Chapter 12

Reese had cleared out everything—not a trace of her or Noah remained. It was as if she were erasing their existence from his life. Only Noah's birthday wish note remained on the table. Hudson remembered that day. Noah's timid voice: "Daddy, can I have a birthday present this year?" He'd been too preoccupied with Val and Leon's drama, so angered by what he perceived as the child's greed, that he'd simply walked away. He hadn't even let Noah finish.

And now, seeing Noah's actual wish—so simple, so modest—it hit him. The little boy had loved him that much, even though Hudson had never offered him a single smile. Meanwhile, Leon was constantly demanding, "Gimme this, buy me that."

Hudson slapped himself hard. What kind of father had he become? The polished CEO looked utterly broken. His assistant spoke softly.

"Sir, I just heard from Search and Rescue. No sign of Mrs. Montclair. From that altitude, into the ocean, after this long… she probably…"

Hudson's eyes were wild. "Shut it! She's not dead! We're forever, okay? She wouldn't leave me alone!"

But would she stay? Really? He remembered their early days. The company was tanking, partners were leaving. He was living on his office couch. While his partnerships crumbled, Reese fought tirelessly to save them. She pursued every lead, knocked on every door, only to be repeatedly rebuffed. One freezing December night, she'd camped outside a client's office, clutching a gift box, until they finally agreed to a meeting. She saved the deal but collapsed on her way back, an incident that jeopardized her chances of having children.

When Hudson reached the hospital and saw her pale face, guilt overwhelmed him. He'd broken down crying. But Reese simply held him, smiling. "That's what marriage is, right? We face everything together." Then, she'd grown serious. "But Hudson? If you dare to betray me, I'll walk away. Never turning back. No second chances."

He'd already known about Leon then. He'd sworn to take that secret to his grave. But Reese had figured it all out.

The assistant hesitated, opening his laptop. "Sir, the cemetery called. Mrs. Montclair collected Noah's ashes two days ago. I did some digging. You need to see this."

Then Hudson watched everything that happened at his son's funeral.