The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 175

Steven burst out of the restaurant, barely slowing down as he reached the doors. Andy and Marcos were waiting by the entrance, tense and alert.

“Mr. Heath,” Andy called out.

“Did you see where Bria and Cody went?” Steven demanded, scanning the area.

Andy nodded quickly. “She took Cody toward the pedestrian bridge.”

Steven’s eyes widened. “And you didn’t follow them?”

Andy shifted, looking uneasy. “She told us not to, sir.”

Steven bit back a curse and took off running, heart pounding. The restaurant sat in the middle of a maze of commercial buildings, all connected by a long, glass-covered pedestrian bridge. He sprinted up the stairs and burst onto the bridge, searching desperately.

In the distance, he spotted them. Bria sat calmly in her wheelchair, but Cody—oh God—Cody was perched right on the bridge’s railing. The little boy’s legs wrapped tight around the metal, his hands clutching the bars so hard his knuckles were white. Below, traffic streamed by, cars rushing beneath his dangling feet. One wrong move and—

“No! I want to get down, I’m scared!” Cody’s cries echoed across the bridge, tears streaming down his face.

Bria just watched him, her face unreadable, completely unmoved.

“Daddy, help me! I’m scared!” Cody wailed, eyes darting everywhere, searching for help.

Bria’s voice was calm, almost cold. “Do you know why you’re being punished?”

“I don’t know! I want to get down!” Cody sobbed, voice shaking.

Bria didn’t flinch. “I’ve told you so many times, Cody. You only have one mommy. Today you called another woman ‘Mommy’ right in front of me. That hurt me, so you need to be punished.”

She’d spent the past few weeks doing everything she could to win his love, to get closer to her son. But today, seeing him run up to Lucie and shout “Mommy” like it was the most natural thing in the world—it felt like someone had stabbed her right in the heart. He was her son, but she hadn’t given birth to him, and there was always this gap between them she couldn’t quite close.

Cody cried even harder, his little chest heaving. “I want to get down, please!”

“Do you realize your mistake?” Bria asked, her tone strict.

Cody’s face went pale with fear. “Yes! I’m sorry, Mommy, I’m sorry!”

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