Chapter 96

"Open your mouth. Just a little water, okay?" Steven coaxed, holding a glass carefully to her lips.

Lucie was barely conscious, lost in the fog of her fever. She managed a few weak sips before drifting right back into sleep.

"Mr. Heath, her fever's way too high," the housekeeper said anxiously. "Shouldn't we take her to the hospital?"

"Have the doctor come again. If her fever still won't break, we'll go then."

"Understood."

By the fourth day, after a whole new set of doctors had come and gone, Lucie's fever finally started to go down. Steven never left her side, taking care of her himself. He even skipped going into the office, running his meetings from his laptop in her room.

"Hey, you've barely eaten in four days. Can you try a little soup?" he asked softly.

Lucie felt numb and weak, her head heavy and her body drained of any strength. She just lay there, barely alive, refusing to eat or drink.

Steven brought a spoonful of soup to her lips, speaking gently. "Please, just have a little. You can't get better if you don't eat anything."

But she just squeezed her eyes shut, her heart sinking even further. She couldn't believe how careless she'd been. Now, she was trapped, with no way out. Everything she thought she knew about him had been shattered. If she'd known how controlling and violent he could be, she never would have married him.

"Can you please talk to me?

Anything," Steven pleaded, his voice shaky. "I know I lost my temper. It won't happen again, I promise. Shannon's already gone. She won't be back anytime soon. I was only seeing her off that day. The media twisted everything. But you... what about you and Elio? Have you been in touch with him all along?"

No matter what he said, Lucie stayed silent. Whether or not he'd cheated didn't even matter anymore. She'd realized something even scarier; he had a violent side. That was so much worse than cheating. It was something that could actually put her in danger.

Steven set the bowl aside and gently took her hand, pressing it to his cheek. "Babe, please don't do this. Tell me what I have to do to make it right. care about you so much. I want to spend my whole life with you. Can we stop fighting please? Whatever you want from me, just say it."

Lucie slowly opened her eyes, staring at him with a hollow kind of sadness. "... Steven, I just want to ask you one thing."

"Anything. Just ask."

She took a shaky breath, trying to push herself upright. "Whose child is Cody, really?"

Steven's eyes darted away, his whole expression uneasy.

"He's not my child, Steven. I just want to know. Who is his mother?"

He was silent for a long time before finally speaking, his voice stiff and defensive.

"Lucie, you're overthinking this. Cody was born from you. He's our son."

Tears spilled down Lucie's cheeks. "Stop lying, Steven! Do you think I'm that stupid? Or just that blind? Yes gave birth to him, but he's not my biological child. Not my DNA. So whose child is he? Is it Shannon's? Just tell me the truth, you can't give me anything else, at least let me die knowing what really happened.”

She clung to his arm, her nails digging painfully into his skin.