When the sixteenth caregiver left the house in tears, abandoning her shoes by the front steps and refusing to even look back, Josh Piercewood finally admitted what he had denied for over a year. His wealth, his intelligence, and his reputation meant nothing inside his own home.
The mansion in Bellevue had once been filled with warmth and motion, but now it felt hollow, as if sound itself hesitated before entering. The walls were lined with photographs of a smiling woman whose presence could still be felt but no longer touched. Josh stood alone in the hallway, listening to the echo of a door slamming shut, knowing that another attempt had failed.
At forty years old, Josh was a celebrated figure in the world of artificial intelligence. He led a company whose algorithms shaped financial markets and medical systems. He negotiated with senators and investors with unshakable calm. Yet none of that prepared him for the sight of his children unraveling one by one after their mother’s death.