Chapter 3 — The Woman Before Khloe
Chapter 3 — The Woman Before Khloe
Before Khloe…
There was Isabella.
Before the quiet mornings.
Before the laughter.
Before the feeling that Marcus had finally found a home.
There was a woman who convinced him that love meant never leaving.
Even when staying was destroying him.
Marcus sat beside Khloe’s hospital bed long after midnight.
The lights were dim.
The machines beside her continued their steady rhythm.
A sound that reminded him of one thing:
She was alive.
Their daughter was alive.
But his mind was somewhere else.
Somewhere years ago.
Because Khloe’s question had changed everything.
She asked if the baby was really yours.
Why would Isabella ask that?
Why would she care?
Unless…
She knew something.
Or believed she knew something.
Marcus closed his eyes.
And for the first time in years…
He allowed himself to remember.
Six Years Earlier
The first time Marcus met Isabella Moretti, everyone told him he was lucky.
She was beautiful.
Confident.
Intelligent.
Charming.
She walked into a room and people noticed.
She knew exactly what to say.
Exactly when to smile.
Exactly how to make someone feel important.
And Marcus, at thirty-one years old, was impressed.
He was a successful architect.
Busy.
Focused.
Always surrounded by deadlines.
Isabella was excitement.
She was unpredictable.
She made him feel alive.
At the beginning, everything felt perfect.
She remembered his favorite coffee order.
She surprised him after difficult meetings.
She told him he was the only person who truly understood her.
Marcus believed her.
Because that was what Isabella was good at.
Making people believe they were special.
But slowly…
The small things began.
“Why didn’t you answer my message?”
Marcus looked at his phone.
“I was in a meeting.”
“For three hours?”
“Yes.”
“You couldn’t send one text?”
At first, he apologized.
Because he loved her.
Because everyone makes mistakes.
Because relationships require compromise.
But the questions became more frequent.
“Who is she?”
Marcus looked up from his computer.
“Who?”
“The woman who liked your photo.”
He stared.
“Isabella, she’s my coworker.”
“Then why does she like your pictures?”
Marcus laughed softly.
“I don’t know.”
That answer made Isabella angry.
“You never take me seriously.”
That was the first time Marcus realized something.
Every disagreement somehow became his fault.
Months passed.
The arguments became worse.
Isabella wanted access to everything.
His phone.
His emails.
His schedule.
She called it trust.
Marcus slowly realized it was control.
But he stayed.
Because leaving someone you love is harder than people admit.
Then came the night everything changed.
Marcus had dinner with an old friend.
A woman he had known since college.
Nothing happened.
Not even close.
But when he returned home…
Isabella was waiting.
“You lied to me.”
Marcus stopped.
“What?”
“You said you were working late.”
“I changed plans.”
“You went to dinner with her.”
Marcus stared.
“How did you know that?”
Silence.
Then he saw it.
His phone.
On the table.
Unlocked.
“You checked my phone?”
Isabella crossed her arms.
“Because I had a reason.”
“No.”
His voice changed.
“You wanted a reason.”
That sentence made something break.
The argument lasted three hours.
And when it ended…
Marcus was sitting alone in the kitchen.
Wondering when love had started feeling like a prison.
The final moment came two months later.
Isabella accused him of cheating.
Again.
This time, she was wrong.
Completely wrong.
Marcus showed her proof.
Messages.
Dates.
Everything.
But she refused to apologize.
Instead, she cried.
“You don’t love me anymore.”
And somehow…
He became the person comforting her.
That night, Marcus understood.
He could not save someone who refused to see the damage they caused.
He left.
And Isabella never forgave him.
Present Day
Marcus opened his eyes.
The hospital room came back.
Khloe sleeping.
The machines.
The fear.
A knock came at the door.
Detective Grant entered.
“You’re still awake.”
Marcus nodded.
“I need to understand something.”
She sat down.
“About Isabella?”
“Yes.”
Detective Grant opened a file.
“We found more.”
Marcus looked at her.
“What?”
“She has a history.”
The detective placed several documents on the table.
Not criminal records.
Complaints.
“People who knew her reported similar behavior.”
Marcus looked through them.
A woman named Rebecca.
A man named Daniel.
Another woman named Lauren.
The stories were different.
But the pattern was the same.
Obsessive attachment.
Manipulation.
False accusations.
“She did this before.”
Marcus whispered.
Detective Grant nodded.
“Multiple times.”
Marcus felt sick.
Not because he was surprised.
Because deep down…
He was not.
“She always said people abandoned her.”
Detective Grant looked at him.
“Maybe they didn’t abandon her.”
A pause.
“Maybe they escaped.”
The next morning, Daniel Cruz arrived with another update.
“We found something in Isabella’s apartment.”
Marcus looked up.
“What?”
Daniel placed a photograph on the table.
A picture of Marcus and Khloe.
Taken outside their house.
Marcus’s face changed.
“When was this taken?”
“Three months ago.”
Three months.
Before Isabella appeared again.
Daniel continued.
“There are dozens.”
Photos.
Schedules.
Information.
She had been watching them.
Khloe slowly woke.
She saw Marcus’s expression.
“What happened?”
Marcus hesitated.
He did not want to scare her.
But she deserved the truth.
“She was watching us.”
Khloe went silent.
Then she whispered:
“I knew something was wrong.”
Marcus looked at her.
“You did?”
Khloe nodded.
“Before the attack…”
She swallowed.
“She didn’t look angry.”
“She looked relieved.”
Marcus frowned.
“Relieved?”
Khloe looked toward the window.
“Like she finally got the chance she had been waiting for.”
A cold silence filled the room.
Because now they understood.
The hospital attack was not a sudden explosion of jealousy.
It was the final step of a plan.
That afternoon, Marcus received a call from an unknown number.
He answered.
“Hello?”
A woman’s voice whispered:
“Marcus…”
He froze.
“Who is this?”
The woman sounded terrified.
“I knew Isabella before you did.”
Marcus stood.
“Who are you?”
A pause.
Then:
“She told me what she was going to do.”
Marcus’s grip tightened around the phone.
“What?”
The woman continued:
“And Marcus…”
Her voice dropped.
“She wasn’t trying to hurt Khloe.”
The room went silent.
“She was trying to replace her.”
The call ended.
Marcus stared at the phone.
Because the most terrifying possibility had just appeared.
Isabella did not want his old life back.
She wanted Khloe’s life.
Her family.
Her child.
Everything.
May you like
And now Marcus had to find out how far Isabella was willing to go.
End of Chapter 3
