Chapter 4 - What Marcus Failed to See
Khloe woke after midnight.
The lights in her room had been dimmed.
The fetal monitor produced a steady rhythm beside her.
Marcus sat in a chair near the bed.
He was still wearing his gala trousers and white dress shirt, but his jacket and tie were gone.
His head rested against the wall.
His eyes were closed.
Khloe watched him for several seconds.
Then she said his name.
He woke immediately.
“How do you feel?”
“Sore.”
He stood and moved beside her.
“The bleeding slowed.”
“I know.”
“Dr. Reed says that’s good.”
“I know.”
Marcus stopped.
There was distance in her voice.
He knew exactly why.
“Khloe.”
She looked toward the window.
“I told you she was getting worse.”
He sat beside her.
“I know.”
“I told you she followed me into the restroom at the museum dinner.”
“I know.”
“I told you she called me a temporary wife.”
“I remember.”
“You said she was trying to provoke me.”
Marcus lowered his eyes.
“I was wrong.”
Khloe laughed once.
It contained no humor.
“You were always too busy telling me how insignificant she was to notice how dangerous she had become.”
“I thought ignoring her would take away her power.”
“You weren’t the one she was targeting.”
That landed exactly where it should have.
Marcus said nothing.
Khloe turned toward him.
“Do you know what made tonight worse?”
He waited.
“For one second, when you came through that door, I thought you might believe her.”
His face changed.
“I didn’t.”
“But I thought you might.”
“I saw you on the floor.”
“That isn’t the point.”
Marcus understood.
She had not doubted his eyes.
She had doubted his trust.
He reached for her hand but stopped before touching it.
“I failed you.”
Khloe looked at him.
He continued.
“I kept treating this like a social annoyance because admitting it was dangerous would mean admitting I should have acted sooner.”
“That doesn’t change what happened.”
“No.”
“It doesn’t remove the bruises.”
“No.”
“It doesn’t erase what our baby went through.”
Marcus’s jaw tightened.
“No.”
Khloe turned away again.
For several minutes, only the monitor spoke between them.
Finally Marcus said, “I canceled every meeting for the next month.”
Khloe looked at him.
“That won’t fix us either.”
“I know.”
“You can’t solve this like a company crisis.”
“I know.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
Marcus answered without hesitation.
“Listen.”
That surprised her.
“No security team making decisions for me.”
He continued.
“No lawyers speaking over you.”
“No public statement unless you approve it.”
“No one comes into this room unless you want them here.”
Khloe studied him.
“And Isabella?”
“I’ll cooperate with the investigation.”
“You won’t destroy her privately?”
His eyes hardened.
“I want to.”
“I know.”
“But I won’t give her the chance to claim we used money and power to silence her.”
Khloe exhaled slowly.
That answer mattered.
Before she could respond, Samuel entered.
His face carried the look of a man bringing bad news.
Marcus stood.
“What happened?”
Samuel closed the door.
“We reviewed hospital access records.”
Khloe frowned.
“What does that have to do with Isabella?”
“A lot.”
Samuel placed a folder on the table.
“Someone used forged credentials to access the maternity floor three times in the last two months.”
Marcus stared at him.
“Who?”
“We don’t know yet.”
Samuel looked at Khloe.
“But whoever it was accessed your medical appointment schedule.”
Khloe’s skin went cold.
Marcus’s voice changed.
“Isabella?”
“Possibly.”
Samuel opened the folder.
“But there’s something else.”
He placed a printed photograph on the bed.
It showed Marcus leaving a restaurant with a man Khloe did not recognize.
The image had been taken from across the street.
Marcus picked it up.
“What is this?”
Samuel looked at both of them.
“This photograph came from an investigator whose name appears in the hospital access inquiry.”
Khloe stared at the picture.
Samuel continued.
“And Isabella was right about one thing.”
May you like
Marcus looked up.
“Someone has been following you.”
