Margot Vale carries grief the same way she carries everything else.... silently and alone. To the outside world, Margot is a cold, relentless executive. No one knows that behind closed doors, she is still mourning the infant daughter she lost years ago, clinging to a private ritual that keeps her connected to the motherhood she never got to have. Then Elise becomes her assistant. Young, gentle, and far more observant than Margot would like, Elise slowly notices the cracks beneath her boss's carefully controlled exterior. And when Margot finally breaks, Elise doesn't run. She stays. What begins as quiet care becomes trust, vulnerability, and an unexpected bond between two women who were never supposed to need each other. Sometimes the heaviest thing we carry is the love we never got to give. GxG • Age Gap • MDLG • Grief & Healing • Short Story