The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 2

“Go away! You’re a wicked witch! You smell like dead people! Ptooey!” Cody’s face scrunched in disgust as he spat in her direction.

Lucie froze. Her anger, bottled for too long, finally burst free. “Cody, who taught you to be so rude?”

“Mean mommy’s scary! I’m scared!” he whimpered, ducking behind Shannon.

Shannon immediately pulled Cody close, shielding him. “Lucie, he’s just a kid. Kids say all sorts of things. Why are you taking it so seriously? You’re scaring him…”

That was the final straw.

Lucie’s voice was sharp as glass. “You stay out of this. He’s my son, and how I discipline him is none of your business.”

Shannon’s eyes brimmed with tears. Her bottom lip trembled as she cast a fragile, pleading look at Steven.

She was so slight, barely five-foot-three, maybe ninety pounds soaking wet. Glowing skin, delicate features—everything about her seemed to beg for protection.

One glimmer of her tears, and Steven instantly softened. He slipped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. “How can you talk to Shannon like that? She’s like my sister. Apologize, Lucie. Don’t make her upset.”

Lucie’s breath caught painfully in her lungs. “So she’s not an outsider, but I am? Is that what you’re saying? Do I not even have the right to discipline my own son?”

Steven’s jaw tightened. “Lucie, what the hell is wrong with you? Shannon’s only just gotten back. Do you have to make everything so miserable?”

Shannon clung to his sleeve, her voice fragile as glass. “Steven, it’s my fault. Please, don’t fight with Lucie because of me again.”

The moment Cody saw Shannon cry, he lunged. Small hands snatched Lucie’s wrist, and sharp teeth sank deep into her skin.

“Don’t bully Aunt Shannon!” he shrieked. “You’re a bad mommy! We all hate you!”

Lucie stared at the bloody crescent of teeth marks on her wrist. The sting in her hand was nothing compared to the ache in her heart.

For the first time, she slapped her son.

Smack!

The sound cracked through the air.

“Waaaah! Mean mommy hit me!” Cody’s eyes went wide with shock, then filled with tears. He howled, inconsolable.

Steven’s face darkened, fury in every line. “Lucie! He’s just a little boy! How could you hit him?”

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