Chapter 8 — The Test Nobody Expected
Chapter 8 — The Test Nobody Expected
The ambulance arrived seven minutes later.
By then, Isabella had lost consciousness.
Marcus stood beside the stretcher as paramedics worked to stop the bleeding.
“She's alive,” one of them said.
“Will she make it?”
“We're taking her to surgery.”
Marcus nodded.
“Don't let anyone near her.”
The paramedic looked at him.
“Sir, we're doing our job.”
Marcus stepped back.
His hands were covered in Isabella's blood.
He stared at them.
For the first time that night, he felt something he hadn't expected.
Not forgiveness.
Not sympathy.
Confusion.
Isabella had betrayed him.
She had manipulated Khloe.
She had helped abduct his pregnant wife.
But someone had just tried to kill her.
Which meant she had become a liability.
And if she was telling the truth, she knew something that could destroy an entire family.
Marcus turned toward David.
“Get me every security camera around this cemetery.”
David nodded.
“Already doing it.”
Evelyn stood several feet away.
She looked strangely calm.
Too calm.
Marcus noticed.
“Mom.”
She looked at him.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“You're lying.”
Her expression softened.
“You always knew when I lied.”
“I was twelve.”
“You were observant.”
Marcus stepped closer.
“Who sent that message?”
“I don't know.”
“Who wants you dead?”
She looked toward the ambulance.
“Everyone who thinks I know too much.”
“You do.”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me everything.”
Evelyn stared at him for a long moment.
“I will.”
“When?”
“After we find Khloe.”
Marcus nodded.
“Good.”
He turned toward the car.
Then Evelyn spoke.
“Marcus.”
He stopped.
“If they offer you a choice between your wife and your child…”
He turned.
“Don't believe them.”
“What does that mean?”
Evelyn's face was filled with fear.
“It means the choice is a lie.”
Thirty minutes later, Marcus's phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
“Marcus Thorne.”
A man's voice said:
“Your wife is alive.”
“Let me talk to her.”
“You'll see her soon.”
“Where?”
“Come to the hospital.”
Marcus frowned.
“I just left.”
“Not that hospital.”
The call ended.
David looked at him.
“What?”
Marcus told him.
David immediately shook his head.
“No.”
Marcus grabbed his coat.
“I'm going.”
“They're trying to move you.”
“I know.”
“Then why would you walk into it?”
“Because they have Khloe.”
David stared at him.
“You're becoming predictable.”
Marcus looked at him.
“I'm a husband.”
Then he walked away.
The second hospital was privately owned.
Small.
Quiet.
Almost too quiet.
Marcus entered through the front doors.
A receptionist looked up.
“Mr. Thorne?”
“Yes.”
“Please follow me.”
Marcus noticed something immediately.
There were no patients.
No visitors.
No nurses.
The halls were empty.
David whispered:
“Trap.”
Marcus nodded.
They continued.
The receptionist opened a door.
Inside was an examination room.
Khloe sat on the bed.
Her wrists were free.
Her face was pale.
But she was alive.
Marcus rushed toward her.
“Khloe.”
She wrapped her arms around him.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Marcus held her carefully.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Did they touch you?”
“No.”
“The baby?”
Khloe placed his hand against her stomach.
“I think she's okay.”
Marcus froze.
“She?”
Khloe smiled through tears.
“The doctor said it's probably a girl.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
For one beautiful second, the nightmare disappeared.
He kissed Khloe's forehead.
“I thought I lost you.”
“You found me.”
“I'll never let them take you again.”
A voice came from behind them.
“That's exactly what we wanted you to say.”
Marcus turned.
A doctor stood in the doorway.
He was holding a clipboard.
“Who are you?”
“Dr. Samuel Grant.”
Marcus looked at Khloe.
“Did he examine you?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
Marcus immediately stepped between them.
“Then why are you here?”
The doctor smiled.
“To administer a test.”
“What test?”
“A prenatal genetic test.”
Marcus's expression hardened.
“No.”
The doctor looked at Khloe.
“Your wife already agreed.”
Khloe stared at him.
“I did not.”
The doctor's smile disappeared.
“Interesting.”
Marcus reached for his phone.
The doctor didn't move.
“Before you call anyone, Mr. Thorne, you should know that your wife is carrying a child whose biological father may not be you.”
Silence.
Khloe's face went white.
Marcus slowly turned toward her.
“Khloe?”
She looked horrified.
“That's not true.”
The doctor placed the clipboard on the table.
“Then the test will prove it.”
Marcus stared at the document.
A DNA test.
Father.
Mother.
Fetus.
The doctor's finger rested on the signature line.
“This is what they want you to believe.”
Marcus looked at Khloe.
She shook her head.
“Don't sign anything.”
“I won't.”
The doctor sighed.
“Then perhaps we should discuss what happened before your marriage.”
Marcus felt the familiar coldness return.
“What happened?”
The doctor looked at Khloe.
