Chapter 2 - The Eye of the Storm
They did not return to the small, stolen apartment in Providence. Julian drove them straight to a secluded cottage on the cliffs of Narragansett—a property bought under a shell company, unknown to Vivienne.
The drive was silent, save for the rhythmic slap of the windshield wipers. Inside the car, the heater blasted warm air, but Mara couldn't stop shaking. Julian kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other tightly clasping hers. He didn't ask her if she was okay; he knew she wasn't.
When they arrived, Julian carried her inside. The cottage was dark and cold, but within minutes, he had a fire roaring in the hearth. He brought her a cup of hot tea and a dry change of clothes.
Mara sat on the edge of the plush sofa, staring into the flames. Her hair, once a thick, dark crown that reached her waist, was now jagged, ending abruptly at her jawline on one side. It was a physical brand of her degradation.
Julian knelt in front of her. He didn't look like the polished politician the state of Rhode Island expected to elect. His hair was messy, his tie undone, his eyes rimmed with red. Slowly, reverently, he reached out and touched the short, uneven ends of her hair.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I thought I could protect you by keeping us hidden. I thought if I won the senate seat, I could change the laws, protect the archive, and give us a shield. I was a coward, Mara."
Mara looked at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She took his hand and placed it over her rounded belly. Beneath his palm, the baby gave a soft, reassuring flutter.
"We can't hide anymore, Julian," she said, her voice trembling but clear. "Your mother won't stop. She didn't just cut my hair to punish me; she did it to show me she owns me. She thinks she owns our child."
Julian’s jaw tightened, a dangerous light igniting in his eyes. "She doesn't own anything. Not anymore. Tomorrow, the press will run with the story of the secret marriage. Vivienne will try to paint you as an opportunist, a gold-digger who targeted her grieving son."
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"And what will we do?" Mara asked.
"We tell the truth," Julian said, kissing her forehead, right over the small scratch Vivienne’s scissors had left behind. "All of it. From the very beginning."
