CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 3
The Woman From His Past
The hospital had never felt so quiet.
For most people, silence was peaceful.
For Marcus Thorne, it was the sound of everything falling apart.
He sat beside Khloe's hospital bed, watching her sleep.
The doctors had told him she was lucky.
The baby was safe.
There were no signs of serious complications.
Physically, she would recover.
But Marcus knew something doctors could not measure.
The damage caused by betrayal was not always visible.
Sometimes the deepest wounds were the ones nobody could see.
Khloe had trusted him.
She had trusted his promises.
His protection.
His love.
And tonight, because of someone from his past, she had almost lost everything.
Marcus looked down at their intertwined hands.
He wanted to tell her everything.
The truth.
The history.
The reason Isabella had been so obsessed.
But every time he tried to speak, the same fear stopped him.
What if the truth hurt her more than the lie?
What if knowing everything changed the way she looked at him?
What if she realized she had married a man with a past she never truly understood?
The door opened quietly.
Daniel Parker stepped inside.
"You haven't slept."
Marcus didn't look away.
"Neither have you."
Daniel walked closer.
"I spent the night reviewing the security footage."
Marcus finally looked at him.
"Why?"
Daniel's expression was serious.
"Because I don't believe Isabella acted alone."
The words immediately caught Marcus's attention.
"What makes you say that?"
Daniel placed a file on the table.
"Her behavior."
Marcus frowned.
"Behavior?"
"People who act in anger usually lose control."
Daniel opened the file.
"Isabella didn't."
He pointed to the documents.
"She chose the location. She chose the timing. She waited until Khloe was alone. She knew exactly where the cameras were positioned."
Marcus was silent.
Because he knew Daniel was right.
Isabella had not exploded.
She had planned.
"She wanted Khloe hurt," Daniel continued.
"But more importantly..."
He looked directly at Marcus.
"She wanted you to see it."
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"Think about it."
Daniel leaned forward.
"She could have attacked Khloe anywhere. A private parking lot. A hotel. A place without witnesses."
"But she chose a hospital suite."
Marcus understood.
The room where evidence could be collected.
The place where Marcus would find Khloe.
The place where Isabella could create the most emotional damage.
"She wanted to break something."
Daniel said quietly.
"And I don't think it was Khloe."
Three hours later, Khloe woke up.
The first thing she saw was Marcus.
Still there.
Still holding her hand.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Then the memory returned.
The suite.
The argument.
The attack.
Isabella.
Khloe's expression changed.
Marcus noticed immediately.
"How are you feeling?"
She looked away.
"Better."
The answer was polite.
Too polite.
Marcus felt the distance.
"Khloe..."
She looked at him.
"Who is she?"
The question was simple.
But Marcus knew exactly who she meant.
"Isabella."
Khloe nodded.
"No."
She swallowed.
"The other question."
Marcus said nothing.
Khloe's eyes became filled with pain.
"Who was she to you?"
Silence.
A silence that answered before words did.
Khloe slowly sat up.
"Marcus."
He looked down.
"I should have told you."
Those words hurt more than any explanation.
Because they confirmed her fear.
There was something.
Something she didn't know.
"Tell me now."
Marcus sat beside her.
Five years earlier, before Khloe ever entered his life...
There was Isabella Rossi.
Five years ago.
Marcus Thorne was different.
Not happier.
Not better.
Just different.
He was twenty-nine years old.
Already successful.
Already wealthy.
Already carrying the pressure of the Thorne name.
Everyone around him had an opinion about his future.
Who he should marry.
Who would strengthen his empire.
Who would improve the family's reputation.
And Isabella Rossi was the perfect choice.
Their families had been connected for decades.
The Rossis and Thornes attended the same events.
Shared business interests.
Moved in the same powerful circles.
When Marcus and Isabella began dating, everyone celebrated.
It was the relationship society expected.
A perfect match.
Beautiful.
Rich.
Influential.
