The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 322

Too bad.

She just had to wake up at the worst possible moment.

“I need some time alone,” she said, turning toward the staircase. Every step looked like it drained the last of her strength.

Steven didn’t move. He just stood there, staring after her thin, retreating figure, fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white.

He’d always thought he was in control of everything. But it never crossed his mind that love was the one thing nobody could control.

He really was an idiot.

He’d managed to hurt two women who loved him—hurt them so badly it was like he’d left scars that would never heal.

“Bria, you’ll come around,” he said under his breath. “Please… forgive me for being selfish one last time.”

The lights in the dining room were painfully bright, shining down on plates of cold, untouched food. For just a second, guilt flickered across his face, but it vanished behind that familiar layer of cold calculation.

He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to his assistant: Schedule a detailed prenatal checkup for Lucie tomorrow. I want the report.

Bria… she’d forgive him. Sooner or later. She always did. She loved him too much not to.

Outside, the night grew darker, and the silence hanging over the rose garden felt heavier than any argument.

Steven didn’t stay. He grabbed his keys and drove away.

—

The next morning, Lucie woke up feeling like her chest was weighed down by a boulder. Her thoughts were a mess.

A sharp knock rattled her hospital room door.

“Come in,” she called.

Ruby came in, holding a fancy, familiar box in her arms.

Lucie recognized it instantly. It was the same box she’d used to give Elio the Madonna statue.

“Ruby, why do you have that box?” she asked, confused.

“Ms. Anderson, Mr. Pitts had someone send it back early this morning.”

Lucie’s eyes widened. “What? He sent it back?” She sat up fast. “Let me see.”

Ruby set the box gently on the bed. “There’s something inside.”

Lucie’s heart skipped as she opened the lid.

Inside was the Madonna statue, just as she’d given it.

She stared, baffled and unsure what to think.

“Where’s my phone?” she asked quickly.

Ruby hesitated. “Oh, your phone broke. Mr. Heath took it to get repaired.”

Lucie tensed. “Wait, Steven has my phone?”

“Yes. When he brought you to the hospital, he took your bag with him.”

“I will. I’ll bring it with me when I come by later.”

“Good.” She hung up, feeling more uneasy than before. Something about this didn’t sit right.

“Ms. Anderson, Jose is awake,” Ruby reported as she came back in. “He told us where the antiques are. Mr. Heath already sent people to retrieve them.”

“I’ll go see him,” Lucie said, swinging her legs off the bed.

She left her room and asked a nurse where Jose was. Down the hall, several bodyguards were stationed outside his door, letting only medical staff in.

“Open the door. I need to go in,” Lucie said.

One of the guards tried to stop her. “Ms. Anderson, he’s not doing well mentally. Seeing him might upset you.”

“I’ll be fine. I just want to see for myself.”

She insisted, and the guards finally opened the door.

Lucie walked in, her face set and serious.

Jose wasn’t in the bed. He was curled up in a corner, shaking like he’d seen a ghost. “I told everything, I swear! I’ll never do it again. Please…”

Seeing him like this only made Lucie more frustrated. “Jose, stop pretending. That won’t work on me.”

“I really told them everything! I made a mistake, I swear. It’ll never happen again.”

Just then, footsteps sounded in the hallway outside.