I gripped the wheel with both hands and straightened the car out.
Gretchen's voice tore through the phone, raw with fury.
"You actually had the nerve to photoshop a picture to scare me?"
"Clarence, there is nothing between me and Cecil. I've told you a thousand times. Stop running to my father every time you have some petty grievance!"
"I warned you. My father has a bad heart. He can't handle your jealous, small-minded drama!"
The injustice burned through me. Her father had seen the photos she posted on her Instagram story, the ones of her looking far too cozy with Cecil. He knew we'd been fighting. That was why he'd come to see us quietly, to smooth things over.
A memory surfaced unbidden. Our wedding day. The aisle blanketed in flowers.
Gretchen had held my hand, eyes brimming with emotion, and spoken her vows to me.
"In this life, I will always stand by your side. I will always love you. I will never choose to hurt you."
But now?
She was my wife, yet all she cared about was standing up for her college junior. She'd even thrown a wrench at my car, putting me in real danger.
Have you forgotten, Gretchen? You're my wife!
A siren wailed from behind. A highway patrol car had pulled onto the shoulder and was gaining on us. A voice blared through the loudspeaker.
"Driver of the Ferrari ahead, cease your dangerous driving immediately and pull over!"
But Gretchen didn't slow down one bit. If anything, her voice on the phone grew even more hostile.
"This could've been settled if you'd just swallowed your pride and admitted fault. But no, you had to blow it up into this!"
"This whole mess is your doing. Just you wait!"
The GPS chimed in.
"Attention: highway tunnel ahead in five hundred meters. Road surface is wet. Please reduce speed."
All three of us barreled into the tunnel.
There was no shoulder lane inside. The patrol car had no choice but to stop at the tunnel entrance.
The overhead lights were dim, casting a sickly glow that barely illuminated a hundred meters of road ahead. The danger of driving at this speed multiplied instantly.
A voice message came through from Gretchen.
"Clarence, I'm giving you one last chance. Pull over right now and go take the blame for Cecil!"
My hands were shaking on the steering wheel. I roared back at her.
"You can't stop in a goddamn tunnel, Gretchen!"