Chapter 7
The death certificate had no date.
That somehow made it worse.
Someone had prepared for my death but hadn’t decided when it would happen.
Marcus stared at the photograph until his hands shook.
Detective Ruiz took it away.
“Rachel is in custody.”
“For attempted murder?” Marcus demanded.
“We are working with prosecutors.”
“She had a death certificate with my wife’s name.”
“And that is very serious evidence.”
“Serious?”
His voice rose.
I touched his arm.
He looked at me.
“Stop.”
He breathed.
Then nodded.
Ruiz continued.
“Rachel is refusing to answer questions.”
“Of course,” Marcus said.
“But her phone is being analyzed.”
“Did you find Dr. Cole?”
“No.”
My stomach tightened.
“He’s involved.”
“We believe he may be.”
“Where is he?”
“His last known address is vacant.”
Marcus laughed bitterly.
“Everyone disappears at exactly the right time.”
Ruiz nodded.
“Which suggests coordination.”
I asked, “What about Isabella?”
“She’s cooperating now.”
Marcus stared.
“What changed?”
“Rachel’s arrest.”
Of course.
People loyal to money were rarely loyal when prison arrived.
“Isabella says Rachel approached her nearly a year ago.”
My chest tightened.
“What did Rachel want?”
“At first, information about Marcus.”
Marcus looked sick.
“She paid Isabella to get close to me.”
“Yes.”
“And the affair?”
Ruiz paused.
“According to Isabella, Rachel never directly instructed her to sleep with you.”
I looked at Marcus.
His face dropped.
Good.
I hated myself for thinking that.
But I needed him to understand.
He couldn’t blame Rachel for every choice.
Ruiz continued.
“Rachel did encourage Isabella to create emotional dependence and collect information.”
“What information?”
“Your schedule. Your marriage. Khloe’s pregnancy. Your family trust.”
Marcus stared at the wall.
“And after the affair?”
“Rachel increased the payments.”
I almost laughed.
“Reward money.”
Ruiz looked at me sympathetically.
“Yes.”
Marcus asked, “Did Isabella know the baby was Daniel’s?”
“Eventually.”
“When?”
“About two months ago.”
I sat straighter.
“How?”
“Rachel told her.”
“And Isabella believed that?”
“Rachel showed her documents from the fertility clinic.”
I looked down at my stomach.
“Did Isabella know what Rachel planned to do?”
“She claims she thought Rachel only wanted to establish paternity and challenge the trust.”
“The pills?”
Ruiz’s expression hardened.
“That part is different.”
Marcus stepped closer.
“What did she admit?”
“Rachel gave Isabella the capsules and told her to replace your prenatal vitamins.”
“So Isabella knew.”
“She claims Rachel said the medication would only trigger harmless contractions.”
I stared at Ruiz.
“She believed that?”
“I didn’t say I believed her.”
“Good.”
My baby kicked.
I pressed my hand against the movement.
“He could have died.”
“Yes.”
“So could I.”
“Yes.”
I looked toward the door.
“I want to see Isabella.”
Marcus immediately shook his head.
“No.”
I stared at him.
“You don’t decide.”
He flinched.
Ruiz said, “It’s not advisable.”
“I need to ask her something.”
“What?”
“Why she looked terrified of the camera before Marcus noticed it.”
Ruiz considered.
“We already asked.”
“And?”
“She says she knew the camera would show Rachel.”
“That’s all?”
“She claims so.”
I didn’t believe it.
“Let me talk to her.”
Ruiz hesitated.
Then she surprised me.
“Not in person.”
She arranged a video call from an interview room at the police station.
Two detectives stayed with Isabella.
Ruiz stayed beside me.
Marcus stood across the room.
When Isabella’s face appeared on the tablet, she looked different.
No makeup.
No expensive clothes.
No red heels.
Just fear.
She looked at me.
“Khloe.”
I felt rage so deep it made me calm.
“Why were you afraid of the camera?”
She glanced toward someone offscreen.
“I told the police.”
“Tell me.”
“Because Rachel was there earlier.”
“That’s not enough.”
“It’s the truth.”
“You weren’t surprised the camera existed.”
Her eyes shifted.
“You knew it was there.”
Silence.
“Why?”
“Khloe—”
“WHY?”
