Chapter 2 - The Velvet Cage
The ride back to the Glen Cove estate took forty minutes, and nobody said a single word.
Adrian sat in the rear leather seat of the black Maybach, his posture immaculate, staring straight ahead through tinted glass. Mara huddled against the passenger door, clinging to the lapels of the heavy coat as if giving it up meant surrendering her last breath. Her heart rattled against her ribs like a trapped bird.
When the wrought-iron gates swung open to reveal the stone manor overlooking Long Island Sound, Mara felt the walls closing in. The house had always been too grand, too cold, a fortress built to withstand sieges rather than foster warmth.
Owen Rourke opened her door. His eyes darted nervously between Mara and the boss. "Sir, the boy Eli is locked in the security lodge. His mother is under our watch at a safe motel in Queens."
"Keep them there," Adrian said flatly, stepping out. He turned and offered Mara his hand.
She didn't take it. She forced herself to stand on trembling legs, walking through the marble foyer under her own power.
"Take off the coat, Mara," Adrian said from behind her. The heavy front doors clicked shut, locking automatically.
She paused on the Turkish rug, her back to him. "I'm cold."
"It's eighty-eight degrees inside this foyer," Adrian replied, his voice dangerously level. "Take off the coat, or I will take it off for you."
Tears stung her eyes. She knew there was no hiding it now. Her trembling fingers went to the horn buttons. One. Two. Three. She slipped the heavy wool off her shoulders and let it pool onto the marble floor.
Beneath it, her loose linen dress did nothing to conceal the round, high swell of her belly.
Adrian looked at her. For the first time since she had met him, his mask cracked. His eyes traveled from her belly to her face, a chaotic storm of shock, betrayal, and quiet rage swirling in his expression.
"Five months," Adrian whispered. The realization fell between them like a guillotine. "You've been hiding this since spring."
"Adrian, please," she choked out.
"Who is the father?" he demanded, taking one slow, predatory step forward.
Mara stared at him in disbelief, a spark of indignation flaring through her panic. "Are you out of your mind? You know I haven't left this property without an armed escort since the day we signed the marriage certificate!"
"Then explain it!" Adrian's voice cracked like thunder, echoing off the high ceilings. "Because we haven't shared a bed since the night of the harbor gala in March. The night you drank champagne and told me you regretted everything we were."
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"And that was five months ago, Adrian!" Mara shouted back, clutching her belly with both hands. "Do the math!"
Adrian stopped dead. The silence that followed was suffocating.
