Chapter 9 - Code CrimsonWithin seconds, the VIP suite was flooded with nurses and orderlies. They brought in portable monitors, thermal blankets, and clipped commands that drowned out the distant music of the gala. I was lifted onto a gurney with painstaking care. I clutched the cold metal side rail, forcing a scream through my clenched teeth.
Marcus, finally realizing the severity of his social ruin, tried to push past a nurse to follow the gurney out the door. Robert stopped him cold, planting a hand squarely in the center of Marcus’s chest.
“You will wait exactly where hospital security places you,” Robert said, vibrating with rage. “You lost the right to stand beside her when you chose your public image over her pain. Don’t you dare follow us.”
As the gurney was rushed down the hallway, I caught a final glimpse of the suite. Isabella was being physically restrained by two large security guards. But as the elevator doors closed, I saw Marcus reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. He wasn’t calling a doctor. He was calling his corporate lawyers.
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Chapter 10 - The Waiting GameThe next hour was a blur of blinding lights, ultrasound gel, and the terrifying, rhythmic beeping of the fetal monitor. I lay in the trauma bay, my eyes fixed on the ceiling tiles, praying to a God I hadn’t spoken to in years. Please, let my baby survive. Take anything else, but spare him.
Chapter 11 - The Cybersecurity SweepRobert had already ordered hospital security to preserve the hallway and suite footage, placing it on an encrypted server. Then, he made a phone call to David Chen, a highly sought-after cybersecurity consultant who owed Robert his life after a complex surgery.
Chapter 12 - The Double-CrossI opened the folder. My eyes scanned the first few pages, and my stomach physically turned.
Chapter 13 - The Death of the Old KhloeI looked out the window at the city skyline. Marcus’s name was on half the buildings out there. He thought he was a king. He thought everything was a transaction. He thought I was just collateral damage in his corporate war.
Chapter 14 - The ConfrontationMarcus entered the room ten minutes later. He had changed into a fresh suit, but he couldn’t hide the dark circles under his eyes. He walked to the side of my bed, reaching out to take my hand. I pulled it away.
Chapter 15 - Autumn in the BerkshiresThree months later, as the vibrant colors of autumn painted the trees in the Berkshires, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. I named him Ethan Hayes Thorne. He had his father’s eyes, but I vowed he would never have his father’s heart.
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