CHAPTER 14: A Family Name Leaves the Head Table

The dinner ended without an announcement.
Guests slipped out in careful pairs, gathering coats and whispers. The orchestra packed its instruments. Waiters removed untouched desserts. At the head table, Adelaide sat alone for the first time all evening, her emerald gown bright against a room that had stopped admiring it.
Julian came to Maren near the private lounge doors.
'I failed her,' he said.
Maren did not spare him.
'Yes.'
He flinched, then nodded. For once, he did not ask her to make truth easier to hear.
'I will move out tonight if you want me to,' he said. 'I will remove my mother from every account connected to us. I will do whatever Clara needs before I ask what I deserve.'
Maren studied him.
She had loved him too long to pretend one sentence could repair years of hesitation. But she also knew the difference between a man defending his comfort and a man finally ashamed of it.
'Start by asking Clara what safe means,' she said. 'Then listen until she believes you.'