“It was a moment no one will ever forget,” said a family member present at the scene. “Rute fell to her knees and let out a scream so deep, it made the entire room freeze.”
💔 “Too heartbreaking to believe” — the moment that shattered Rute
Sources close to the family describe Rute as having been mentally and physically exhausted since the moment she received the news of Diogo’s tragic car crash on July 2nd. The young widow had refused to sleep or eat properly, spending hours looking at wedding photos and rewatching the reel she posted just hours before the accident.
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A nurse from Santa Maria Hospital, where Rute was later rushed for emergency care, said:
“She was severely dehydrated, emotionally unresponsive. All she kept whispering was, ‘He promised he’d come back.’”
🕊️ From wedding bells to funeral hymns — all in 10 days
The love story of Diogo and Rute has become the subject of widespread mourning across Portugal. High school sweethearts from Porto, they had been together since 2012 and finally tied the knot on June 22, 2025, in a beautiful yet private ceremony attended by only 40 close friends and family.
Photos from their wedding — now viral across social media — show Jota kissing his bride’s forehead as she laughs in her elegant white gown, holding their daughter in one hand and son in the other.
Just 10 days later, Jota’s life was cut short in a fatal crash on the A‑52 highway in Spain, where he was traveling with his younger brother. Both died at the scene.
🧸 “Where is Daddy?” — the most painful question
Perhaps the most heart-wrenching detail came from one of Rute’s cousins, who recounted how little Dinis, the eldest son, kept asking, “Where is Daddy?” during the private wake. Despite Rute’s best efforts to stay strong, it was this question that finally broke her.