But behind closed doors, Marcus slowly realized something.
Isabella didn't love him.
Not the real him.
She loved the idea of him.
The billionaire.
The heir.
The powerful man whose name opened doors.
At first, he ignored it.
He thought love could grow.
He thought two people from the same world could eventually understand each other.
But every conversation became about appearances.
Every decision became about status.
Every disagreement became a battle.
One night, Marcus finally ended it.
"I can't do this anymore."
Isabella stared at him.
"What does that mean?"
"It means this isn't right."
She laughed.
"You are ending this?"
Marcus nodded.
"Yes."
She looked shocked.
Not because she loved him.
Because she couldn't believe someone had rejected her.
"Do you know how many women would do anything to have what I have with you?"
Marcus answered quietly:
"That's the problem."
"What?"
"You think having me is the achievement."
The words stayed with her forever.
Because Marcus was the only person who had ever walked away from Isabella Rossi.
And Isabella never forgave him.
Back in the hospital room, Khloe listened without speaking.
"So you dated her."
Marcus nodded.
"Yes."
"For how long?"
"Almost a year."
Khloe looked away.
A year.
That was not a mistake.
That was a chapter of his life.
A chapter he had never shared.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Marcus struggled to answer.
"Because it meant nothing to me."
Khloe looked at him.
"Maybe it meant nothing to you."
The sentence hit harder than she intended.
Marcus became quiet.
Because she was right.
His feelings were not the only thing that mattered.
The fact that he had hidden it mattered.
"I thought I was protecting what we had."
Khloe looked down.
"You were protecting yourself."
The truth hurt.
Because Marcus knew she was right.
Later that day, the news exploded.
Every media outlet covered the story.
ISABELLA ROSSI ACCUSED OF ATTACKING BILLIONAIRE'S PREGNANT WIFE
Photos spread everywhere.
The video evidence was not public yet.
But rumors moved quickly.
The Rossi family released a statement.
"We believe there has been a misunderstanding."
Marcus almost laughed when he read it.
A misunderstanding.
A word powerful people used when they wanted to make crimes disappear.
But then another headline appeared.
And this one changed everything.
OLD ROMANCE BETWEEN MARCUS THORNE AND ISABELLA ROSSI REVEALED
Khloe stared at the screen.
Her heart sank.
Because suddenly, the world did not see Isabella as just an attacker.
They saw her as a woman from Marcus's past.
A woman who claimed she had been replaced.
A woman who might have a story.
And stories were dangerous.
Especially when they involved billionaires.
That evening, Marcus received a call.
Unknown number.
He answered.
"Hello?"
A woman's voice appeared.
Calm.
Confident.
Familiar.
"Did you enjoy watching me lose?"
Marcus's expression hardened.
"Isabella."
She laughed softly.
"You always were good at pretending you didn't care."
"What do you want?"
A pause.
Then:
"I want what was always supposed to be mine."
Marcus closed his eyes.
"You are sick."
"No."
Her voice became colder.
"I am patient."
Marcus said nothing.
Isabella continued.
"You think that video destroyed me?"
Another laugh.
"You only proved one thing."
"What?"
"That you will protect Khloe no matter what."
Silence.
"Which means..."
Her voice dropped.
"...she is your weakness."
Marcus's hand tightened around the phone.
"If you go near her again—"
"Or what?"
The question was almost playful.
Then Isabella whispered:
"Tell Khloe the truth about the night you met me."
Marcus froze.
Because that was impossible.
Nobody knew.
Nobody except him.
And Isabella.
"What are you talking about?"
"She deserves to know."
The call ended.
Marcus stared at the phone.
For the first time in years...
he felt afraid.
Not for himself.
For Khloe.
Because Isabella was no longer trying to win him back.
She was trying to destroy everything he loved.
And she had just revealed that she knew a secret from the past.
A secret Marcus had buried.
May you like
A secret that could change the way Khloe saw him forever.
END OF CHAPTER 3