“Your wife visited this clinic eight months ago.”
Khloe froze.
“No.”
“You underwent a fertility evaluation.”
Khloe stared.
“I've never been here.”
The doctor turned the clipboard toward Marcus.
A medical record appeared.
Khloe's name.
Her date of birth.
Her identification number.
And a signature.
It looked exactly like hers.
Marcus stared.
“That's forged.”
The doctor smiled.
“Perhaps.”
Khloe stepped forward.
“Where did you get this?”
“From the hospital system.”
“Which hospital?”
“Sterling Medical.”
Marcus's heart sank.
Someone had accessed the family medical records.
Again.
The doctor continued.
“The record indicates that you were already pregnant when you married Marcus.”
Khloe's eyes filled with tears.
“I wasn't.”
Marcus took her hand.
“I believe you.”
The doctor looked disappointed.
Then he said:
“Good.”
Marcus frowned.
“What?”
The doctor removed his glasses.
“My name isn't Samuel Grant.”
He reached behind his neck.
And pulled away a thin layer of artificial skin.
Marcus stared.
A disguise.
The man's face underneath was completely different.
He looked at Khloe.
“You passed.”
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
“Passed what?”
The man smiled.
“The loyalty test.”
The door behind them locked.
Two armed men appeared in the corridor.
Marcus immediately moved Khloe behind him.
“Who are you?”
The disguised man answered:
“My name is Nathan Caldwell.”
Marcus froze.
The real Dr. Nathan Caldwell.
The physician who had treated Khloe at the first hospital.
“You?”
Nathan nodded.
“I needed to know whether you would believe the DNA story.”
“Why?”
“Because someone is trying to convince you that Khloe's baby isn't yours.”
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
Nathan looked at Khloe.
“Someone who knows the pregnancy is the key to the entire trust.”
Khloe's face tightened.
“What trust?”
Nathan hesitated.
“The Thorne Legacy Trust.”
Marcus looked at him.
“What does my unborn child have to do with it?”
“Everything.”
Nathan opened his briefcase.
Inside was an old legal document.
“Your grandfather created the trust thirty years ago.”
Marcus read the first page.
His name appeared.
Then his father's.
Then a clause he had never seen.
The assets shall pass to the first legitimate child of Marcus Thorne, provided that the child is born within the bloodline of the Thorne family.
Marcus stared.
“Why would anyone care about this?”
Nathan answered:
“Because the trust is worth more than your company.”
“How much?”
Nathan looked at him.
“Approximately twelve billion dollars.”
Khloe's breath caught.
Marcus stared at the document.
“And they need my child.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because without a biological heir, the trust goes into a different branch of the family.”
Marcus understood.
“David.”
Nathan nodded.
“David would inherit control.”
Marcus looked toward the door.
“So this entire war…”
“Was about the baby.”
Khloe placed a hand over her stomach.
“No.”
Nathan shook his head.
“Not only the baby.”
“What else?”
“The test.”
Marcus frowned.
“What test?”
Nathan pulled out another envelope.
“This.”
Inside was a laboratory report.
A DNA test.
Marcus's name.
Khloe's name.
And the unborn child's genetic profile.
He read the result.
PATERNITY: 99.99%
Marcus stared.
“I don't understand.”
Nathan smiled.
“That's because this isn't the result they wanted.”
Khloe looked at the report.
“It's mine.”
“Yes.”
Marcus looked up.
“Then why were they trying to make me doubt it?”
“To make you question Khloe.”
“And if I questioned her?”
Nathan's expression became grim.
“You would separate yourself from her.”
“And then?”
“They would take the baby.”
Khloe suddenly understood.
“The choice.”
Nathan nodded.
“The choice was never between the company and me.”
He looked at Marcus.
“It was between trusting your wife and trusting the people who claimed to protect you.”
Marcus squeezed Khloe's hand.
“We chose each other.”
Nathan nodded.
“And that's why they failed.”
A loud crash came from the hallway.
The armed men shouted.
Someone was approaching.
Nathan's expression changed.
“It's time to go.”
Marcus helped Khloe off the bed.
“Where?”
“There's a private exit.”
They hurried through the back corridor.
As they reached the stairwell, Marcus heard a familiar voice.
“Marcus!”
He stopped.
David.
“What are you doing here?”
David looked furious.
“I came to get you.”
Marcus stared.
“Why didn't you tell me about the trust?”
David froze.
“What trust?”
Marcus watched his reaction carefully.
“You don't know?”
David shook his head.
“No.”
Marcus looked at Nathan.
Nathan said nothing.
David stepped closer.
“Marcus, we need to leave.”
Khloe suddenly grabbed Marcus's arm.
“Wait.”
She was staring at David.
“What?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“You were at the cemetery.”
“Yes.”
“Then how did you know where we were?”
David went silent.
Marcus looked at him.
“Answer her.”
“I tracked your phone.”
“You couldn't.”
“Why?”
“Because I turned it off.”
David's expression changed.
