The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 67

Lucie stared at the screen, her whole body tense, blood pounding in her head. If she kept reading, she felt like she might actually explode.

A new notification popped up.

[Mr. Heath, it’s time for your next birth control shot tomorrow. Do you want me to delay it?]

Lucie’s heart skipped a beat. The message from their family doctor made everything crystal clear.

She’d been right all along. There was never anything wrong with him. He’d been lying to her this whole time. The real reason they hadn’t gotten pregnant was because he’d been getting those shots.

“Steven… why did you lie to me? Why?” Lucie’s knuckles turned white around her phone, the cold light from the screen making her eyes burn. The doctor’s message was like a dull knife, cutting away her last bit of hope.

Suddenly, she heard frantic footsteps in the hallway.

Steven rushed back in, searching the room in a panic. “Lucie, have you seen my phone?”

She sat on the edge of the bed, completely hollowed out, like someone had pulled the plug and drained her dry. It was true. No woman ever came away from her man’s phone with a smile. She’d never looked through it before, and he’d gotten careless.

Steven took one look at Lucie’s blank expression and his face fell. He grabbed the phone from her hand. “Did you swap our phones on purpose?”

Lucie’s chest ached so badly it felt like she might break in half, but her face stayed perfectly calm. There was nothing left to argue about. She didn’t want to hear a single excuse.

Steven hesitated, anxiety creeping into his voice. “Why did you look at my phone?”

Lucie swallowed, her throat dry, and managed a stiff, awkward smile. “I didn’t. Shannon’s still in the ER. You should go check on her.”

Steven froze. A chill ran down his spine. Tears and tantrums he could handle—those meant she still cared, still wanted him to make things right. But this quiet, this stillness… it was always the warning before the real storm.

Her smile only made Steven more uneasy, but he couldn’t stop worrying about Shannon. He’d just have to make it up to Lucie later. He always did.

“I’m heading out. If everything’s fine, I’ll come straight back.”

“Go,” Lucie said, smiling and nodding.

“I’m leaving now. Get some sleep. Don’t wait up.”

Steven checked his watch, still looking troubled, then left.

As soon as the door closed, Lucie’s legs gave out and she sank onto the bed, completely overwhelmed by a pain so sharp it felt like she couldn’t breathe.