Chapter 3 - The Arrival at Montauk
The gray light of dawn hung heavy over the jagged coastline of Montauk.
The Seraphina glided silently into the private harbor, its sleek hull cutting through the choppy, slate-colored water.
On the wooden dock, two police cruisers sat with their emergency lights flashing, casting eerie red and blue reflections across the dark windows of the Sterling boathouse.
Maya stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the yacht’s main salon, wearing a simple oversized cashmere sweater of Julian’s and a pair of dark trousers.
Her wedding dress, ruined and waterlogged, had been bagged and left in the stateroom like a crime scene artifact.
The events of the previous night felt like a surreal fever dream, but the stinging cold still lingered in her chest.
Behind her, the heavy doors slid open.
Julian walked in, dressed in a fresh black wool coat, his face expressionless.
"They're ready for us," he said quietly.
Maya turned, swallowing hard.
"Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Julian replied, offering her his hand.
She took it, her fingers intertwining with his.
Together, they walked down the gangplank and onto the wet wooden boards of the dock.
The damp morning air bit at their faces.
Two local police officers stood waiting, flanked by Marcus and a middle-aged detective with tired eyes and a worn leather notebook.
"Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling," the detective greeted them, tipping his hat.
"I’m Detective Miller. I’m sorry about the circumstances, but we need to ask you a few questions before we take Mrs. Sterling Sr. into custody."
"I understand, Detective," Julian said firmly.
"My wife is freezing and exhausted. I want to give my official statement first, and then I want her taken inside the estate to rest."
Detective Miller nodded, glancing at Maya’s pale face.
"Fair enough. Let’s head inside the main house. It’s warmer there."
The walk up the stone path toward the sprawling stone mansion was agonizingly quiet.
The sprawling estate, normally a symbol of untouchable wealth and prestige, felt like a mausoleum.
Inside, the grand foyer smelled of old polish and sea salt.
Detective Miller pulled out a silver pen and clicked it open.
"Mr. Sterling, your head of security stated that your mother intentionally assaulted your wife, resulting in her fall overboard. Is that correct?"
Julian didn't hesitate.
"Yes. It was entirely premeditated. She lunged at my wife without provocation and shoved her off the deck."
"And your mother claims it was an accident," Detective Miller added, watching Julian’s reaction closely.
"She lost her balance while dancing."
"My mother is a calculated, manipulative sociopath," Julian said, his voice hard as iron.
"She tried to murder my wife because she couldn't control our marriage. Do not let her twist this."
Detective Miller scribbled something down in his notebook, then looked up at Maya.
"Mrs. Sterling, do you have anything to add?"
Maya stepped forward, her voice steady despite her trembling hands.
"She looked me in the eyes right before she hit me, Detective. There was no confusion. There was no slip. She wanted me dead."
The front doors banged open behind them.
Two officers escorted Eleanor down the grand staircase.
The Sterling matriarch looked disheveled for the first time in her life.
Her hair was a mess, her makeup smeared, and her emerald gown was torn and stained with salt.
Yet, her posture remained rigid, her chin held high with arrogant defiance.
When her eyes landed on Julian and Maya standing together by the fireplace, her face contorted into a mask of pure venom.
"Julian!" Eleanor shrieked, struggling slightly against the officer holding her arm.
"You are throwing your entire family away for this cheap, manipulative nobody! She trapped you! She planned this!"
Julian didn't even flinch.
He didn't turn around to look at her.
He kept his eyes locked on Detective Miller.
"Take her away," Julian commanded, his voice devoid of any remaining emotion.
"Mrs. Sterling, you have the right to remain silent," Detective Miller said, signaling the officers.
Eleanor thrashed as they cuffed her wrists, her screams echoing off the high stone ceilings of the mansion.
"You'll rot for this, Julian! You're nothing without me! Nothing!"
The heavy oak doors slammed shut behind them, cutting off her voice.
Silence rushed back into the room, heavy, suffocating, and absolute.
Maya let out a long breath she didn't realize she’d been holding, leaning her head against Julian’s shoulder.
"It’s done," Maya whispered.
May you like
"No," Julian replied, staring at the empty doorway where his mother had just been dragged away.
"It’s only just begun."
