Chapter 3 - Footsteps in the Rain
The autumn rain beat down upon the concrete streets of Seattle, washing away the city's veneer into grey drains. Julian walked toward his car without opening an umbrella, letting the icy drizzle soak through his tailored wool blazer. His mind was a battlefield of fragmented memories: the late-night arguments, the unaccounted hours, and the catastrophic oversight that had brought Elena to the brink of collapse.
He opened the car door, threw the sodden jacket into the passenger seat, and gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles whitened. His phone lit up again on the dashboard. He answered, his voice devoid of any pretense. "What do you want, Vivienne? I told you never to message me directly."
May you like
A low, composed sigh drifted through the speakers. "I saw the ambulance outside your estate, Julian. I had to be sure. Did she lose them?" Julian’s breath hitched, anger boiling beneath his ribs. "She is pregnant with twins. My twins. And if you dare come near her, I will dismantle everything your family built."
Vivienne chuckled softly, a chilling sound devoid of mirth. "Your twins? Are you really that naive, darling? Did you bother looking at the clinic's transfer logs from two months ago, or were you too busy hiding your own debts?" Julian froze, the ignition keys rattling in his trembling hand as her words struck a lethal chord of doubt.
