Chapter 5 - THE FILE CALLED DEAD WEIGHT
Khloe sent Laura's recording to Harrison before Celia reached the estate gate.
Daniel Reed was already following the black sedan Richard had sent.
The plan was simple.
He would remain two vehicles behind, identify the destination, and remove Celia if the driver attempted to take her anywhere unsafe.
The plan failed in twelve minutes.
The sedan entered the underground garage beneath the Rittenhouse penthouse.
Daniel followed on foot through a public entrance.
By the time he reached the private elevator, the car was empty.
The driver had disappeared.
Celia's phone lay crushed beneath a tire.
A service exit at the rear of the garage opened into a narrow alley.
No camera covered it.
No witness remembered seeing a woman in a beige uniform.
At four-thirty, Daniel called Harrison.
At four-thirty-two, Harrison called Khloe.
“Celia is missing.”
Khloe closed the nursery door and lowered her voice.
“Richard took her.”
“We do not know that.”
“You do.”
“I know his car transported her to a building he controls.”
“Where is Daniel?”
“Searching the penthouse.”
“Is Vanessa there?”
“No.”
“What did he find?”
“A prepared nursery.”
Khloe's hand tightened around the phone.
“For a newborn?”
“For two children.”
The room seemed to lose air.
“What do you mean?”
“One side has an infant crib.”
“The other has a bed, toys, and clothing sized for a four-year-old boy.”
“Evan.”
“We do not know that yet.”
Khloe remembered Laura's frightened voice.
Richard kept him.
“Find Celia.”
“We will.”
“Do not tell me what you think I need to hear.”
“I never do.”
“Then tell me whether she is alive.”
Harrison was silent.
“I do not know.”
The honesty hurt more than reassurance would have.
Khloe sat on the boxed crib.
The baby moved beneath her ribs.
“What about the coffee?”
“Daniel delivered the sample to a private laboratory.”
“When will we know?”
“Tonight.”
A floorboard creaked outside the nursery.
Khloe ended the call and slipped the hidden phone beneath a folded blanket.
Richard entered carrying flowers.
White roses.
The same flowers that had filled their wedding chapel.
Khloe wondered whether cruelty always enjoyed symmetry.
“For you.”
He placed them on the windowsill.
“They are beautiful.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am surprised.”
Richard looked at the boxed crib beneath her.
“You should not sit that low.”
“Then build the furniture.”
“I can have someone do it tomorrow.”
“Our daughter may arrive before your schedule becomes convenient.”
His gaze shifted toward her stomach.
“She will not.”
The certainty in his voice chilled her.
“How do you know?”
“The doctor said everything looked normal.”
“Which doctor?”
“Crane.”
“He is not my obstetrician.”
“He reviewed the records.”
Khloe stood carefully.
“Without asking me?”
Richard's expression remained calm.
“We are married.”
“That is not medical consent.”
“Do not turn this into an argument.”
“You brought another doctor into my pregnancy.”
“I brought in someone I trust.”
Khloe met his eyes.
“I do not trust him.”
Something moved across Richard's face.
Fear.
It vanished so quickly that she might have imagined it.
“Why?”
“I want a fresh specialist.”
“Crane has treated our family for years.”
“He treated me during both miscarriages.”
The word miscarriages hung between them.
Richard looked away first.
Khloe stepped closer.
“Did he tell you there were surviving embryos after the second cycle?”
The color drained from Richard's lips.
Only for a moment.
Then he laughed.
“Where did that come from?”
“A pregnancy forum.”
“What did it say?”
“That clinics sometimes classify embryos as nonviable and later revise the assessment.”
Richard picked up one of the roses.
Its stem bent beneath his fingers.
“Internet forums are dangerous.”
“So are secrets.”
He looked at her.
Khloe held his gaze for one beat.
Then she smiled.
“Do not worry.”
“I am not accusing anyone.”
“I only wondered whether we had ever asked.”
Richard placed the flower back.
“We asked.”
“And?”
“There was nothing left.”
The lie came smoothly.
Khloe felt part of herself close around it like a fist.
Later that evening, Richard announced that Celia had resigned.
He said she had suffered a family emergency.
He said she left without notice because some people lacked professionalism.
Khloe listened from the dining room while a temporary housekeeper served soup.
“Did she collect her belongings?”
“Her husband will send someone.”
“I thought she used her married name but lived alone.”
Richard lifted his spoon.
“Did she tell you that?”
“No.”
“Then why would you think it?”
Khloe's heartbeat quickened.
She had learned the detail from Harrison's background report.
She lowered her eyes.
