Hugo had never truly doubted Roseline.
In his mind, she was the woman who stepped into his life when everything was collapsing. When investors were pulling back. When competitors were circling. When his judgment had begun to blur under the weight of grief.
If not for her steady voice in board meetings, her quiet efficiency behind the scenes, and her relentless encouragement, he often believed the company would have crumbled.
And at that time, he had not been a man thinking clearly.
Grace's death had not been sudden. The doctors had warned him for years about her chronic illness. He had prepared for it in theory. Signed papers. Arranged treatments. Held her hand through hospital corridors.
But knowing someone will leave you does not make the leaving easier.
When Grace finally passed, something in him fractured.
