Chapter 20

“That’s why I offered you this chance,” Victoria continued. “Not just because you resembled her physically. Not just for revenge against those who hurt you. But because I recognized something worth saving. W of my value independent of my usefulness for revenge or my resemblance to Sophia. “When I saw you in here,” Victoria said, gesturing toward Sophia’s bedroom, “my first thought wasn’t anger at the invasion o that you might damage something, change something, disrupt the preservation of her space.”

“I would never,” I began, but she raised a hand to silence me.

“I know. But grief isn’t rational. This wing has remained untouched for a decade, cleaned only by me, entered

only by me. These rooms are all I have left of her physical presence in the world.”

She stood suddenly, moving back to the bedroom doorway staring inside with an expression of such longing it made my throat tighten,

“She was brilliant,” Victoria said softly. “Could have run the company better than I ever did. Had this extraordinary ability to see connections others missed. But more importantly, she was kind. Genuinely kind, in I joined