CHAPTER 5 — THE BABY'S SECRET
CHAPTER 5 — THE BABY'S SECRET
At 5:41 in the morning, the baby's heartbeat changed.
One second, the monitor was steady.
The next—
beep.
Beep.
Beep-beep.
Khloe opened her eyes.
“What's happening?”
Marcus was already on his feet.
A nurse rushed into the room.
Then another.
Dr. Eleanor Vane followed.
“Everyone out.”
Marcus stared at her.
“What?”
“I need space.”
“You're not leaving me.”
“Mr. Thorne—”
“I'm staying.”
Khloe reached for his hand.
“Let him stay.”
Dr. Vane looked at them.
Then nodded.
She examined the monitor.
Her expression slowly changed.
Not panic.
Something worse.
Recognition.
Marcus noticed.
“What?”
She didn't answer.
“Doctor.”
Dr. Vane looked at the screen.
Then at Khloe.
Then at Marcus.
“There's something unusual about your baby's blood flow.”
Khloe's face went pale.
“Is my baby dying?”
“No.”
Dr. Vane hesitated.
“But that's not what concerns me.”
Marcus stepped closer.
“Then what does?”
Dr. Vane lowered her voice.
“The baby's genetic markers don't match what I was expecting.”
THE FIRST IMPOSSIBLE RESULT
Marcus stared at her.
“What does that mean?”
“I need to run another test.”
“Why?”
“Because the first result doesn't make sense.”
Khloe squeezed Marcus's hand.
“What kind of result?”
Dr. Vane looked at the medical chart.
“Your baby's blood type.”
Marcus frowned.
“What about it?”
“It doesn't match the preliminary records.”
Khloe looked confused.
“Can that happen?”
“Yes.”
“But not like this.”
Dr. Vane turned toward the monitor.
“The baby's blood type appears incompatible with the family history you've provided.”
Marcus stiffened.
“What family history?”
“Your blood type.”
“I'm O-positive.”
Khloe spoke softly.
“I'm A-positive.”
Dr. Vane nodded.
“And based on the preliminary genetic screen…”
She stopped.
Marcus stared.
“What?”
“The baby shouldn't have this combination of markers.”
Silence filled the room.
Khloe whispered:
“Are you saying the baby isn't ours?”
Dr. Vane immediately shook her head.
“No.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“I'm saying someone altered the records.”
Marcus's expression changed.
“What records?”
“The ones I was given before I examined you.”
THE FILE
Dr. Vane opened her tablet.
She showed Marcus the original record.
Then another.
The two files looked almost identical.
Almost.
But there was one difference.
The genetic panel.
Marcus pointed.
“This says one thing.”
Dr. Vane nodded.
“And this says another.”
“Which one is real?”
“The second.”
“Then why was the first in your system?”
Dr. Vane looked at him.
“Because someone uploaded it.”
“When?”
“Three weeks ago.”
Marcus froze.
“Three weeks?”
“Yes.”
Khloe stared at the doctor.
“That was before the attack.”
“Yes.”
Marcus looked toward Nathan.
Nathan had been standing silently near the door.
He finally spoke.
“They knew about the baby before Isabella attacked you.”
Marcus's jaw tightened.
“How?”
Nathan shook his head.
“That's what we need to find out.”
THE BLOOD SAMPLE
Dr. Vane took another sample.
She sealed it.
“This will go to an independent laboratory.”
Marcus asked:
“Not the hospital lab?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Dr. Vane looked at him.
“Because I no longer trust this hospital.”
Nathan nodded.
“I'll take it myself.”
Marcus stopped him.
“No.”
Nathan looked at him.
“I'll take it.”
Nathan hesitated.
Marcus took the sample.
“If someone inside this hospital is involved, I don't want the chain broken.”
Dr. Vane nodded.
“Then don't let anyone touch it.”
Marcus walked out.
Khloe watched him.
For the first time, she noticed something.
Marcus wasn't angry.
He was frightened.
Not for himself.
For their child.
THE FAMILY TREE
Two hours later, Marcus sat inside the private library of the Thorne estate.
Nathan placed a large folder on the table.
“Your family's medical history.”
Marcus looked at it.
“Why?”
“Because the baby's result may have exposed something.”
“What?”
Nathan opened the folder.
Marcus's grandfather.
His father.
His mother.
Then Marcus.
Nathan placed another page beside them.
Khloe's family.
Her mother.
Her grandmother.
Her grandfather.
Marcus looked at the records.
Everything appeared normal.
Until Nathan pointed to one line.
“Your grandfather.”
Marcus frowned.
“What about him?”
“He had a rare genetic condition.”
“What kind?”
Nathan shook his head.
“It was never publicly disclosed.”
“Why?”
“Because your father paid doctors to keep it private.”
Marcus stared.
“What condition?”
