I shot him a cold glance. "I'm not hungry. I'm going to use the restroom."
The rain had started to ease up. It was still coming down, but not hard enough to need an umbrella, so I dashed straight into the rest stop.
When I came back out after washing my hands, Leo was already sitting in the car waiting for me.
I jogged toward it. The second my fingers touched the door handle, he floored the gas and tore out of the parking spot.
I stood there like an idiot, my hand still frozen in mid-air where the door had been, unable to move for a full two seconds.
By the time my brain caught up, the car was gone. Leo was gone.
My mind went blank. I fumbled for my phone and called him, but all I got was the cold, automated voice: "We're sorry, the number you are trying to reach is currently on another call..."
The drizzle kept falling, soft and relentless. My clothes were soaked through, and the cold cut into every inch of my skin like a blade.
I called Leo ten times. Every single call was rejected.
I tried texting him. He'd blocked me.
There was no point calling again. I understood that now.
Not unless I agreed to hand over that seventeen thousand dollars to his sister.
But why should I? I'd earned that money myself, every last cent. Why should I just give it away to her?
I hugged my knees on the steps outside the rest stop and sobbed.
People walking by stared at me with all kinds of looks, but I didn't care. I was too deep in my own misery to notice.
I didn't know how long I cried. It wasn't until my legs had gone completely numb from the cold that I stood up like a machine and made one final call.
Ten minutes later, the highway patrol arrived.
They helped me into the cruiser first, wrapped a warm blanket around my shoulders, and handed me a cup of hot water.
My whole body was frozen stiff. It took a while before I could even form words.
"I got into a fight with my boyfriend. No, wait. My ex-boyfriend. He kicked me out of the car and drove off in it. My car."
That Mercedes was a graduation gift from my parents.
After Leo and I got together, I saw how miserable his daily subway commute was, so I let him borrow it.
That was a year ago.
I could let go of the fact that he'd abandoned me on the highway. Fine. But my car? What right did he have to take my car?
The officers ran the plates and got ahold of Leo, telling him to bring the vehicle to the station immediately.
He told them he was already home and that he'd return the car after the holiday.
I almost laughed from the sheer audacity.
His hometown was still three hours away from here. There was no way he'd made it home that fast.
He had no intention of giving my car back.
The officers frowned. They called him again, warning him that if he didn't bring the car in immediately, there would be legal consequences.
Leo hung up on them. When they tried again, the phone was off.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm.
Leo Sullivan, you just wait.
This holiday is going to be hell for you.
In the end, I waited at the station with the officers until my parents arrived.
My mom pulled me into her arms the second she saw me. She took my ice-cold hands in hers, then touched my face, red and raw from the cold. Her eyes welled up instantly.
"My poor baby. You've never been treated like this a day in your life. How did a relationship do this to you?"
My nose stung, and tears slid down my cheeks.
When I'd first started dating Leo, my parents hadn't tried to stop me. They just told me that as long as I was happy, that was all that mattered.
