For a moment, neither woman moved.
Then Victoria stepped inside.
The officers closed around her.
As they read her rights, she kept her eyes on Julian.
He did not look away.
CHAPTER 4 – What Remains
The estate emptied slowly.
Guests gave statements in the library. The musicians left their instruments packed and silent. The flowers from the ceremony were carried into the hall, where their pale petals looked strangely innocent beneath the harsh lights.
Elena sat in a small room near the kitchens with her shoes removed and her feet tucked beneath her. Her dress was still damp along the hem from the rain that had begun outside.
Julian stood in the doorway.
He had not touched his cheek.
“Can I come in?” he asked.
Elena nodded.
He entered, but stopped several feet away.
The distance between them was not large. It felt enormous.
“I should have believed you sooner,” he said.
“You believed me when you heard her voice.”
“I believed you before that. I just didn’t know how to admit what believing you meant.”
Elena looked down at her hands.
“You defended her.”
“I did.”
“You told me she was difficult. You told me she loved in her own way.”
“I wanted that to be true.”
His voice broke on the last word.
Elena studied him. “Did you know she hated me?”
“I knew she didn’t want us to marry.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
Julian lowered his eyes.
“She told me you were after the money. She said you were using the baby to force your way into the family.”
Elena’s fingers curled against her palm.
