit here pulling out receipts?"

"Yeah. Three years." I kept my voice flat. "Three years of you using my money to buy Natalie bags and telling everyone you earned it. Three years of you using my family's connections, then talking shit about me at dinner with your friends."

I looked right at him.

"You really thought I didn't know? I let it go because I loved you. Well, I don't love you anymore. So no — I'm not letting it go."

I was done talking. I slammed my palm on the horn.

HOOOOONK—

The sound ripped across the open wilderness.

"Get out. Now. Or I call the rangers and tell them I've got two people harassing me on federal land."

The color drained from his face.

He shoved the door open, yanked both suitcases from the trunk, and dumped them in the middle of the road.

Natalie was hugging herself, shivering. "Claire... I know, okay? I know I messed up. Just — please don't leave us out here..."

"You two deserve each other." I didn't even look at her. "Seriously. Don't ever break up. The world can't handle two of you running around separately."

I threw it in drive and hit the gas.

In the rearview mirror, two figures shrank fast — arms waving, mouths open, screaming at nothing.

A laugh bubbled out of me before I could stop it.

God, that felt good.