Blake moved instinctively, but shock rooted him in place for half a second.
By the time he caught her, she was already on the floor.
He knelt beside her, his mind refusing to process the words he had just heard.
"What did you say?" Blake asked hoarsely, as if his ears had betrayed him. "Repeat it."
Rudy lowered his head slightly, his voice steady as he said, "Sir, the maid found Miss Natalie in the bathtub with a cut wrist, blood filling the tub. She was no longer breathing."
The word hit them hard.
Grace's composure was utterly shattered. She clutched Blake's arm with desperate strength, her nails digging into his skin.
"No. No. This is impossible," she sobbed. "How could Nat be dead? No! This has to be a lie. It must be a mistake. She was fine. She was just fine…"
Blake felt his own knees weaken.
He sank down beside his wife, holding her tightly against his chest. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, loud and erratic. He was never prepared to hear this. Never.
