The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 31

“Remember this,” Lucie said, her voice hollow as wind across a barren field. “From this day forward, I am no longer your mother.”

She turned on her heel and walked away without looking back.

Upstairs, Lucie methodically gathered her documents and valuables. All of it was coming with her. Anything that belonged to the Heath family, she left untouched.

“Miss, where shall we take these?” Madison asked, arms full.

“Take them to Cedarbrook Hall for now.”

“Understood.”

“You oversee the move. I’m going to the hospital.”

Madison’s expression tightened with worry. “Miss, Mr. Heath is furious. He thinks you pushed Ms. Rivas. If you show up now, I’m afraid he might...”

A sharp ache twisted in Lucie’s chest. “Let him. I want to see just how far he’ll go for Shannon.”

She grabbed her car keys and strode out the door.

***

New Amberton Hospital buzzed with urgency. Steven had rushed Shannon there in record time. Doctors and nurses whisked her into the emergency room, their voices taut with alarm.

“Mr. Heath,” a nurse called out, “Ms. Rivas has lost too much blood. She needs an immediate transfusion.”

“But OB just had a patient with massive hemorrhaging,” another nurse interjected. “We’re out of Type A blood. It’ll take too long to get more from another hospital—”

Steven didn’t wait for her to finish. He stripped off his jacket, rolled up his sleeve. “I’m Type O. Use my blood.”

The nurse hesitated. “Are you sure, Mr. Heath? We can try to organize more donors—”

Her thoughts raced, colliding in her mind, until a figure careened toward her.

With a loud thud, Marian dropped to her knees at Lucie’s feet, her face streaked with tears. “Mrs. Heath, Shannon is my only daughter!”

“Please, I’m begging you. Leave Shannon alone! I can do everything for you. Just spare my daughter!” Marian pounded her forehead against the cold tile, again and again, as if Lucie were some merciless villain and they her only hope for mercy.

“Marian!” Steven’s voice cut through the chaos as he returned from the blood draw. He rushed to Marian and tried to lift her up. “Get up. Don’t do this. I’ll take care of it.”

“Mr. Heath, we can’t go on like this! If anything happens to Shannon, I can’t live anymore!” Marian sobbed. “Mrs. Heath has always hated Shannon. I never thought she’d be so heartless as to push her down the stairs!”

“Marian, stop. Shannon’s going to be fine,” Steven insisted.

“My poor girl… I couldn’t protect you…” Marian wailed, crumpled on the floor, refusing to rise.

Lucie stood frozen in the middle of the chaos, her breath catching in her throat, unable to utter a single word.