Chapter 13 - Leaving The Glass Tower
The marble floor of the penthouse hallway felt colder than usual under my sensible work shoes. Two dark leather suitcases stood neatly beside the grand piano beneath the crystal chandelier, the heavy brass hardware catching the watery afternoon light filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside, the Manhattan skyline was veiled in a thin gray mist, the jagged peaks of distant skyscrapers blurred against the overcast sky.
Lily stood near the piano bench, her small fingers buried deep in the plush fur of her white teddy bear. She wore her pink dress and white cardigan, looking down at the empty white-clothed dining table where the whole ordeal had started weeks ago. Her breathing was quiet, a steady rhythm against the silent rooms that echoed with the ghosts of empty parties and polished silver.
Julian walked out of the study carrying a small leather folio containing the final paperwork for the sale of the apartment. He stopped by the edge of the dining room, his gaze fixed on the exact spot where Vivian had stood when she dismissed the child with a sneer. His jaw was tight, the muscle ticking once before he exhaled slowly and turned away from the past.
"Everything's loaded in the car downstairs," Julian said, his voice measured and quiet in the vast, empty space. He looked down at Lily, his expression softening instantly as he crouched to her eye level. "Ready to go see our new yard, Lily?"
The toddler nodded once, clutching the white teddy bear closer to her chest. "Can I bring my bear?" she asked softly.
"You can bring everything that matters," Julian replied, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder before standing up to look at me. "Let's head down, Sarah."
We walked together toward the private elevator at the end of the hall. The descent was smooth and silent, the digital floor numbers ticking downward in amber light from forty-two down to the lobby. The heavy doors slid open to reveal the quiet side exit of the building, away from the main avenue where reporters had lingered for days after Vivian’s departure and the subsequent tabloid fallout.
A dark town car idled by the curb, its engine humming a low, steady purr against the damp pavement. The driver stepped out promptly, opening the rear door and taking our two suitcases with practiced discretion.
Julian helped Lily into her car seat, ensuring the safety belt clicked securely across her pink dress before sliding in beside her. I took the seat opposite them as the driver closed the heavy door, shutting out the city noise completely. The glass divider remained down, but the atmosphere inside the cabin was entirely insulated from the rush hour chaos outside.
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As the car pulled away from the curb and glided down the quiet cross street, I glanced back through the rear window. The glass tower receded into the gray afternoon, its polished facade reflecting nothing of the life we were leaving behind. Julian rested his arm along the back of the seat, his fingers brushing against Lily’s curly hair as she stared out the window at the passing storefronts. We were heading west, away from the glittering pressures of the skyline, toward a road that had no cameras and no high-society rules.
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