Chapter 2 - The Rain in Queens
The Manhattan skyline faded in the rearview mirror of Julian’s Aston Martin. He didn't know where he was going, only that he had to get as far away from the Upper East Side as possible. Toby was fast asleep in the passenger seat, exhausted by the sheer adrenaline of what he had done.
Julian pulled over in a dimly lit diner parking lot in Queens. The rain was coming down in sheets, drumming a relentless rhythm against the windshield.
He pulled out his phone. He had blocked Claire’s number three years ago. His mother had handed him a dossier—photographs of Claire with another man, bank statements showing she had drained their joint accounts, and a signed document forfeiting custody. It had broken Julian so completely that he had refused to ever speak to her again.
But it was all a lie. Beatrice had engineered it all.
He unblocked the number, his thumb hovering over the screen. He dialed.
It rang four times. Then, a tired, raspy voice answered. "Hello?"
"Claire," Julian breathed. Just saying her name felt like breathing oxygen for the first time in three years.
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end. "Julian? How... why are you calling me?" Her voice was laced with panic. "Is Toby okay? Did Beatrice find out I sent him a birthday card? Please, Julian, don't let her take away my visitation rights. I'll stay away, I promise!"
Julian squeezed his eyes shut, the sheer weight of his mother’s cruelty crushing him. "She threatened your visitation?"
"She said if I ever came near the penthouse, she'd plant drugs in my apartment and call Child Protective Services," Claire sobbed quietly. "Julian, please. I just want to see him. Just once."
"Where are you?" Julian asked, his voice cracking.
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"I'm at work. The diner on 4th and Elm."
Julian looked up at the neon sign buzzing above his car. He was already there.
