Rosamond's throat felt stuffed with cotton, dry and raw.
Her fingers curled slowly into her palms, and her chest seized as though something had clamped down around her heart, squeezing until the air refused to come.
After a long silence, she looked at Bryce and Garrett, her voice low and steady:
"Fine. I'll resign from the firm."
She wanted to see exactly how far the firm would get without her.
Bryce visibly relaxed when she agreed.
He reached for her hand:
"Rosa, don't worry. Even if you're not practicing law anymore, I can take care of you."
Rosamond's expression didn't change. She sidestepped his hand, swallowing the pain, her tone flat:
"I don't need you to take care of me."
He'd already made his choice. There was no point pretending to care now.
Bryce's throat bobbed. He stared at Rosamond, dazed. The love that once filled her eyes had been replaced by something vast and empty, and it stung like looking into the sun.
His chest tightened with a dull, suffocating ache.
Why? He'd always loved Olympia, hadn't he? He'd only married Rosamond on impulse, out of spite.
Now Olympia had achieved her dream. She'd gotten what she wanted, taken Rosamond's place. He should be happy.
So why did the look of disappointment in Rosamond's eyes cut so deep?
It was probably just responsibility.
That was how Bryce consoled himself.
Right. Responsibility. He had married her, after all. Helping Olympia scheme against her like this was, admittedly, unfair.
But it didn't matter. They were still husband and wife. He'd make it up to her later.
The thought loosened the knot in his chest for a moment. He was about to say something when Olympia cut in:
"Bryce, come shopping with me."
"I'm about to get promoted, so I should pick up some gifts for my team."
Bryce glanced at Rosamond:
"Rosa, Olympia's still new in town. I need to look after her."
Rosamond's voice was even, the sorrow in her eyes fading into something blank:
"It's fine. Go."
Bryce blinked. Normally, whenever he mentioned spending time with Olympia, Rosamond would argue with him.
No matter how many times he insisted they were just friends, she never believed him.
Why was she so agreeable today?
He looked into her calm, unreadable eyes, and an inexplicable unease crept through him.
He started to explain without thinking:
"Don't worry, I'll come straight home after we're done. I won't be long—"
Before he could finish, Olympia turned to him with a wounded expression:
"Bryce, I know you're worried Attorney Henson will get the wrong idea. It's okay, I can go by myself."
She managed a tight, brave smile:
"I'm used to being alone."
She turned and walked out, leaving behind a lonely silhouette.
Bryce's face crumpled with sympathy, and he hurried after her.
In his mind, Rosamond was the wife who would always forgive him. Whenever they fought, she'd find her own way to let it go without him having to lift a finger.
Olympia was different. She was high-maintenance. One wrong move and she'd sulk for days, exhausting everyone around her.
So he'd rather disappoint Rosamond than risk upsetting Olympia.
Rosamond stood rooted to the spot, motionless. Her entire body had gone rigid and cold. Sweat beaded along her spine. She bit down hard on her lip, but it did nothing to stop the chill spreading through her.
She watched the two of them leave and let out a bitter, quiet laugh.
She must have been blind all these years, believing Bryce actually loved her.
How had she forgotten? Every single time she and Olympia clashed, Bryce had taken Olympia's side. Every single time.
She cast a cool glance at Garrett and said quietly:
"You've wanted me out of this firm for a long time, haven't you?"
Guilt flickered across Garrett's face. Before he could respond, Rosamond cut him off:
"You got what you wanted."
"I hope you won't regret today's decision."
Without waiting for an answer, she walked to HR alone to process her resignation.
When they learned she was leaving, the HR staff were stunned. They'd watched Rosamond pour years of her life into this firm. No one expected her to leave so suddenly.
But given the rumors circulating the past two days, the shock faded quickly, replaced by quiet sympathy as they looked at her.
Rosamond clenched her fists, forcing herself to ignore the pitying glances. Once the paperwork was done, she walked out of the firm for the last time.
Back home, she called Martha Henson first:
"Mom, I've decided. I'm emigrating to the States with you and Dad."
Martha Henson paused for a beat, then her voice brightened:
"Really? You've finally come to your senses. Your father and I were so afraid you'd be stubborn and insist on staying."
"Don't worry, sweetheart. You can still practice law overseas. You don't have to chain yourself to one firm."
"What about Bryce? Is he coming with you, or staying behind for now?"
Rosamond's voice dropped:
"Mom, I think I need to get a divorce first."
"Could you and Dad help me with the immigration paperwork?"
"And Bryce's company... have Henson Group pull its investment. Once the divorce is final, I won't have anything to do with Delgado Group."
Bryce had always believed he'd built Delgado Group on talent alone. Fine. She'd let him prove it. Without Henson money behind him, she'd see how long his empire lasted.
Martha was surprised, but she'd always respected her daughter's decisions. She didn't press for details, only offered careful reminders:
"Your marriage is your own business. Your father and I won't interfere. We'll have our lawyers handle the investment withdrawal."
"If anything comes up that you can't handle, tell us."
Her mother's words thawed something in Rosamond's frozen chest, just slightly.
She nodded:
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll take care of it."
She'd barely hung up when a message came through from a colleague:
"Attorney Henson, we want to thank you for everything you've done for us over the years, so we'd like to throw you a farewell party."
"We've booked a villa on the south side of town for tonight. We're planning a get-together, maybe stay the night. Are you free?"
Rosamond had planned to slip away quietly, but these colleagues had always been good to her. After tonight, she might never see them again. She couldn't bring herself to refuse.
After a long moment of thought, she agreed.
She packed up a few things at home and rushed to the villa.
What she hadn't expected was Olympia.
Olympia stood in the center of the crowd, her fingers laced through Bryce's, her gaze landing on Rosamond with a glint of smug provocation:
"Attorney Henson, I never thought you'd actually show up to my promotion party."
"I knew Bryce wouldn't lie to me."
