She bit her lip, eyes turning red as she cried while looking at me. “Lucia… I never meant to come between you and Mr. Grant,” she said.
“It’s just—the doctors told me this might be my only chance to be a mother. I swear, once my recovery’s over, I’ll leave. I won’t cling to him, I promise.” Then she turned toward the bassinet and stared at the sleeping baby.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart… I brought you into this world without a real family. You’ll never have a father around. But Mommy didn’t do this on purpose… Please forgive me…” She broke down in sobs, shaking, like she was shattered to her core.
Steven turned to me, his eyes dark with fury—like I had personally crushed something fragile.
“You happy now? You made her cry. That make you feel good?”
I laughed bitterly. “Are you seriously buying this performance? That was pathetic. The only thing she’s good at is crying on cue.”
My words lit a fire in him. Without a word, Steven ripped off the pocket watch my mother had left me. My heart dropped.
“No—don’t! Please!”
But Steven didn’t stop. He threw it across the room with full force. The watch hit the ground, shattering into pieces.