Chapter 81

Lucie boarded the plane and sank into her first-class seat. The flight would take a little over two hours, but right now, sleep felt impossible. Her mind was a mess, thoughts tumbling over each other like stormy waves.

Four years of marriage was not long enough to call a lifetime, but not short enough to forget. Honestly, Steven had usually treated her well. He was the kind of man with depth and undeniable charm-the kind any woman could fall for.

But it was all just for show.

No matter how hard she tried, Lucie could never really figure him out. She had no idea what he was thinking, no way to see through his mask. Now, one thing was painfully clear: Cody wasn't her biological child. She was sure of it. What she didn't understand was why Steven would do something so cruel.

Who was Cody's real mother? Could it really be Shannon?

The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Cody shared so many features with Shannon-those brown eyes, that cute upturned nose. The resemblance was obvious.

The realization twisted in her chest, sharp and suffocating. She'd carried a child for nine long months, suffered through every ache and pain, nearly lost her life giving birth-only to find out the baby wasn't even hers.

If she were weaker, this would have broken her completely.

Steven... you're unbelievable.

A shiver ran through her. She didn't want to believe the worst about the man she'd spent four years with. But sometimes the truth about people was just too ugly to ignore.

She was the Anderson family's only heir. To outsiders, she must have looked like a juicy piece of inheritance waiting to be claimed. The line of people wanting a slice of the Anderson fortune probably stretched all the way to France. When she'd married Steven, she'd thought his own wealth would protect her from being used for her money.

Now, looking back, she wasn't so sure. The Andersons weren't worth millions; they were worth billions.

Who ever thinks they have enough money, anyway?

She took a shaky breath. Whatever. She'd just treat these four years like a prison sentence. There was no point in seeking revenge or dragging things out. That would only hurt them both. The smart move was to cut her losses and get out as soon as possible.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lucie forced herself to pull out the exhibition materials and tried to focus on work.

By three thirty, the plane landed in Westbrook. A private car was already waiting to pick her up and take her away.

***

Meanwhile, Steven wasn't just

sitting around. He'd sent people to track Lucie's every move. He even had a hacker working to pinpoint her exact location.

"Any news on my wife?" Steven's tone was icy, his impatience obvious.

The hacker and his team were tense, not daring to waste a second. "Mr. Heath, we've pretty much locked in her current location."

"Where is she?" Steven demanded.

"She's at a private estate on the outskirts of Westbrook." The hacker quickly sent the details to Steven's phone.

Steven's brow furrowed as he checked the map. "What's she doing there?"

"It looks like there's some kind of

training seminar going on," the hacker replied. "Security

tight nobody's getting in without an invitation."

"What kind of seminar?" Steven's frown deepened.

Martin, his assistant, stepped up with the latest intel. "Next month, on the eighth, the Westbrook Museum is hosting an artifact exhibition at Elmridge Over a hundred pieces will be on display. Mrs. Heath was invited as a guest and will be working as a docent."

He added, "The exhibition lasts seven days. On the first day, there'll be foreign

dignitaries and some top national experts attending."

Steven listened, and for the first time in days, some of the tension in his chest eased. "So that's what she's up to."