Chapter 336

She paused for a second, then slipped the note into a hidden pocket inside her handbag. No matter what, the information on it was too important to lose.

At the same time, she'd made up her mind-she was closing all three of the family's private galleries in New Amberton. The collections would be sorted out: anything suitable for private keeping would go straight into the family's vault, never to be shown to the public again. The rest would either be transferred to the New Amberton Museum or sent off to auction. The Anderson family already had more than enough —maybe it was time to let some things go.

Her phone rang just as she was gathering her things. June's name flashed on the screen. Lucie hesitated, then picked up. "Hey, June."

June sounded both fed up and worried. "Lucie, it's me.”

"I know. What's up?"

June paused, then sighed. "You really messed up Elio, you know that?"

Lucie's heart skipped, her hand shaking a little as she held the phone.

"What did you say to him last time? He's been a mess ever since."

Lucie swallowed. "What happened? Is he alright?"

June's voice sharpened. "You actually have the nerve to ask? He's falling apart, Lucie. He's barely hanging on. Do you even know that?"

Lucie felt like her mind went blank for a second. Her worry shot through the roof. "What's wrong with him?"

"He came back from seeing you and just-shut down. He won't cooperate with the doctors. He won't talk to anyone. He just drinks, doesn't eat-nothing. You know as well as I do he can't drink in his condition."

June took a breath, still frustrated. "Seriously, what did you say to him to make him like this?"

Lucie's grip on her phone tightened until her knuckles turned white. Her chest ached.

She knew. Of course she knew. He'd never be able to accept that she was pregnant with Steven's child again. He'd confessed to her, so open and vulnerable in front of everyone. She hadn't had the heart to reject him outright then-she didn't want to embarrass him in public. She'd planned to talk to him quietly the next day. But that night, he was in an accident, and Steven forced her away before she got the chance.

“Lucie? Are you still there? Why aren't you saying anything?”

"I'm here," she managed, voice barely above a whisper.

"So what now?" June pressed. "Are you really not going to see him?"

Lucie's breath hitched. She didn't know what to say.

Sometimes, dragging things out just made everything worse. If she wasn't going to be with him, the kindest thing she could do was to end things completely. No false hope. No more mixed signals. He'd hurt now, sure, but that was better than hurting forever. If she went to see him, she'd just make things worse.

"Okay. I get it."

"So when will you come see him?"

"I'll go when I have time. I'm busy right now, June. I have to go." Lucie ended the call before she could break down.

She pressed her lips together, blinking hard. If she said one more word, she'd probably start crying.

Elio, please just forget about me. I'm not worth this, and you deserve someone better. I really hope you can get past this soon.

Lucie took a shaky breath, forcing herself to calm down. All she could do now was hope he'd recover.

The door clicked open. Ruby stepped in.

"Did you get the discharge papers?" Lucie asked, trying to sound normal.

Ruby actually smiled a little for the first time that day. "Ms. Anderson, the doctor's

finally given the okay! You can leave, but there are a few conditions."

Lucie's eyes brightened, just a bit. "What conditions?"

"You'll need to come back twice a

week for check-ups, and you have to bring detailed records from your prenatal appointments." Ruby handed over a note. "Here are the doctor's instructions, and the directions for your medication. The doctor said you can't be careless at all.”

Lucie took the note and scanned it quickly. As long as she could leave, none of that really mattered.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing. "Got it. Go ahead and start moving my stuff to the car."

"Right away."

With the doctor's approval, the discharge process was quick and easy. An hour later, Lucie finally walked out of the hospital.

"Ms. Anderson, this way please." Ruby opened the car door.

Once inside, Ruby pulled down the sunshade. “Back to the house?”

"Yeah. And ask Ruth to make something light for dinner. I don't have much of an appetite."

The car pulled out of the hospital

parking lot, smooth and quiet. Lucie leaned back, eyes closed, letting the wind outside soothe her. She'd still have to come back for check-ups, but at least she didn't have to spend every minute in that suffocating hospital room, always worrying Steven might show up.

"Oh, Ms. Anderson, the auction house called earlier. The auction next Wednesday

already has a lot of collectors registered. They wanted to know if you'll be

attending?"

Lucie opened her eyes, thinking. "Let's see how things go. For now, double-check

the inventory list—make sure there aren't any mistakes."

"Of course."

As the car drove through the gates

of the Anderson estate, Lucie watched the green trees flash by outside her window. For the first time in a long while, she felt a little more at peace.