Chapter 5: The Safe House
“They canceled the reception,” Julian said quietly, sliding into the opposite side of the vinyl booth without waiting for an invitation. The springs groaned beneath his weight. He rested his elbows on the laminate table, staring down at his hands. “Victoria’s father pulled all the investments from my firm before we even made it back to the dressing room. By morning, my partners are going to vote me out.”
I didn't say anything. I kept stirring the warm water in the ceramic mug, watching the small whirlpool form and collapse against the sides.
“I didn't mean for you to be there, Lily,” he continued, his voice dropping to a rough whisper. “I tried to keep that world away from you. I thought if I climbed high enough, if I built a enough walls, nobody would ever look at where I came from.”
“You left us in Queens with three boxes of macaroni and no heat,” I said. My voice didn't shake. It was flat, carrying the cold weight of every night I had spent checking the locks while our baby sister cried from hunger.
Julian flinched as if I had struck him across the face. He closed his eyes tightly, his jaw clenching until the muscle ticked beneath his skin. “I know. And I can’t undo that. But I rented a place. Just outside the city, in New Jersey. It’s small, but it has heat, and the locks work. No reporters. No society boards.”
“And Victoria?” I asked, meeting his gaze for the first time.
“She’s filing for an annulment before midnight,” he replied, a bitter, humorless smile touching the corner of his mouth. “She wants my name wiped from every document she ever signed. As far as the public is concerned, today never happened.”
May you like
I looked down at my sleeping sister, her breathing slow and even against my chest. The bright white roses and crystal chandeliers felt like a lifetime away, yet their shadow still hung over us. I slid the envelope of cash back across the table toward him.
“Keep your money,” I said quietly, pulling my coat tighter around my shoulders. “Just get us out of this diner.”
