The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 38

“You had a boyfriend before me, didn’t you? I never made an issue out of it.”

Lucie let out a harsh, icy laugh.

Yes, she’d had a boyfriend once. But she didn’t believe in sex before marriage; she and Elio had never crossed that line. And when their relationship ended, she cut ties cleanly, no lingering threads.

Her loyalty was to the idea of love and marriage, not to any specific man.

The moment she noticed a flicker of doubt in a man’s heart, she would pull away. She would reclaim every piece of herself without hesitation.

“And another thing. You’re Type O. Why did you lie and say you’re Type A?”

Steven froze, his eyes flickering.

Yesterday at the hospital, everything happened so fast. He hadn’t stopped to think, just told the nurse to draw his blood.

He never expected Lucie to overhear.

“Steven, you’ve been lying to me this whole time. Always hiding something.”

She stared him down, voice sharp as broken glass. “Let’s stop pretending. What else are you hiding?”

Steven’s guilt twisted into anger. “You’re too paranoid.

“Lucie, sometimes you just need to let things go. This is suffocating. If you keep this up, I’ll have to seriously consider ending our marriage.”

“You don’t have to consider it,” she said, every word sharp and deliberate. “We’re getting a divorce.”

His brow furrowed as he looked into her eyes.

Those eyes were still breathtaking, memorizing and mysterious, like a midnight lake that could swallow a man whole.

“Lucie, I’m still trying to give you a way out. I’m trying to smooth things over.”

She met his gaze, unflinching. “I don’t need your mercy. Now get out.”

She shoved at his chest with every ounce of strength she had.

His breath grew rough. In one swift movement, he closed the space between them.

His hands clamped around her waist, pulling her tight as his mouth crashed down on hers.

Her workspace was filled with rare artifacts, delicate paints, precious relics.

The Norman masterwork she’d been restoring, already fragile, was ruined beyond repair.

“Steven, if you force yourself on me, I’ll press charges...”

“Do whatever you want,” he snarled, pressing her down.

“Let me go! Someone help!” Lucie screamed, fighting desperately.

She’d trained in self-defense since she was a girl. She could take three men at once.

But not Steven. Against him, every move, every technique, fell apart.

The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

Buttons popped from her blouse, one by one, his grip relentless as he held her against the desk.

“Steven, if you do this, I’ll never forgive you.”