She exhaled.
“Because I had checked it before.”
My skin prickled.
“When?”
“Weeks ago.”
“What were you checking?”
She stared at her hands.
“Rachel wanted to know which hospital rooms had cameras.”
My blood turned cold.
“Why?”
“She said we needed one without surveillance.”
Marcus cursed.
I kept going.
“But you put me in a room with a camera.”
“I didn’t choose your room.”
“Then why did Rachel come in anyway?”
“Because the plan changed.”
“What plan?”
Isabella shut her eyes.
“I don’t know everything.”
“What plan?”
She started crying.
“They were going to wait until after you delivered.”
I stopped breathing.
“Who is they?”
“Rachel and Cole.”
Dr. Adrian Cole.
The fertility specialist who had disappeared.
“What were they going to do after I delivered?”
“I don’t know.”
“You do.”
“No.”
“You helped drug me.”
“I didn’t know what those pills could do!”
“You opened my bottle with your own hands.”
“I thought you’d have contractions and they’d move you into surgery.”
“Why?”
Isabella sobbed.
“Rachel said she needed you to deliver in a controlled situation.”
Marcus stepped closer to the screen.
“Controlled by who?”
Isabella saw him and started crying harder.
“Marcus…”
“Don’t say my name.”
She looked devastated.
For a second I almost laughed at the cruelty of it.
She had helped destroy my marriage and still wanted comfort from my husband.
“What was supposed to happen?” I asked.
“She said the baby had to be delivered before the trust board meeting.”
Marcus frowned.
“What board meeting?”
“Next week.”
He went pale.
I looked at him.
“You have a trust board meeting?”
“Yes.”
“What happens there?”
“Annual distribution review.”
“And if Daniel suddenly has a living biological son?”
Marcus understood.
“The distribution freezes pending heir verification.”
Ruiz wrote something down.
I asked Isabella, “What happens to me?”
Her face collapsed.
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
“I swear.”
“Then why did Rachel have a death certificate with my name?”
Isabella covered her mouth.
She hadn’t known.
That was obvious.
“Oh my God.”
“Look at me,” I said.
She did.
“If I had died because of those pills, that would be partly because of you.”
“I know.”
“No. You don’t get to cry and make this about guilt.”
She wiped her face.
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t care.”
She flinched.
I leaned closer.
“You wanted my husband.”
“Yes.”
“You wanted my marriage.”
She looked away.
“Yes.”
“You took Rachel’s money.”
“Yes.”
“And when she asked you to put unknown medication in a pregnant woman’s vitamins, you did it.”
Isabella had no defense.
That mattered.
Because monsters weren’t always people who intended the worst outcome.
Sometimes they were people who decided somebody else’s safety mattered less than what they wanted.
Ruiz ended the call.
I felt empty afterward.
Marcus stood by the window.
Finally he said:
“I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
I looked at him.
“You still don’t understand.”
“What?”
“She could manipulate you because you opened the door.”
He closed his eyes.
“I know.”
“No, Marcus. You keep treating your affair like one bad moment.”
I swallowed.
“It gave Rachel access to our marriage.”
He looked at me.
“It gave her access to you.”
Tears filled his eyes.
“You’re right.”
Those words were quiet.
No defense.
No excuse.
For the first time, I believed he actually understood.
Detective Ruiz’s phone rang.
She answered.
Listened.
Then frowned.
“What location?”
A pause.
“Send units now.”
She hung up.
“What happened?” I asked.
Her eyes locked on mine.
“Rachel’s phone contained encrypted messages with someone saved under the initials A.C.”
“Adrian Cole.”
“Probably.”
“Did you trace him?”
“We traced the device he was using.”
“Where?”
Ruiz’s face became grim.
“Inside this hospital.”
Marcus moved instantly toward the door.
Security blocked him.
“What do you mean inside?”
“The signal connected to the hospital Wi-Fi ten minutes ago.”
I felt cold.
“He’s here?”
“Possibly.”
My monitor began beeping faster.
Ruiz spoke into her radio.
Then every light in my room went out.
Darkness swallowed us.
The fetal monitor went silent.
Someone in the hallway screamed.
May you like
Emergency lights flickered red.
And from outside the door came the unmistakable sound of a gunshot.
