Page 24 of Velvet Corruption

“Julian,” I said, interrupting their moment. “Can I have a word?”

He set Rosie down gently, and she scampered back to the kitchen. Julian walked over to me, running a hand through his hair. He looked tired, but not in the way I felt. His was the fatigue of a man working tirelessly toward his goals; mine was the exhaustion of a woman treading water, trying to keep everything afloat. Yeah, I’d wanted to be the DA for years—one day—but my boss’s death had thrown me for a loop.

I wasn’t ready for this, no matter how much everyone seemed to believe in me.

“I thought you were staying at the condo,” I said, staying casual for Rosie’s sake.

“I was,” he said, glancing toward the kitchen where Rosie was making more noise than necessary with her cereal bowl. “But I wanted to talk to you about something important.”

My stomach tightened. Every “important” conversation lately had been bad news: the high profile client dinners, the endless networking events, the speaking engagements. Julian always found a way to turn his career into a performance, and I was the one left cleaning up the mess.

I braced myself.

“Can it wait? I have to get Rosie to school and then—“

“It can’t,” he said, cutting me off. “It’s about Rosie.”

Of course it was. Everything was about Rosie. That’s what had made our partnership work for so long: our united front as parents. But now that front was crumbling, and with it, my certainty about everything else.

I sighed. “Fine. What is it?”

He hesitated, which made me even more anxious. “If you win…I mean, look, if you get elected, I’ve been thinking. Do you think maybe you should move out and I can stay here? I can provide more stability, and you’ll be dealing with high profile criminals. I’m not saying it has to happen, just…The condo is very nice. Right by the harbor, near City Hall.”

He trailed off, but the implication was clear. Just until Rosie was older. Just until she could understand. Just until she could forgive me for choosing a career over her.

Was he really trying to sell me on the location of our own damn fucking condo?

“Are you serious?” I whispered, not trusting my voice to remain steady if I spoke any louder.

“It’s just a thought,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I want what’s best for her, that’s all.”

I stared at him, trying to reconcile this man with the Julian I once knew. He had always been pragmatic, yes, but never this calculating. Or maybe he had been all along, and I’d simply been too blinded by our life together to see it.

“What’s best for her,” I repeated slowly, “is having both her parents. Present.”

“We’ll still be present,” he said, as if it were that simple.

“You’re a corporate litigator. You work insane hours, Julian.”

“And you don’t?” he shot back, his voice rising. “At least when I’m home, I’m here. You’re always thinking about the next case, the next campaign.”

“We both know that’s bullshit,” I snapped, though I caught myself in seconds, glancing back toward Rosie before going on. “I’m doing thisfor her. For us.”

He shook his head, a pitying smile on his face—like I just couldn’t see how stupid I was being. “You’re doing it for you, Ruby. And that’s fine. Just be honest about it.”

I opened my mouth to argue, to tell him that he was wrong, that every sacrifice I’d made was for our family. But deep down, I knew he was right. The ambition that drove me had always been personal, even if I justified it as something larger.

Rosie peeked around the corner, her eyes curious and cautious. She knew when we were fighting, even if we kept our voices low and our words civil.

“Don’t worry about it,” Julian said, his tone softening. “We’ll talk later.” He started toward the kitchen, then paused and turned back to me. “I hope you crush it today. Really. Now…where’s my favorite little girl?”

Rosie emerged from her hiding spot, clutching her backpack. “Daddy, can you drive me to school?”

I looked at Julian, then at Rosie. How could I say no without becoming the villain in their story?

“Sure,” Julian said, smiling down at her. “But only if it’s okay with Mami.”

All eyes were on me now. Rosie’s hopeful, Julian’s calculated. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling the weight of every decision pressing down on me.

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