The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 176

Bria stared at him, her eyes full of a thousand emotions she wouldn’t say out loud. Inside, she felt herself growing colder by the second. The distance between them was impossible to ignore now. The boy who used to listen to her every word, who needed her, who depended on her—he was gone for good. He’d grown up, and he didn’t need her anymore. She couldn’t control him anymore, either.

Steven let out a heavy sigh, his eyes dropping to her injured hand, the missing fingers a sharp reminder of everything that had changed. His heart softened despite himself. “Come on, let me take you home.”

Bria gave a sad, brittle smile. Out of nowhere, she asked, “Steven, are you still hung up on Ms. Anderson?

“You really loved her, didn’t you?”

Steven felt a sharp ache in his chest. “Bria, I’ve already divorced her. That’s over. From now on, it’s just you and me. I’ll stay by your side. I’ll take care of you. I’ll love you.”

Bria tried to smile, but it looked forced, as if the effort physically hurt her. “Do you actually love me, Steven? Or are you just doing this because you promised, all those years ago?”

He bent down, held her hand tight. “Bria, my feelings for you have never changed. I mean it. I’d let the world down before I’d ever let you down.”

She laughed, but tears spilled down her cheeks. She wasn’t stupid. She’d seen him in love before—completely, recklessly in love with her. This wasn’t that. She’d been back in his life for more than a month, but he still wouldn’t touch her. That was all the answer she needed. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, no matter how much he pretended, the only thing keeping him here was guilt and maybe a sense of duty.

Steven felt a mess of emotions. He leaned in and pulled her into a tight hug. “Bria, don’t overthink this. Don’t make it more complicated than it is. Once we’re married, I promise I’ll make you happy.”

Even though she knew better, Bria felt a twinge of hope. “Okay. I’ll listen to you.”

As long as he still felt guilty, she didn’t feel like she’d lost everything. A man like Steven could have easily walked away and left her behind. But he hadn’t. That had to count for something, didn’t it? Maybe that was enough.

***

It was half past three when Lucie drove back to the hospital.

“Elio, you should head back now,” she said as she parked.

He looked annoyed. “You’re really that eager to get rid of me?”

She frowned. “No, it’s just getting late…”

“Late for what?”

“I need to look after my grandpa. I don’t have time to argue with you.”

“Have you settled things with Steven yet?”

Lucie exhaled, bracing herself. “We… we’ve finalized the divorce. All that’s left is to announce it publicly when the time is right.”

Her grandfather nodded, slow and thoughtful. “That’s for the best. The sooner the better. Just take care of yourself, okay?”

“I will, Grandpa. Don’t worry about me.”

“Good. That’s all I need to hear.”

Rose and Madison stepped over with reassuring smiles. “Miss, we’ll look after Mr. Anderson. You can go handle your own stuff.”

Lucie nodded. “Thank you. If anything comes up, call me right away.”

The next day, after checking on her grandfather at the hospital, Lucie headed straight to the antiques market. She’d lost some time recently and her work was piling up. Dr. Tate had been checking in, asking about her progress. She needed to focus and finish restoring the figurine as soon as possible. Mick had also sent over details about the bronze cauldron—one document included the owner’s burial inscription, and after some careful comparison, Lucie was pretty sure it matched her findings.

She threw herself into her work, determined to catch up. Once her grandfather recovered, she’d be off to Westbrook, ready to start her next chapter with Dr. Tate.