My Ex Crashed Into Reality

My boyfriend, Carter, refused to drive with me to LAX to pick up my mom, claiming he had an urgent audition.

Instead, I found him on the 405 freeway, where he’d rear-ended me in my own custom Porsche.

He glanced at my Volvo, his arm wrapped around a panicked young influencer.

He scoffed, "It's just an old Volvo! Who cares if it got hit? It's not like I can't afford it!"

The onlookers were all praising him for being handsome and generous.

He pulled me aside and warned me, "That's a producer's daughter. This is just for my career, so don't you dare embarrass me."

I gave a tight nod, then turned to the influencer. "Since you love sloppy seconds so much, you can have the man and the car. My lawyer will be in touch about the bill."

Now, my ex is panicking.

He spends his days loitering outside my coworking space, the picture of dejection, pleading for me to take him back.

————————

1

My car was at a standstill on the 405. I was just about to text my boyfriend, Carter Hayes, when I was violently rear-ended.

"Carter, my mom's flight is delayed. I'm on the road outside the airport. I know you have an audition, so don't worry about us. Go nail it."

Before my thumb could hit send, a deafening bang shattered the silence.

The force of the collision shoved my Volvo forward several feet.

My phone flew from my hand.

My head smacked the steering wheel, and a sharp pain shot through my skull.

Still shaken, I craned my neck to look out the window—only to realize the car that hit me was the ice-pink Porsche 911 I’d bought and paid for just three months ago.

The car was registered in my name, but Carter had been the one driving it.

He had told me he was going to an important audition today and refused to come with me to the airport to pick up my mother, who was flying in specifically to meet him.

But seeing him here… he must have heard about the flight delay and rushed over to surprise me.

My heart warmed at the thought. I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car.

I strode toward the Porsche, about to call his name, but the sound died in my throat.

A panicked young woman I didn't recognize was in the driver's seat, and my boyfriend, Carter, had his arm protectively in front of her, murmuring words of comfort.

"Baby, are you scared? Let me see, are you hurt?"

He’d never been this tender with me.

The woman seemed touched.

She threw herself into his arms, and he didn't push her away.

He even pulled out his phone, aimed it at her, and started directing her poses.

"Come on, Sloane, more dazed. Yes, a little hint of being shaken up… That's how you get your fans to feel for you."

They were so engrossed in staging their "accident" for Instagram that they didn't notice me standing right outside the car.

I just stood there, frozen. A white-hot wave of fury and helplessness washed over me, and my vision swam.

A full three minutes passed before Carter and the woman finished their shoot, exchanging satisfied glances.

Carter got out of the car with a grin, but it froze on his face when he looked up and met my icy stare.

Panic flickered in his eyes, but he quickly masked it.

Pretending he didn't know me, he shoved me aside and helped the young woman out of the car.

Sensing my anger, she buried her pale face in Carter's chest and sobbed.

"Carter, that woman looks so angry. I'm scared."

Carter shot me a venomous look before glancing at my trusty Volvo.

He scoffed, "It's just some old Volvo. Who cares if it got hit? It's not like I can't afford it."

He coolly tossed a business card at my feet. "Just let me know what the repair bill is."

Stunned, I didn't bend to pick up the card.

Carter and I had been together for four years.

I knew his number by heart.

It was the ultimate humiliation, the punchline to a four-year joke I hadn't even realized I was in.

I wanted to leave, but the stares from the surrounding cars made me feel trapped and exposed.

"Wow, he's handling this so well. Didn't even blink, just said he'd pay. Must be loaded."

"Damn, that girl is lucky. Her boyfriend's hot, rich, and totally smitten. That's an expensive Porsche, and he's not even mad she crashed it. Now that's love."

Hearing the crowd's comments, Carter's smugness grew.

Still holding the woman, he announced nonchalantly, "It's just a car. My baby is all that matters."

I bit my lip so hard I could taste blood, willing the tears not to fall.

I was the one who bought the damn car.