Chapter 7: The Empty Townhouse
The ride back to our historic brownstone in the West Village was spent in suffocating silence. No radio played. No one spoke. The rhythmic slapping of the windshield wipers was the only sound keeping time with the frantic beating of my heart. When Julian pulled the sedan into the private gated alley behind our home, he killed the engine instantly but made no move to get out. He sat gripping the leather steering wheel, his knuckles stark white against the dark leather.
"Out," Julian said quietly, not turning around.
I pushed the door open and stepped out onto the rain-slicked flagstones, the cold air biting through my thin silk dress. Julian climbed out on his side, slamming the car door with a force that echoed off the brick walls of the courtyard. He unlocked the heavy mahogany back door with a sharp twist of his brass key, holding it open just enough for me to slip past him without our bodies touching.
The interior of the townhouse was dark, expensive, and profoundly empty. Crystal decanters caught the dim amber glow of the hallway sconces; Persian rugs muted our footsteps. But tonight, the luxury felt hollow, like a stage set built on rotten foundations. I walked into the grand parlor, finally letting the gold silk slip dress gather at my ankles as I reached down, pulled the front of the fabric away, and dropped the oversized sofa pillow onto the Persian carpet. It landed with a soft, pathetic thud.
Julian stood in the doorway, watching me discard the fake belly without a trace of emotion on his face. "Three years," he said, his voice flat and dead. "Three years of building the Vance Foundation's reputation on the promise of an heir, and you stuffed a decorative cushion under a designer dress."
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"You knew the board would cut our funding if we didn't announce a pregnancy before the gala," I snapped back, the fear inside me finally hardening into bitter anger. "You told me yourself that the family estate was drowning in debt. I did what you wanted, Julian. I gave you the illusion you needed to secure the investors."
"Not like this," Julian hissed, taking a sudden step into the room, his eyes flashing with suppressed rage. "You made us a public joke. You let a child expose us in front of the entire city. And now Vivienne has the footage. Do you have any idea what she's going to demand from me to keep that video off the internet?"
