Chapter 2
"Khloe!"
Marcus crossed the room so fast that Elaine Parker barely had time to move out of the doorway.
He dropped to his knees beside his wife.
Khloe was trembling violently.
One arm wrapped protectively around her stomach.
The other reached desperately toward him.
Her white maternity gown was smeared with blood and tiny fragments of crystal glittered around her on the marble floor.
Marcus's heart stopped.
"Look at me."
His voice shook.
"Khloe... look at me."
She managed to open her eyes.
"Our baby..."
She gasped.
"Please..."
Marcus took both of her hands.
"You stay with me."
"Don't talk."
"We're getting help."
Behind him, Elaine finally recovered from her shock.
She grabbed the emergency phone mounted beside the door.
"Code Obstetric Trauma!"
"Luxury Suite Seven!"
"Now!"
Hospital alarms echoed down the hallway.
Doctors and nurses immediately began running toward the maternity wing.
For a split second, no one looked at Isabella.
That was all she needed.
Her expression transformed with breathtaking speed.
The cold satisfaction disappeared.
Her shoulders began trembling.
Tears flooded her eyes.
She stumbled backward as though she had been the victim all along.
Then she pointed directly at Khloe.
"She attacked me!"
The words echoed across the suite.
Elaine stared at her in disbelief.
"What?"
Isabella sobbed dramatically.
"She lost control!"
"I tried to calm her down!"
"She pushed me!"
"I was defending myself!"
Marcus slowly stood.
He turned toward Isabella.
His face was frighteningly calm.
"Say that again."
She nodded frantically.
"I swear!"
"She came after me!"
"I only pushed her away!"
Marcus took one step forward.
Another.
Isabella instinctively stepped backward.
For the first time that night...
Fear flickered across her face.
Not because of what she had done.
Because of the look in Marcus's eyes.
He wasn't confused anymore.
He wasn't asking questions.
He was deciding how to stop himself from doing something he'd regret.
Elaine immediately stepped between them.
"Marcus."
Her voice was firm.
"The doctors are almost here."
"Your wife needs you."
That single sentence pulled him back.
He looked down at Khloe again.
She had begun crying silently.
Not from the pain.
From fear.
She was terrified she was losing the child they had already mourned twice before.
Marcus returned to her side without another word.
He gently brushed strands of blonde hair away from her face.
"I'm here."
"I promise."
"I'm not leaving."
Khloe gripped his sleeve with surprising strength.
"It wasn't..."
She struggled to breathe.
"It wasn't an accident."
"I know."
He whispered.
"I believe you."
Those four words broke her completely.
Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
After everything that had happened...
He hadn't asked for proof.
He simply believed her.
The hallway suddenly erupted with activity.
Dr. Michael Carter rushed into the suite still wearing his white lab coat over formal evening clothes.
The moment he saw Khloe on the floor...
Every trace of emotion disappeared behind years of medical discipline.
"Marcus."
"Move back."
His voice remained calm.
Professional.
Focused.
Several trauma nurses surrounded Khloe immediately.
Blood pressure.
Fetal monitor.
IV line.
Oxygen.
Within seconds the room transformed from a luxury suite into an emergency trauma unit.
Michael placed the fetal monitor against Khloe's abdomen.
Nobody spoke.
Everyone waited.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Then...
A rapid heartbeat filled the room.
Strong.
Fast.
Alive.
Khloe burst into tears.
Marcus closed his eyes in relief.
The baby was still fighting.
Dr. Carter looked at the monitor again.
"The heartbeat is present."
"But we have signs of placental trauma."
He looked directly at Marcus.
"We're taking her to surgery."
"Now."
Marcus nodded once.
"I'll come with—"
"No."
Michael interrupted.
"You'll only slow them down."
Then his expression hardened.
"But I need you to do something."
"What?"
Michael glanced toward the hallway.
"Make sure she can't leave."
Marcus frowned.
Before he could ask what he meant...
Dr. Carter looked at the hospital security supervisor who had just arrived.
His voice carried through the entire corridor.
"Secure every camera."
"Lock every recording."
"Nobody leaves this floor until I review the footage personally."
The words hit Isabella like ice water.
For the first time that evening...
The color drained completely from her face.
Her eyes darted instinctively toward the hallway ceiling.
The security cameras.
She had remembered there weren't cameras inside the private suite.
She had forgotten the hallway.
The entrance.
The elevator.
The door.
Every second before and after the assault had been recorded.
Marcus noticed the change immediately.
He slowly turned toward her.
"You look nervous."
Isabella forced another trembling sob.
"I... I'm just scared."
"No."
Marcus said quietly.
"You're scared because innocent people don't panic when someone asks for security footage."
Two hospital security officers stepped into the hallway.
Without touching her.
Without accusing her.
Simply standing between Isabella and the elevators.
She looked toward the exit.
Then back at Marcus.
For the first time...
She realized she wasn't going anywhere.
May you like
And somewhere inside the hospital security office...
A recording had already begun revealing the truth.