Nathan slid another document forward.
“An inherited blood disorder.”
Marcus looked at the baby's preliminary results.
Then back at the document.
The markers were similar.
Not identical.
But similar.
Marcus's face changed.
“Could my child have inherited it?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did the doctor say the results were impossible?”
“Because your official family medical records don't show this.”
Marcus stared.
“Someone erased it.”
Nathan nodded.
“Exactly.”
THE FAMILY SECRET
Marcus stood.
“My father knew.”
“Yes.”
“My mother knew.”
“Yes.”
“Who else?”
Nathan hesitated.
“Your uncle.”
“Adrian.”
Nathan nodded.
Marcus paced across the room.
“So the genetic records were deliberately altered.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To hide the bloodline.”
Marcus stopped.
“What bloodline?”
Nathan looked at him.
“The one your family has been hiding for decades.”
Marcus's voice became quiet.
“What does that mean?”
Nathan opened an old photograph.
It showed Marcus's grandfather.
Beside him stood a young woman.
Marcus recognized her immediately.
“Who is she?”
Nathan answered:
“Your grandfather's first wife.”
Marcus stared.
“My grandfather had another wife?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to her?”
“She disappeared.”
“When?”
“Two months before your father was born.”
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
“And the child?”
Nathan didn't answer.
Marcus slowly understood.
“There was another child.”
Nathan nodded.
“A daughter.”
THE LOST DAUGHTER
Marcus looked at the photograph.
“What's her name?”
Nathan's expression hardened.
“Evelyn.”
“Where is she?”
“We don't know.”
“What happened?”
“Your grandfather declared her dead.”
“Was she?”
“No.”
Marcus stared.
“How do you know?”
“Because I met her.”
“When?”
“Twenty-eight years ago.”
Marcus felt cold.
“Where?”
Nathan looked toward the window.
“In Paris.”
Marcus remembered the city.
The crash.
His father's old business trips.
His uncle's disappearance.
Everything suddenly seemed connected.
“What did she tell you?”
Nathan hesitated.
“She said the Thorne family had stolen her identity.”
Marcus shook his head.
“That doesn't explain the baby.”
Nathan looked at him.
“It might.”
THE DNA CONNECTION
Nathan placed another document on the table.
It was an old genetic report.
Marcus read it.
Then stopped.
“That's impossible.”
Nathan nodded.
The report showed a genetic relationship between Evelyn and Khloe's mother.
Marcus looked up.
“What does this mean?”
“Khloe's mother was Evelyn's daughter.”
Silence.
Marcus sat down.
“So Khloe…”
“Is descended from the first Thorne bloodline.”
Marcus stared.
“Then she has a claim to the family.”
“More than a claim.”
Nathan pointed to the trust documents.
“She is the rightful beneficiary.”
Marcus's eyes widened.
“The trust was never about my family.”
“No.”
“It was about hers.”
Nathan nodded.
“Your grandfather created the trust because he knew your father would try to erase Evelyn's descendants.”
Marcus looked sick.
“And Khloe inherited it.”
“Yes.”
“Without knowing.”
“Yes.”
THE ATTACK MAKES SENSE
Marcus finally understood.
The attack.
The media campaign.
The fake medical records.
The attempt to alter the baby's DNA.
The missing footage.
It all pointed toward one goal.
Erase Khloe.
Control the baby.
Control the trust.
He looked at Nathan.
“Who knows?”
“About the bloodline?”
“Yes.”
Nathan thought.
“Your father.”
“Adrian.”
“Yes.”
“Your mother.”
“Yes.”
“Dr. Vane.”
“Now.”
Marcus looked down.
“Isabella?”
Nathan shook his head.
“Probably not.”
“Then why is she involved?”
“Because she's being used.”
Marcus's face hardened.
“By Adrian.”
“Most likely.”
Marcus stared at the documents.
“What does Adrian gain?”
Nathan's answer was immediate.
“Control.”
THE UNEXPECTED TEST
That afternoon, Dr. Vane returned.
She looked exhausted.
Marcus immediately stood.
“Results?”
She nodded.
“I sent two samples.”
“Why two?”
“Because I didn't trust the first laboratory.”
Marcus stared.
“And?”
“They match.”
Khloe's heart began racing.
“So the baby is healthy?”
Dr. Vane nodded.
“Yes.”
Khloe exhaled.
“But…”
Marcus's face tightened.
“There is always a but.”
Dr. Vane looked at him.
“The baby carries a genetic marker.”
“What kind?”
She handed him the report.
Marcus read it.
His expression changed.
“What is this?”
“A marker found in very few members of your family.”
Marcus looked at her.
“My family?”
“Yes.”
Khloe stared.
“But you said the baby's markers didn't match.”
“They don't match the official records.”
“What does that mean?”
Dr. Vane looked directly at Marcus.
