CHAPTER 24

Michael’s POV:

After the announcement, my father’s health deteriorated rapidly. Each passing day seemed to bring a new challenge, and the weight of responsibility pressed down on my shoulders with increasing force.

The following week, he passed away, leaving me to bear the burden of leadership alone. In the wake of his death, my duties multiplied exponentially.

Meetings, decrees, and endless administrative tasks consumed every waking moment. There was scarcely a moment to grieve, let alone to tend to my own needs or those of Rosemarie and the twins or Cara and my unborn child.

I had intended to sit down with Rosemarie, to reassure her, to explain the complexities of the situation we found ourselves in.

But time slipped through my fingers like grains of sand, and before I knew it, days had turned into weeks, and still, I had not found the opportunity to share my thoughts with her.

The decision to publicly announce that Cara would remain my wife and that Rosemarie’s twins would be he