For the first time, Marcus saw genuine fear in his uncle's eyes.
Then David whispered:
“Someone else tracked you.”
“Who?”
David looked toward Nathan.
Nathan's face hardened.
“I don't know.”
Suddenly the building's fire alarm went off.
Red lights flashed.
A voice came over the intercom.
“Security breach.”
Marcus grabbed Khloe.
“Run.”
They raced down the stairs.
Behind them, doors slammed open.
Footsteps followed.
Marcus pushed through the emergency exit.
Cold rain hit his face.
A black SUV waited outside.
The driver's window lowered.
Evelyn was behind the wheel.
“Get in!”
Marcus stared.
“How did you know?”
“Because I got a message.”
“From who?”
Evelyn looked toward the building.
“Isabella.”
Marcus froze.
“Isabella?”
Evelyn nodded.
“She woke up.”
At the hospital, Isabella opened her eyes.
A nurse stood beside her.
“You're awake.”
Isabella looked around.
“Where is Marcus?”
“Mr. Thorne left.”
“Did he find Khloe?”
“Yes.”
Isabella closed her eyes.
“Thank God.”
The nurse hesitated.
Then asked:
“Do you know who shot you?”
Isabella looked at her.
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Isabella's face became expressionless.
“The person who raised Marcus.”
The nurse frowned.
“His mother?”
Isabella shook her head.
“No.”
“His father?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Isabella looked toward the camera mounted in the corner.
She knew someone was watching.
She whispered:
“David Sterling.”
The nurse froze.
Isabella smiled faintly.
“And tell him…”
She paused.
“…I remember everything.”
Inside Evelyn's SUV, Marcus sat beside Khloe.
David sat in the front.
Nathan beside him.
The city blurred outside.
Marcus looked at his mother.
“You knew about the DNA test.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I needed you to see it yourself.”
“You keep making decisions for me.”
“I know.”
“Stop.”
Evelyn looked at him through the mirror.
“You're right.”
She was silent for several seconds.
Then she said:
“There's one thing I haven't told you.”
Marcus sighed.
“What now?”
Evelyn looked at Khloe.
“The child you're carrying…”
Khloe's hand tightened around Marcus's.
“What about her?”
Evelyn whispered:
“She isn't only the heir to the Thorne fortune.”
Marcus stared.
“She is the key to proving who killed your father.”
Silence.
Khloe looked at her.
“How?”
Evelyn's eyes filled with tears.
“Because your father's final recording wasn't destroyed.”
Marcus leaned forward.
“Where is it?”
Evelyn answered:
“Inside the trust.”
Marcus frowned.
“That's impossible.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“The trust wasn't designed to protect money.”
“Then what was it designed to protect?”
Evelyn looked at the unborn child.
“The truth.”
The car suddenly swerved.
A black vehicle appeared behind them.
Then another.
David looked into the mirror.
“We're being followed.”
Marcus looked at Evelyn.
“Who?”
She didn't answer.
The black SUV accelerated.
Another vehicle cut them off from the front.
Nathan shouted:
“Hold on!”
The impact came seconds later.
Glass shattered.
Khloe screamed.
Marcus wrapped both arms around her.
Evelyn fought to keep control.
The SUV spun across the wet road.
Then slammed into a concrete barrier.
Everything went dark.
When Marcus opened his eyes, the first thing he heard was Khloe crying.
“Marcus?”
He tried to move.
Pain shot through his shoulder.
“I'm here.”
“I'm scared.”
He reached for her.
“Are you hurt?”
“My stomach.”
Marcus's heart stopped.
“Where?”
She pointed.
“It's hurting.”
Nathan rushed toward her.
“Don't move.”
He checked her pulse.
Then her abdomen.
“We need an ambulance.”
Marcus looked outside.
The pursuing vehicles were gone.
Evelyn was unconscious behind the wheel.
David was missing.
Nathan looked around.
“Where's David?”
Marcus stared.
The passenger door was open.
His uncle had disappeared.
On the wet asphalt outside the vehicle lay a single object.
A black leather folder.
Marcus picked it up.
Inside was the original trust.
The twelve-billion-dollar document.
And on the final page was a handwritten note.
THE CHILD MUST NEVER KNOW WHO HER REAL GRANDFATHER IS.
Marcus stared at the words.
Khloe looked at him.
“Marcus?”
He couldn't answer.
Because beneath the note was a second name.
Not Thorne.
Not Sterling.
Not Parker.
A name he had never heard before.
ANTHONY VALE.
And underneath it:
FATHER OF THE CHILD'S MOTHER.
Marcus slowly looked at Khloe.
Her face had gone completely white.
She whispered:
“My father…”
Then she stopped.
Marcus understood.
Khloe had always believed Daniel Parker was her biological father.
But someone had just left evidence suggesting otherwise.
The test nobody expected had never been about Marcus.
May you like
It had been about Khloe.
And if the document was genuine, the entire story of her childhood was a lie.
