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Julian’s grip on Mara’s hand was an anchor in the spinning room. As she found her footing, the heavy wool of his overcoat settled around her shoulders, carrying the faint, crisp scent of winter air and cedar. He kept his arm firmly around her waist, shielding her swollen belly from the surrounding crowd. / Chapter 5 / 15

Chapter 5: The Severed Ties

Chapter 5: The Severed Ties

That afternoon, Mara’s older sister, Naomi, arrived. She rushed into the estate, throwing her arms around Mara, crying at the sight of her uneven hair.

"I brought my kit," Naomi said, wiping her eyes and pulling out professional shears from her bag. "Let’s fix this."

Julian stood in the doorway of the master bathroom, watching as Naomi draped a towel over Mara’s shoulders. The shears snipped methodically. When Naomi finished, Mara’s long, dark hair had been transformed into a sleek, sharp bob that brushed her jawline. It wasn't the traditional, subdued look of a foundation archivist; it was modern, striking, and fierce.

"You look beautiful," Julian said, stepping forward to kiss the crown of her head.

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The heavy mahogany doors of the grand ballroom swung open with a slow, ominous creak, echoing through the cavernous space. Emily’s phone dropped smoothly into her clutch as two men in sharp charcoal suits marched in, their expressions carved from stone. The string quartet, mid-melody, abruptly stopped playing, and the room fell into a dead, suffocating silence. A hundred pairs of eyes shifted from the trembling pregnant woman on the floor to the intruders.

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Mara looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look like the terrified woman kneeling on the marble floor. She looked like a woman who belonged exactly where she was. "Julian," she said, turning to him. "Vivienne doesn't know the Carroway archive like I do. The donor contract has a stipulation. If the foundation fails to maintain proper preservation standards, custody reverts to the primary funder."

Julian’s eyes lit up. "And I am the primary funder."

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