The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 255

"Lucie, Lucie!" Elio’s voice cracked with panic. "Somebody get a doctor!"

He scooped her up, heart pounding. Her clothes were so thin and she felt cold as ice—he could barely sense her warmth at all.

"Doctor, over here!" he called out.

A doctor rushed over. "Take her to a room, quickly!"

"Okay, okay," Elio stammered, hurrying Lucie to the nearest hospital room and gently laying her on the bed. The medical team swarmed in.

"Is she going to be alright?" he asked, barely keeping it together.

"Sir, please wait outside while we examine her," the doctor said.

"I’m not leaving," Elio protested.

"You have to," a nurse said firmly, guiding him out despite his protests.

Twenty minutes crawled by before the doctor finally came out.

"Doctor, how is she?" Elio demanded.

"We’ve checked her over. She’s extremely weak and has multiple soft tissue injuries. There’s also evidence that she may have been... assaulted," the doctor said, his voice trailing off.

Elio’s mind went blank. All he could feel was a blinding rage. He wanted to find Steven and make him pay. But he choked it down. "Is she in any danger now?"

"We’ve treated her and given her medication. She needs rest more than anything."

"Alright. Thank you."

"If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask."

As the doctor left, Elio forced himself to breathe and walked back into the room.

Lucie lay on the bed, looking impossibly small. An IV dripped into her hand, an oxygen mask covering her mouth and nose. Bruises bloomed darkly along her neck, some clearly bite marks. He didn’t want to imagine what other injuries she was hiding.

He clenched his jaw. "Damn you, Steven. You’re not getting away with this."

Lucie tossed restlessly in her sleep, caught in a nightmare. She whimpered, trapped in a world where she was torn apart by a monster she couldn’t escape.

"No... please, no..." she murmured, her body trembling and drenched in sweat.

Elio squeezed her hand. "Lucie, wake up. It’s just a nightmare, you’re safe now."

Lucie took a shaky breath, trying to pull herself together. Her grandfather had been getting better, and now, out of nowhere, everything was worse than before. It didn’t make sense. She needed to talk to Rose and Madison. She needed to find out what really happened.

***

In room 922, Steven paced restlessly after getting Bria settled in bed. His thoughts were a tangled mess. Guilt gnawed at him. He knew he shouldn’t have hit Lucie. But he’d let Bria down so many times already. He couldn’t do it again.

"Steven, take your shirt off so I can treat your wounds," Bria said, her voice tight with worry.

Shannon hurried over, helping him with his jacket. "You’re bleeding everywhere. You’re definitely going to need a tetanus shot. Lucie’s such a psycho—good thing you’re not the type to hold a grudge."

The doctor and nurse came in, heading straight for Steven. "Mr. Heath, let’s stop the bleeding first."

"I’m fine. Take care of her," Steven insisted, nodding at Bria.

"My cut isn’t serious," Bria argued. "Let the doctor check you. What if you’re really hurt?"

Shannon folded her arms, glaring. "What Lucie did was assault. We should call the cops and have her arrested."

Steven’s eyes flashed. "That’s enough. Get out," he snapped at her.