"I—I had some work," Roseline said, her voice betraying her despite her effort to remain composed.
Hugo did not blink.
"What work?"
The question was simple.
The weight behind it was not.
Roseline felt cornered. She had two options. Tell him the truth and risk everything collapsing. Or redirect the storm.
She chose the latter.
She swallowed, forcing her breathing to steady as she held his unwavering gaze.
"I needed to breathe," she said quietly. "And clearly, our house wasn't the best place to do that."
Hugo's brow arched slightly.
"Oh?"
"You yelled at me, Hugo," she continued, her voice tightening. "You've never done that before. Not once."
He remained silent.
"That hurt," she added softly. "Staying in this house after that… it only reminded me of how much you've started to despise me."
There it was.
A calculated tremor entered her voice.
Hugo watched her carefully.
