Chapter 146

"But you don't need to worry. What's done is done, and I promise Shannon won't be left with nothing."

The message was obvious. Shannon could be Steven's mistress, and the Heath family would make sure she was provided for. But if she was hoping to marry in and become Mrs. Heath for real? That was never going to happen.

Marian forced an awkward smile. "Of course, ma'am. You watched Shannon grow up. I know you wouldn't mistreat her..."

The next day at Cedarbrook Hall, Lucie finally woke up after sleeping for what felt like forever. She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind blank. At this point, all she could do was cut her losses and move on.

If Steven had cheated just for the thrill of it, she would've hated him—thought of him as shallow and disgusting. However, the truth was messier. He was guilty, yes, but she could almost understand how it happened. If he hadn't lied and tricked her into raising someone else's child, she might have walked away gracefully, even wished him and his ex the best. But he'd gone too far. What he'd done was unforgivable.

Forget it, she told herself. There's no point in thinking about it anymore. What matters now is getting out of this mess and not letting these toxic people drag her down any further.

With a deep breath, Lucie pushed every thought of Steven out of her mind. She got out of bed, washed up, and asked the staff to make her a big lunch. After she ate, she gathered up the paints she'd bought recently and headed to the antiques market.

At the office, Lucie called her assistants over. "Ruby, Jean, cancel everything for the next two weeks-meetings, events, all of it. Don't let anyone bother me, no matter what."

"Yes, Ms. Anderson."

"Alright, you can go. Only come in if it's absolutely urgent."

"Understood."

Once they'd left, Lucie locked her office door behind them. For the next couple of weeks, she planned to shut out the world and focus on restoring the five artifacts Dr. Tate had sent her.

Restoring old paintings was the easy part, so she lined up her work from easiest to hardest: first the two paintings, then the bronze cauldron and the figurine, and finally, the delicate noblewoman's silk gown. That last one would be the toughest; she couldn't do it alone and would need help from a traditional embroidery master.

A week went by in a blink. Lucie's phone stayed off, and she didn't step out of her office even once. In those seven days, she finished restoring both paintings. They looked as if they'd never been damaged at all, and she felt a real sense of pride. Hope Dr. Tate likes them, she thought.

"Next up, the bronze cauldron."

She studied the piece carefully. It wasn't like the usual bronze antiques-there were inscriptions all over it, but most of them were so corroded they were barely visible. She'd need to dig through tons of research and the owner's history just to figure out what the markings said and how to restore them.

This is going to be a huge project, she thought. At least two months of work. Better start with the research...

Meanwhile, Steven had been in the hospital for a week, slowly getting better. He'd spent the whole time trying to figure out a way to fix everything, but after seven days, he still hadn't found a solution. He couldn't bring himself to end his marriage, but the thought of letting Lucie go hurt just as much. And he couldn't abandon Bria, not after everything she'd done for him.

Years ago, the Heath family almost fell apart. Steven's father was too sick to run the company, so Steven had to step up, even though he was barely more than a kid. Nobody took him seriously, and everyone around him was waiting to pounce on what was left of the Heath legacy. The only way to survive was to be tougher and smarter than all of them.

It was Bria who had been there for him when things were darkest. She'd given him advice, gotten rid of his enemies, paved the way for him to take over. Half of what the Heath family had left was thanks to her. When someone tried to kit him, she'd risked her life to save him and

ended up in a coma after being stabbed over thirty times. He owed her everything; he couldn't just walk away.

Lost in thought, Steven's phone rang. It was Bria. He took a breath to steady

himself and answered, "Hey, Bria.”