We stopped to fill up the car. My husband was driving, I was next to him…

I sat in the passenger seat, trying to relax and enjoy our first trip alone in ages. But I couldn’t ignore that Michael seemed unnaturally tense and restless. He kept glancing in the rearview mirror, as if expecting someone to follow, and reacted nervously whenever his phone rang, though he dismissed the calls instantly.

It felt like he was being pursued—or running from something. “You look tired,” I said after a few hours. “Want me to drive?” Michael shook his head quickly, almost frantically.

“No, no, I’m fine, don’t worry. We’ll stop soon, rest, grab a bite.” Around 2 p.m., we were somewhere in rural Oregon, in a small town lost among fields.

Michael noticed the fuel gauge was dangerously low. He pulled off the highway and stopped at an old, weathered gas station. A typical rural setup, with a rundown convenience store attached.

As Michael turned off the engine, a young attendant approached our car. His faded blue jumpsuit had a name tag reading “Jake.” “Full tank of regular, please,” Michael said.

Jake nodded curtly. “You got it.” He unscrewed the gas cap and inserted the nozzle.

I leaned back, pulled a water bottle from my bag, and sipped, idly watching Jake fill the tank. Then I noticed him doing something odd near the gas tank. He glanced around, ensuring Michael wasn’t looking.

Then he locked eyes with me and, with a subtle motion, slipped a small, neatly folded piece of paper into the slightly open passenger window. I froze in surprise. Jake, still holding the nozzle, met my gaze again and gave a barely perceptible shake of his head.

It was a silent signal: “Don’t open it now, don’t react.” “How far to San Diego from here?” Michael asked loudly, eyes on his phone. “If you avoid traffic and don’t stop much, maybe seven or eight hours,” Jake replied calmly. “Road’s decent from here, unless there’s construction.”

When Michael stepped out to pay for the gas, I grabbed the paper with trembling fingers. Unfolding it, I saw just two words: “Run! Now!” My heart raced, nausea rising. I didn’t understand.

What did this mean? Why would a complete stranger give me such a terrifying note? Was it a sick prank? Or was there a real, serious reason? “You okay? You look pale,” Michael said, returning to the driver’s seat, noticing my distress. I instinctively crumpled the note and shoved it into my jeans pocket.

“I don’t feel great. Probably carsick. I’m going to the restroom, splash some water on my face.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Michael said, with what seemed like strange, misplaced relief. “Take your time, we’ve got all night.”

That last phrase sounded especially ominous. I got out and walked toward the restroom as confidently as I could. There, in a small, overgrown lot, Jake was waiting.

His face was far more serious and worried than before. “I’m so sorry for startling you like this,” he began, speaking quickly and quietly, glancing around. “But I couldn’t stay silent. My conscience wouldn’t let me.”

“What are you talking about? What’s going on? Is something wrong with the car?” I was bewildered, my thoughts a jumble. Jake checked around again before continuing in a near-whisper. “I need to tell you something critical about your husband.

Three weeks ago, he stopped here, and he was… with another woman.” My blood ran cold, my legs weak. “I probably wouldn’t have said anything if it was just that—maybe a mistress, not my business,” Jake said.

“But the thing is…” He paused, steeling himself. “He called that woman his real wife.” My knees buckled; I nearly collapsed.

“His real wife?” I whispered, lips dry. “Yeah,” Jake said. “I wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose, but they were loud. I couldn’t not hear.

She asked him, ‘What about your… you know, Emily?’ Your husband replied, calm as anything, ‘Don’t worry, honey, I’ll handle it on this trip. I’ll take care of everything for good.’”

I stared at Jake, torn between horror and a desperate hope he’d say it was a mistake. His expression grew darker, almost frightened. “I don’t know for sure, but today, I overheard his phone call by chance.

He said, ‘Yes, everything’s on track. It ends tonight…