The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 255

"Lucie, Lucie!" Elio’s voice cracked with panic. "Somebody get a doctor!"

He scooped her up, heart pounding. Her clothes were so thin and she felt cold as ice—he could barely sense her warmth at all.

"Doctor, over here!" he called out.

A doctor rushed over. "Take her to a room, quickly!"

"Okay, okay," Elio stammered, hurrying Lucie to the nearest hospital room and gently laying her on the bed. The medical team swarmed in.

"Is she going to be alright?" he asked, barely keeping it together.

"Sir, please wait outside while we examine her," the doctor said.

"I’m not leaving," Elio protested.

"You have to," a nurse said firmly, guiding him out despite his protests.

Twenty minutes crawled by before the doctor finally came out.

"Doctor, how is she?" Elio demanded.

"We’ve checked her over. She’s extremely weak and has multiple soft tissue injuries. There’s also evidence that she may have been... assaulted," the doctor said, his voice trailing off.

Elio’s mind went blank. All he could feel was a blinding rage. He wanted to find Steven and make him pay. But he choked it down. "Is she in any danger now?"

"We’ve treated her and given her medication. She needs rest more than anything."

"Alright. Thank you."

"If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask."

As the doctor left, Elio forced himself to breathe and walked back into the room.

Lucie lay on the bed, looking impossibly small. An IV dripped into her hand, an oxygen mask covering her mouth and nose. Bruises bloomed darkly along her neck, some clearly bite marks. He didn’t want to imagine what other injuries she was hiding.

He clenched his jaw. "Damn you, Steven. You’re not getting away with this."

Lucie tossed restlessly in her sleep, caught in a nightmare. She whimpered, trapped in a world where she was torn apart by a monster she couldn’t escape.

"No... please, no..." she murmured, her body trembling and drenched in sweat.

Elio squeezed her hand. "Lucie, wake up. It’s just a nightmare, you’re safe now."

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