CHAPTER 3 — THE HEARTBEAT
Inside the trauma room, Khloe fought to stay conscious.
Dr. Naomi Reed pressed an ultrasound wand against her abdomen while nurses monitored her blood pressure.
“Stay with me, Khloe.”
“I’m trying.”
The room blurred around her.
On the monitor, the baby’s heartbeat rose, dropped, then rose again.
Khloe gripped the edge of the bed.
“Is she dying?”
“We’re doing everything we can.”
The word she struck Khloe.
Only Marcus and her doctor knew the baby was a girl.
To the public, they had refused to reveal the gender.
The unborn child was already treated like a corporate asset by the Thorne family.
The future heir.
The face of another perfect generation.
But to Khloe, she was simply Hope.
A name Khloe had never told anyone.
Another sharp pain tore through her side.
Dr. Reed examined the bruising.
“The impact was severe. We need to watch for internal bleeding and early labor.”
“Can Marcus come in?”
The question escaped before Khloe could stop it.
Dr. Reed hesitated.
“Your uncle has restricted access.”
Khloe closed her eyes.
She remembered Marcus standing in the doorway.
She remembered the pause.
She remembered his hand stopping Elaine from pressing the emergency button.
“How long was he outside?”
Dr. Reed did not answer.
Khloe turned toward her.
“How long?”
“I don’t know.”
The door opened, and Gabriel entered wearing a surgical gown over his suit.
His anger disappeared when he saw his niece.
He took her hand carefully.
“The footage survived.”
Khloe’s eyes filled with tears.
“Did Marcus see it?”
“Not yet.”
“He heard us.”
Gabriel said nothing.
“He was outside the door,” Khloe continued. “He heard Isabella threaten me.”
Gabriel’s hand tightened around hers.
“There’s more.”
He showed her the message found on Marcus’s phone.
Khloe read it twice.
Then a third time.
Her breathing became shallow.
Dr. Reed moved closer to the monitor.
“Khloe, you need to stay calm.”
“My husband wanted the recording.”
“We don’t know that yet,” Gabriel said.
Khloe looked at him.
“Yes, we do.”
Suddenly, the fetal monitor sounded an alarm.
The heartbeat dropped rapidly.
Doctors rushed forward.
Gabriel was pushed toward the door.
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As Khloe disappeared behind medical staff, she screamed the only words that mattered.
“Save my daughter!”