“Your family's records are incomplete.”
THE SECOND DNA TEST
Marcus wasn't satisfied.
He ordered another test.
This time—
a direct paternity test.
Independent laboratory.
Blind sample.
No names.
No hospital involvement.
Three days later, the result arrived.
Marcus opened it.
Khloe watched him.
“What does it say?”
He didn't answer.
She stood.
“Marcus?”
He looked at her.
His eyes were filled with tears.
“The baby is mine.”
Khloe exhaled.
She almost collapsed from relief.
Marcus hugged her.
But the moment lasted only seconds.
Because the report contained another result.
A mitochondrial DNA comparison.
Marcus frowned.
“What is that?”
Dr. Vane looked at it.
Her face changed.
“That's not possible.”
“What?”
She stared at Khloe.
“The baby's mitochondrial DNA matches…”
She stopped.
Khloe whispered:
“Matches what?”
Dr. Vane looked at Marcus.
“Your mother.”
Marcus froze.
“My mother is dead.”
“I know.”
“Then how?”
Dr. Vane shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Nathan stepped forward.
“Unless…”
Everyone looked at him.
“Unless what?”
Nathan stared at the report.
“The woman who died wasn't your mother.”
THE GRAVE
That night, Marcus went to the cemetery.
Nathan followed.
They stood before his mother's grave.
The stone was old.
Her name was engraved.
Her date of birth.
Her date of death.
Marcus stared.
“My mother died when I was twenty.”
Nathan nodded.
“You attended the funeral.”
“Yes.”
“You saw the body?”
Marcus hesitated.
“No.”
Nathan looked at him.
“Why not?”
Marcus remembered.
His father had told him not to look.
“She was badly injured.”
Nathan's expression darkened.
“That's what he told you?”
“Yes.”
Nathan looked at the grave.
“Then we need to open it.”
Marcus stared at him.
“No.”
“If the body isn't hers…”
“No.”
“Marcus.”
“No.”
Nathan stepped closer.
“If Khloe's baby carries your mother's mitochondrial DNA…”
Marcus looked at the grave.
His voice cracked.
“My mother may still be alive.”
THE WOMAN IN THE CAR
Across the cemetery, a black sedan waited.
Inside sat a woman.
She watched Marcus.
She held an old photograph.
The photograph showed herself.
Standing beside a young Marcus.
She touched his face.
Then whispered:
“My son.”
A man sat in the driver's seat.
“Should we go?”
The woman nodded.
“Not yet.”
“He's looking at the grave.”
“I know.”
“Does he suspect?”
The woman smiled sadly.
“He always was his father's son.”
The driver looked at her.
“What about Khloe?”
The woman's smile disappeared.
“She must never learn who her mother really was.”
THE LETTER
Before leaving the cemetery, Marcus noticed something.
A small envelope had been placed against the gravestone.
His name was written on it.
He opened it.
Inside was a single sentence.
THE WOMAN YOU BURIED WAS NOT YOUR MOTHER.
Marcus's hands began shaking.
Nathan looked over his shoulder.
There was more.
THE WOMAN WHO RAISED KHLOE WAS NOT HER MOTHER EITHER.
Marcus looked at Nathan.
“What does this mean?”
Nathan didn't answer.
Because another line appeared.
AND THE WOMAN WHO KNOWS THE TRUTH IS STILL ALIVE.
Marcus looked around the cemetery.
Nothing.
Then his phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
No voice.
Only an old recording.
A woman's voice.
Soft.
Broken.
But familiar.
“Marcus…”
He froze.
He knew that voice.
He had heard it every night as a child.
His mother's voice.
“I need you to listen carefully.”
Marcus's eyes filled with tears.
“Mom?”
The recording continued.
“Your father lied to you.”
Marcus looked at Nathan.
The voice whispered:
“Khloe is not the danger.”
A pause.
“She is the reason you survived.”
Marcus couldn't breathe.
Then came the final sentence.
“Protect my granddaughter.”
The recording ended.
Marcus stared at the phone.
Nathan whispered:
“She knew.”
“Who?”
“Your mother.”
“About what?”
Nathan looked at Khloe's hospital records.
Then at the grave.
“Everything.”
Marcus's phone vibrated again.
One final message.
YOU HAVE 24 HOURS TO FIND HER BEFORE ADRIAN DOES.
Marcus looked toward the dark road.
The black sedan was already gone.
But inside it, the woman who claimed to be dead held the same photograph.
And beneath it was another document.
A birth certificate.
The name at the top was:
KHLOE ELIZABETH PARKER.
Not Thorne.
Parker.
And beneath the child's name was the signature of the woman who had supposedly died twelve years earlier.
Marcus's mother.
May you like
The secret surrounding the baby had just become a secret about Khloe herself.
And somewhere in the city, the woman who knew the truth was already running.
