Chapter 38:
Rosette’s point of view ~~~
The moment I entered my father's study, I smelled his cologne. It lingered faintly in the air.
The study also smelled of leather. But my father's smell clung to the room no matter how many times it had been aired out.
I pushed the door shut behind me, leaning against it for just a moment before forcing myself forward.
The desk sat like a beast in the middle of the room, dark wood stretching across more space than it needed to.
His chair stood tall behind it, carved with designs I’d grown up staring at but never understood. Around me, shelves lined with neat binders, documents, old books—everything in its place, like he had left it frozen in time.
But I wasn’t here to remember him.
I crossed to the shelves, dragging my fingers across the spi
