Chapter 3 – The Price of a Perfect Lie
The news spread before sunrise.
Not because Marcus leaked it.
Because hospitals could not conceal attempted homicide involving a pregnant patient.
By morning, every major network carried the same headline.
SOCIALITE CAUGHT ON CAMERA ASSAULTING BILLIONAIRE'S PREGNANT WIFE.
The video exploded online.
Millions watched.
Millions judged.
Sponsors abandoned Isabella within hours.
Luxury brands deleted every campaign featuring her.
Fashion magazines quietly removed upcoming covers.
Charities returned her donations.
Her phone never stopped ringing.
Not with support.
With lawyers.
Publicists.
Creditors.
Even her father refused to answer.
Inside the hospital, Marcus refused to leave Khloe's bedside.
She remained unconscious after emergency surgery.
Doctors had managed to stop the internal bleeding.
The baby...
was alive.
But unstable.
Marcus held her hand through the night.
He whispered stories about the nursery they had already painted.
About the tiny shoes waiting at home.
About the future they still deserved.
Hours later...
Khloe's fingers moved.
She opened her eyes.
Marcus smiled for the first time since the attack.
"You scared me."
She managed a weak smile.
"The baby?"
A doctor stepped forward.
"Your son is fighting."
"And because you protected him with your body..."
"...he has a chance."
Tears rolled silently down Khloe's cheeks.
Meanwhile...
Isabella sat alone in an interrogation room.
Detectives placed photographs on the table.
Medical reports.
Security footage.
Witness statements.
Then came the final blow.
The lead investigator slid another folder toward her.
"Forensic accountants discovered several transfers."
Her heartbeat quickened.
"What transfers?"
"You paid someone to obtain Mrs. Thorne's medical schedule."
Another folder.
"You also hired a private investigator to monitor her pregnancy."
Another.
"And there are messages discussing ways to force a divorce before the child was born."
Her entire plan...
had been uncovered.
She lowered her head.
May you like
For the first time...
There was nothing left to manipulate.
