diff --git a/PR.md b/PR.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3c36426
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PR.md
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+# fix: parse fractional seconds in ChronosTime as a fraction of a second
+
+## Problem
+
+`ChronosTime` misinterprets a time string whose fractional-seconds part has fewer
+than six digits. The fractional part is treated as a literal microsecond count
+instead of a fraction of a second:
+
+```php
+(new Cake\Chronos\ChronosTime('12:00:00.5'))->format('H:i:s.u');
+// "12:00:00.000005"  (5 microseconds)
+// expected "12:00:00.500000"  (half a second, matching DateTime)
+
+(new DateTime('12:00:00.5'))->format('u'); // "500000"
+```
+
+So `12:00:00.5` becomes 5 microseconds rather than 500000, diverging from PHP's
+own `DateTime` and from the round-trip used when constructing a `ChronosTime`
+from a `DateTimeInterface` (which formats to six digits).
+
+## Root cause
+
+`src/ChronosTime.php`, `parseString()`:
+
+```php
+$microseconds = (int)substr($matches[4] ?? '', 0, 6);
+```
+
+`$matches[4]` is the digit run after the decimal point. Passing it straight to
+`(int)` reads `"5"` as `5`, ignoring that these are the most-significant digits of
+a fractional second. Only six-digit input (for example `.500000`) happened to
+work, which is why the issue was not caught: every existing test uses a full
+six-digit fraction (or a seven-digit one that is truncated to six).
+
+## The fix
+
+Right-pad the (at most six) fractional digits to microseconds before converting:
+
+```php
+$microseconds = (int)str_pad(substr($matches[4] ?? '', 0, 6), 6, '0', STR_PAD_RIGHT);
+```
+
+- `.5`      -> `500000`
+- `.05`     -> `50000`
+- `.500000` -> `500000` (unchanged)
+- `.000005` -> `5` (unchanged)
+- `.9999991`-> truncated to `999999` (unchanged; existing behaviour preserved)
+
+This matches how `DateTime` interprets fractional seconds.
+
+## Test
+
+Added `ChronosTimeTest::testConstructFromStringWithFractionalSeconds`, asserting
+that `12:00:00.5`, `12:00:00.05` and `12:00:00.000005` produce
+`500000`, `50000` and `5` microseconds respectively.
+
+## Gate
+
+```
+composer install && vendor/bin/phpunit
+```
+
+Result: exit code `0` - `OK (981 tests, 2496 assertions)`.
+
+Counterfactual: reverting `parseString()` to `(int)substr(...)` makes the new test
+fail - `12:00:00.5` yields `12:00:00.000005` instead of `12:00:00.500000`.
diff --git a/src/ChronosTime.php b/src/ChronosTime.php
index f066978..596fbe6 100644
--- a/src/ChronosTime.php
+++ b/src/ChronosTime.php
@@ -122,7 +122,10 @@ class ChronosTime implements Stringable
         $hours = (int)$matches[1];
         $minutes = (int)$matches[2];
         $seconds = (int)($matches[3] ?? 0);
-        $microseconds = (int)substr($matches[4] ?? '', 0, 6);
+        // The fractional part is a fraction of a second, so it must be padded
+        // on the right to microseconds. Without padding ".5" would be read as
+        // 5 microseconds instead of 500000 (half a second).
+        $microseconds = (int)str_pad(substr($matches[4] ?? '', 0, 6), 6, '0', STR_PAD_RIGHT);
 
         if ($hours > 24 || $minutes > 59 || $seconds > 59 || $microseconds > 999_999) {
             throw new InvalidArgumentException(sprintf('Time string `%s` contains invalid values.', $time));
diff --git a/tests/TestCase/ChronosTimeTest.php b/tests/TestCase/ChronosTimeTest.php
index 1be8a37..9f8f233 100644
--- a/tests/TestCase/ChronosTimeTest.php
+++ b/tests/TestCase/ChronosTimeTest.php
@@ -53,6 +53,19 @@ class ChronosTimeTest extends TestCase
         $this->assertSame('00:59:59.999999', $t->format('H:i:s.u'));
     }
 
+    public function testConstructFromStringWithFractionalSeconds(): void
+    {
+        // The fractional part is a fraction of a second, matching DateTime.
+        $t = new ChronosTime('12:00:00.5');
+        $this->assertSame('12:00:00.500000', $t->format('H:i:s.u'));
+
+        $t = new ChronosTime('12:00:00.05');
+        $this->assertSame('12:00:00.050000', $t->format('H:i:s.u'));
+
+        $t = new ChronosTime('12:00:00.000005');
+        $this->assertSame('12:00:00.000005', $t->format('H:i:s.u'));
+    }
+
     public function testConstructFromInstance(): void
     {
         $t = new ChronosTime(new DateTimeImmutable('23:59:59.999999'));