Chapter 2 – The Lie That Lasted Twelve Seconds
Chapter 2 – The Lie That Lasted Twelve Seconds
Marcus didn't answer.
He looked at Isabella.
Then at his wife.
Back to Isabella.
The silence stretched just long enough for everyone in the room to understand that something was terribly wrong.
Khloe remained on the marble floor, one arm wrapped protectively around her swollen stomach. Her breathing came in short, painful bursts.
Elaine Parker reacted first.
"Oh my God."
She rushed toward Khloe.
"Call emergency obstetrics!"
The hospital staff outside immediately flooded into the suite.
Two nurses knelt beside Khloe.
"Seven months pregnant," Elaine said quickly. "Possible abdominal trauma."
One of the nurses looked at Marcus.
"Sir, we need the room cleared."
Marcus still hadn't spoken.
His eyes remained fixed on the broken crystal scattered across the floor.
Then he noticed something.
The heel print.
A fresh red mark from Isabella's expensive stilettos stretched across the side of Khloe's white maternity gown.
His voice became frighteningly calm.
"Don't move."
Isabella blinked.
"What?"
"I said..."
Marcus slowly stepped toward her.
"...don't move."
For the first time that evening, Isabella felt uncertain.
"I already told you," she said nervously. "She attacked me."
Marcus looked down at Khloe.
His wife could barely lift her head.
She whispered only four words.
"Please save our baby."
The sentence shattered something inside him.
The nurses rushed Khloe toward the emergency obstetric wing.
Marcus watched the stretcher disappear through the hallway before turning back toward Isabella.
"You said she attacked you."
"She did."
Marcus bent down.
He picked up a broken champagne flute.
One side of the crystal still carried a streak of blood.
The blood wasn't on the stem.
It was on the floor-facing edge.
Meaning it had shattered after someone had fallen—not during an attack.
His years negotiating billion-dollar acquisitions had taught him one thing.
Scenes told stories.
People lied.
Evidence rarely did.
He reached into his pocket.
Pulled out his phone.
And made one call.
"I want every camera."
The head of hospital security answered immediately.
"Every hallway."
"Every elevator."
"Every entrance."
"Every angle."
He paused.
May you like
"And lock the footage before anyone touches it."
Across the room, Isabella's confidence vanished.