“I must have confused her with someone else.”
Richard watched her for several seconds.
“Pregnancy brain.”
He smiled.
“Dr. Crane warned me about memory changes.”
Khloe forced a laugh.
“Maybe I should write everything down.”
“I am sure Celia already did.”
The statement sounded harmless.
Khloe heard the threat.
At nine, she excused herself and went upstairs.
Richard followed ten minutes later.
He stood in the bedroom doorway while she removed her earrings.
“You have been talking to Harrison more often.”
“He is excited about becoming an uncle.”
“Harrison is not excited by anything.”
“You do not know him.”
“I know he has spent six years looking at me like a criminal.”
Khloe placed an earring in the jewelry box.
“Have you given him a reason?”
Richard's eyes hardened.
She turned before he could answer.
“Another joke.”
“Pregnancy honesty again.”
He approached slowly.
“Be careful with Harrison.”
“Why?”
“He does not protect people.”
“He uses them.”
“He has always protected me.”
“Because it lets him own your loyalty.”
Richard stood behind her reflection in the mirror.
“You are my wife.”
“You should trust me first.”
Khloe looked at the man in the glass.
“Then stop asking me to choose.”
His hands settled on her shoulders.
The touch appeared tender.
His fingers pressed too deeply.
“I need the agreement signed tomorrow.”
“I told you I would review it.”
“No Harrison.”
“I will decide who advises me.”
Richard's grip tightened.
Pain moved across Khloe's collarbones.
She did not react.
He watched her face in the mirror.
Then he released her.
“Of course.”
He kissed the side of her head.
“I only want our family protected.”
After Richard fell asleep, Khloe lay awake beside him.
At eleven-forty, the hidden phone vibrated beneath the mattress.
She waited until his breathing deepened.
Then she carried the phone into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Harrison answered immediately.
“The coffee contained a prescription sedative.”
Khloe sat on the closed toilet.
“How much?”
“Enough to cause dizziness, confusion, and memory loss.”
“Would it hurt the baby?”
“Possibly.”
“There was another compound.”
“What?”
“A medication sometimes used in obstetric settings to trigger uterine contractions.”
Khloe covered her mouth.
“The concentration was low.”
Harrison continued before she could panic.
“One cup might have caused cramping.”
“Repeated exposure could have started premature labor.”
“He was watching me drink it.”
“I know.”
“No, you do not.”
Khloe's whisper broke.
“He handed it to me and told me it would help.”
“I know what that means.”
Harrison's voice changed.
The brother disappeared.
The attorney returned.
“We are moving tonight.”
“What about Celia?”
“Daniel found blood in the penthouse service elevator.”
Khloe closed her eyes.
“Is it hers?”
“The laboratory is testing it.”
“I cannot leave her.”
“You cannot save her by remaining inside a house with a man who drugged your coffee.”
“If I disappear, Richard destroys everything.”
“He will try.”
“Then let him believe he still has control.”
Harrison was silent.
Khloe lowered her hand.
“The postnuptial agreement.”
“What about it?”
“I will sign.”
“No.”
“Not my name.”
Khloe looked toward the bedroom door.
“I can reproduce my own signature well enough to make it appear careless.”
“That is still dangerous.”
“It buys us time.”
“It may waive rights before we can challenge it.”
“You said fraud can be undone.”
“After years of litigation.”
“Then do not let it reach a courtroom.”
“What are you proposing?”
“I sign a copy.”
“Daniel replaces it before Richard files.”
“The original goes to Naomi.”
Harrison considered the idea.
“That requires access to Richard's courier.”
“You have accessed more difficult people.”
“This is not one of your drafting puzzles.”
“No.”
Khloe's voice steadied.
“It is my life.”
“I want to participate in saving it.”
Harrison exhaled.
“Tomorrow morning, I am filing an emergency injunction stopping any use of your stored genetic material.”
“Richard will know.”
“Yes.”
“Then we have until the clinic opens.”
“Less.”
“Why?”
“Vanessa's transfer appointment was moved to six in the morning.”
Khloe looked at the clock.
It was eleven-fifty-three.
“Who moved it?”
“Dr. Crane.”
“What time did he change it?”
“Ten minutes after Richard came home and found you in the library.”
A soft click came from the bathroom door.
Khloe turned.
Richard stood in the opening.
He wore pajama pants and no shirt.
His gaze moved from the running shower to the phone in Khloe's hand.
For one long second, neither of them spoke.
Then Richard smiled.
May you like
“Who are you calling at midnight?”
THE MISTRESS SHOVED HIS PREGNANT WIFE
