The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 6

A sleek black Rolls-Royce Phantom glided to a stop on the front lawn.

The moment it settled, a bodyguard in a crisp black suit hurried over and opened the door with practiced deference.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Heath.”

Steven stepped out first.

He was still dressed in last night’s silk robe, dark circles carved beneath his eyes, his face pale and drawn from exhaustion.

Without a word, he moved around to the other side, bent down, and reached into the car. With the utmost care, as if handling a piece of rare, fragile crystal, he lifted Shannon into his arms.

She, too, wore only thin pajamas. Her petite, delicate frame curled against his chest, clinging to him as if she belonged nowhere else.

Her arms hung limply around his neck, her cheek nestled on his shoulder. It’s a picture of effortless, intimate trust.

The sight punched Lucie in the gut, a swell of suffocating anger and bitter resentment rising in her chest.

When she’d married Steven, Shannon had been studying abroad. She’d only returned a year ago.

Before the wedding, Lucie had asked Steven again and again if there was anyone in his past he couldn’t let go of. Every time, he’d looked her in the eye and insisted, no. Only when she was certain there were no lingering attachments had she finally agreed to marry him.

It was painfully clear he’d been hiding the truth all along.

Cody, spotting Shannon, broke into a delighted grin and sprinted toward them. “Aunt Shannon! You’re finally back! I thought you’d never come home!”

Steven shifted, stepping between them protectively. “Careful. Don’t jostle Shannon. She’s not feeling well. I’m gonna take her inside.”

Cody’s face fell. “What happened to Aunt Shannon? Did mean Mommy bully her?”

Shannon, looking pale and fragile, barely managed to lift her head from Steven’s shoulder. “I’m okay, sweetheart. When I’m better, I’ll come play with you again.”

“The wind’s too cold,” Steven said softly, his voice gentle as a lullaby. “Let’s get you inside.”

Shannon gazed up at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Their eyes met, and in that charged silence, desire and heartbreak seemed to shimmer in the air. “Thank you, Steven. It’s all my fault. I’m always so weak, always getting sick. You just stayed up all night worrying about me. I feel so guilty…”

“Don’t think about it,” Steven soothed. “Just focus on getting better. You can go back to work when you’re healthy.”

Marian came rushing out, wailing theatrically. “Oh, Mr. Heath! Shannon! You’re finally home!

“Mrs. Heath is killimg me! She slapped me right across the face—twice! This is mortifying. I can’t show my face in the Heath house anymore!”

She sobbed and howled, slapping her own cheeks for dramatic effect.

Steven and Shannon froze, alarmed. “Mom? What happened?”

Lucie listened, her fury burning so hot she could barely breathe, yet smothered now by the sheer audacity of Shannon’s act.

She could never master Shannon’s brand of manipulative innocence. Nor did she want to.

“You know what,” Lucie said, her tone clipped. “You can stay here as long as you like.”

She turned away, unable to stand the sight of them a moment longer.

Steven’s face darkened even further. “Lucie, stop. Apologize to Marian. Right now. Or you know what happens.”

Steven’s punishments were never simple. Besides his dominance in bed, he wielded cold silence like a weapon—a form of psychological torment he’d perfected.

The last time, he’d ignored her for three whole months. Every time, it was Lucie who broke first, who apologized and talked him back.

She could see it now; he was ready to do it all over again.

But this time, Lucie was done playing that game.

“I don’t care anymore. Enough with the threats. I want a divorce.”

She spoke with calm finality, pulled a folded document from her purse, and held it out to him.

“I’ve already signed the divorce papers. If you have anything to add, let me know. My lawyer will be in touch about custody.”