CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 4
The Marriage Under Attack
The world loved a perfect image.
It loved beautiful couples.
Beautiful families.
Beautiful stories.
And for years, Marcus and Khloe Thorne had been exactly that.
The billionaire CEO and the woman who changed him.
The powerful businessman and the woman who never cared about his money.
The couple everyone believed had everything.
But perfection was fragile.
All it took was one night.
One accusation.
One secret from the past.
And suddenly, the world wanted to watch them fall.
By sunrise, every major news outlet had the story.
BILLIONAIRE HEIR'S WIFE ATTACKED AT CHARITY EVENT
ISABELLA ROSSI ACCUSED OF VIOLENCE AGAINST PREGNANT WOMAN
THORNE FAMILY SCANDAL SHAKES ELITE CIRCLES
The hospital security footage had not been released publicly.
Not yet.
But that did not stop people from creating their own version of the truth.
Social media exploded.
Some defended Khloe.
Others questioned her.
And some did what powerful people always did.
They searched for weakness.
A photograph of Isabella and Marcus from five years ago appeared online.
The image showed them smiling at a charity event.
Young.
Elegant.
Perfect.
The headline underneath was enough to create chaos.
BEFORE KHLOE: THE WOMAN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BECOME MRS. THORNE
Khloe stared at the photograph on her phone.
She did not feel anger.
She felt tired.
Deeply tired.
Because suddenly, she understood something.
Isabella had not just attacked her physically.
She had attacked her place in Marcus's life.
The worst part was not that Isabella had once loved Marcus.
Everyone had a past.
The worst part was that Khloe had discovered it from strangers.
From newspapers.
From rumors.
From people who enjoyed watching powerful families break.
Marcus entered the hospital room quietly.
He stopped when he saw her expression.
"You saw the news."
Khloe didn't answer.
That was enough.
Marcus sat down beside her.
"I was going to tell you."
"When?"
The question was calm.
But that made it worse.
Marcus looked down.
"Before this happened."
Khloe gave a small, humorless smile.
"That is what everyone says after they are caught hiding something."
The words hurt.
Because they were true.
Marcus reached for her hand.
She didn't pull away.
But she didn't hold his hand either.
And that small distance terrified him.
"I should have told you about Isabella."
"Yes."
"I know."
Khloe looked at him.
"What else don't I know?"
The question stayed between them.
Marcus wanted to answer immediately.
But the problem was that there were too many things.
Too many details.
Too many memories.
And every second of hesitation made Khloe's fear grow.
"Marcus."
His eyes lifted.
"Do you still have feelings for her?"
The question destroyed him.
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Too instantly.
Khloe noticed.
"Then why does she believe she can come back?"
Marcus remained silent.
Because that was the question he had been asking himself.
Why Isabella?
Why now?
Why after five years?
Across the city, Isabella Rossi watched the news from her family's penthouse.
She sat on a white sofa overlooking the skyline.
Everything around her represented success.
Luxury furniture.
Rare paintings.
Expensive jewelry.
A life most people dreamed about.
But Isabella felt nothing.
Because none of it mattered without Marcus.
Her lawyer, Adrian Cole, placed a folder on the table.
"You need to understand the situation."
Isabella didn't look at him.
"I understand."
"No."
Adrian sighed.
"You don't."
He opened the folder.
"The security footage is a serious problem."
Isabella finally looked at him.
"Can it be destroyed?"
"No."
The answer annoyed her.
"Everything can be destroyed."
"Not this."
Adrian pointed at the documents.
"The hospital system has multiple backups. Your attack was recorded from three different angles."
For the first time, Isabella looked uncomfortable.
"Then we change the story."
Adrian stared.
"How?"
She smiled.
"By making people question the reason behind it."
"What does that mean?"
Isabella leaned back.
"People love scandals."
She looked at the photograph of Marcus on the news.
"They don't care about truth."
A pause.
"They care about drama."
The next morning, the first attack began.
Not against Khloe.
Against Marcus.
A leaked article appeared.
MARCUS THORNE'S SECRET PAST WITH ISABELLA ROSSI: WAS THE MARRIAGE BUILT ON A LIE?
The article contained old photographs.
Old events.
Old rumors.
It suggested that Marcus had never truly moved on.
It suggested Khloe was simply the second choice.
A replacement.
A woman who entered a story that had already begun.
Within hours, investors started calling.
The board requested an emergency meeting.
Marcus's assistant placed the reports on his desk.
"Three major shareholders are concerned."
Marcus looked up.
"About what?"
"The reputation damage."
His expression hardened.
"My wife was attacked."
"I know."
"Then why are they worried about my reputation?"
The assistant hesitated.
"Because some believe the scandal could affect the company."
Marcus looked out the window.
This was exactly what Isabella wanted.
Not just pain.
Chaos.
At the emergency board meeting, Marcus faced twelve executives.
Men and women who had worked with him for years.
People who respected his intelligence.
But money changed people.
Especially when they smelled danger.
One board member cleared his throat.
"Marcus, nobody is questioning your personal situation."
Everyone in the room knew that was a lie.
"But the company cannot become involved in a public scandal."
Marcus leaned back.
"My wife was attacked."
The man nodded.
"We understand."
"No."
Marcus's voice became colder.
"You understand numbers."
Silence.
"You don't understand loyalty."
Nobody answered.
Because they knew Marcus Thorne had always been ruthless in business.
But now they were seeing something different.
A husband.
A man protecting his family.
That evening, Khloe was discharged from the hospital.
Marcus personally drove her home.
The car was silent.
Too silent.
Usually, they talked.
About anything.
Their future.
Their child.
Their dreams.
Tonight, they sat like strangers.
Finally, Khloe spoke.
"Did you love her?"
Marcus gripped the steering wheel.
"No."
"Did she love you?"
He hesitated.
That hesitation was enough.
Khloe looked out the window.
"That's what hurts."
"Khloe..."
"I know you didn't choose her."
She swallowed.
"But she knows something about you that I don't."
Marcus said nothing.
"And that makes me feel like I don't really know my own husband."
The words cut deeper than any accusation.
Because Marcus knew the truth.
He had spent years protecting Khloe from pain.
But by hiding things...
he had created a different kind of pain.
That night, after Khloe went to sleep, Marcus received another message.
From Isabella.
One sentence.
You can protect your company. You can protect your reputation. But you cannot protect a marriage built on secrets.
Marcus stared at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
A photograph.
An old photograph.
One he had not seen in five years.
His face turned pale.
Because he knew exactly what it was.
The night he first met Khloe.
The night Isabella had been there.
The night everything changed.
And beneath the photograph was one final message.
Tell her yourself. Or I will.
Marcus slowly lowered the phone.
For the first time since the attack...
he felt trapped.
Not by Isabella.
Not by the media.
By his own past.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the city...
Isabella stood in front of a mirror.
She removed her jewelry.
Removed her makeup.
Removed the mask she showed the world.
The elegant socialite disappeared.
Only the woman filled with resentment remained.
"You took my future."
She whispered.
"So I will take yours."
She looked at a document sitting on the table.
A document that could destroy Marcus's marriage.
A document that could expose a secret even Marcus had forgotten.
And on the top of the page were four words:
May you like
KHLOE WAS NEVER THE PLAN.
END OF CHAPTER 4
