Chapter 1: The Lie That Didn’t Hold
Chapter 1: The Lie That Didn’t Hold
Marcus didn’t move at first.
Not because he didn’t understand what he was seeing—but because his mind refused to accept it.
Khloe on the floor. Pregnant. Pale. In pain.
Isabella standing over her like a statue carved from confidence and control.
And then Isabella’s voice—soft, trembling, perfectly timed.
“She attacked me.”
For half a second, the room tried to believe it.
That was Isabella Rossi’s real talent. Not beauty. Not wealth. But timing. The ability to make reality hesitate just long enough for her version to slip into place.
Elaine Parker rushed forward. “Mr. Thorne, I—this was not—”
Marcus raised a hand.
Not to stop her.
But to silence everything.
He walked forward slowly, each step heavy against the shattered glass.
Khloe tried to sit up. Her hand pressed protectively over her stomach again, her breath shallow and broken.
That movement did something to him.
Something sharp.
Something irreversible.
Marcus knelt beside her.
“Khloe… talk to me.”
But before she could answer, Isabella let out a shaky breath and stepped closer, touching Marcus’s arm.
“She lost control. She shoved me first. I was just trying to defend myself—”
Marcus turned his head slightly.
Not enough to look at her fully.
Just enough to acknowledge she existed.
And then he said, quietly:
“Don’t touch me.”
The room went silent again—but this silence was different.
It wasn’t shock.
It was fear.
Marcus took off his jacket and gently placed it behind Khloe’s head.
“Call an ambulance,” he said.
Elaine immediately moved.
But Isabella stepped in again, faster this time.
“Marcus, you’re not thinking clearly. She’s manipulating you. Look at her—she’s acting—”
That was the moment Marcus finally stood.
And looked at her.
Really looked.
“I saw her on the floor,” he said. “I saw you standing over her.”
Isabella’s expression flickered for the first time.
Just a crack.
But she recovered quickly.
“Security footage will prove what really happened,” she said.
A pause.
Then Marcus replied:
May you like
“Good.”
And that single word ended the room.
