The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 285

The instant the operating room doors clicked shut, Steven felt something inside him snap. He stumbled backward, slamming into the icy wall, breath coming hard.

Blood trickled from the cut on his neck, but he barely noticed. His whole focus was on that closed door, panic swirling in his eyes—real, raw panic he’d never felt before.

“Mr. Heath, your neck needs attention.” A nurse rushed over, clutching a first-aid kit, her voice careful but worried.

Steven shoved her hand away, his own voice hoarse and broken. “Get lost.”

The nurse stepped aside, silent.

Lucie, please—just be okay. If you make it through this, I swear… I’ll let you go.

Minutes crawled by, each one heavier than the last. Steven slumped onto a bench, weighed down by a sinking feeling he couldn’t shake.

The blood on his neck had dried, leaving dark stains all over his white shirt. His hands were sticky with it, too.

An hour inched past. Finally, the light above the operating room flicked off.

“How is she?” Steven called out the second the surgeon appeared.

The lead doctor pulled off his mask, face grave. “You got her here in time, Mr. Heath. The wound missed her trachea and the major arteries, but she lost a lot of blood. She’ll need to stay in the hospital for observation. And…”

He paused, taking in Steven’s pale, strained face. “Her emotional state is very unstable. She may have a strong stress reaction after surgery. Please don’t upset her.”

Steven’s heart sank. He grabbed the doctor’s arm, desperate. “When will she wake up?”

“Once the anesthesia wears off. She’s weak. She needs rest.”

A few minutes later, four nurses wheeled Lucie out on a bed.

Lucie’s face was so pale she looked almost translucent. Her lips were drained of color. Thick gauze was wrapped around her neck, already stained with fresh blood.

Steven rushed to her side. He reached out, but stopped himself halfway, afraid even his touch might hurt her.

“Get her the best VIP room,” he rasped, never taking his eyes off her.

“Of course, Mr. Heath.”

Soon, Lucie was settled into a private suite. Nurses fitted her with an oxygen mask and started an IV.

Inside, the only sound was the steady beep of the monitors.

Steven sat by her bed, quietly watching her sleep. He reached out, brushing a stray hair from her cheek, his touch gentle in a way he rarely allowed himself.

His own wound had been cleaned and bandaged, but the ache in his chest was so much worse.

“How did we end up like this?” he whispered, voice full of hurt. “How did we get so lost?”

He saw again the look in her eyes as she’d aimed that toothbrush, the way her breath fluttered as she collapsed in his arms.

His heart squeezed tight, pain radiating through his chest.

“Lucie, do you really hate me that much?” His voice dropped lower, softer than he realized. “So much you’d rather die than be with me?”

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