## CHAPTER 4 ## THE WOMAN WHO WANTED KHLOE GONE
The words repeated in Marcus's head.
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"It was your mother."
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For a moment...
The entire hospital disappeared.
The voices.
The machines.
The footsteps in the hallway.
Everything faded.
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Because there was only one thought.
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Evelyn Thorne had gone to Khloe's hospital room.
After an attempted assault.
After Isabella had nearly killed his wife and unborn child.
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And she had done it without telling him.
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"Did she hurt my wife?"
Marcus's voice was dangerously calm.
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The nurse hesitated.
"No, Mr. Thorne."
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"But she tried to enter?"
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"Yes."
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"How did you stop her?"
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"Mrs. Thorne's security team blocked access after they noticed she wasn't on the approved visitor list."
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Marcus closed his eyes.
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His mother's security team.
His mother's hospital access.
His mother's involvement.
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Too many pieces were connecting.
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"Thank you."
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He ended the call.
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Daniel watched him carefully.
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"Your mother?"
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Marcus nodded.
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Daniel's expression hardened.
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"Then Isabella wasn't acting alone."
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Marcus looked at him.
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"What are you saying?"
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"I'm saying a woman like Isabella doesn't risk everything without believing someone powerful will protect her."
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Khloe slowly pushed herself higher against the hospital pillows.
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"Marcus..."
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He turned immediately.
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Her voice was weak.
But her eyes were serious.
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"There's something else you need to know."
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Marcus felt his stomach tighten.
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"Another secret?"
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Khloe looked down.
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"Yes."
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He sat beside her.
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"Tell me everything."
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For years...
Marcus had built his life around trust.
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Trust in his family.
Trust in his company.
Trust in the people closest to him.
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And every person he trusted seemed to have been hiding something.
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Khloe took a deep breath.
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"When I first met you..."
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Marcus listened.
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"I wasn't looking for a relationship."
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"I was investigating your family."
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The words hurt.
Even though he knew there was more.
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"Why?"
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"Because of my father."
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She looked toward Daniel.
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"My father spent years trying to prove what Jonathan Thorne did."
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"Before he disappeared, he left clues."
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"Financial records."
"Old contracts."
"Names."
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Khloe swallowed.
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"One name appeared again and again."
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Marcus already knew the answer.
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"Evelyn."
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Khloe nodded.
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"Your mother helped your father hide the truth."
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The room went silent.
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Marcus stood and walked toward the window.
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The city stretched beneath him.
The world he owned.
The empire he inherited.
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But suddenly...
It felt like it belonged to strangers.
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"Why did you marry me?"
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The question escaped quietly.
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Khloe looked hurt.
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"Marcus..."
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"I need to know."
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A tear rolled down her cheek.
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"Because I fell in love with you."
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Silence.
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"But at first..."
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She closed her eyes.
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"At first, I wanted answers."
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Marcus nodded slowly.
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He appreciated the honesty.
Even though it hurt.
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"And when did that change?"
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Khloe looked at him.
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"The night you stayed with my father in the hospital."
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Marcus frowned.
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"What?"
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"You didn't know who he was."
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"You didn't know his history."
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"But you sat beside him for six hours because you said no one should die alone."
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Her voice broke.
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"That's when I realized you weren't your father."
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Marcus looked away.
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Because that meant everything.
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Later that evening...
Marcus returned to the Thorne mansion.
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But this time...
He wasn't coming home.
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He was entering enemy territory.
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Evelyn was waiting in the library.
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She poured herself tea.
Calmly.
Like nothing had happened.
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"You look angry."
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Marcus closed the door.
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"Why did you go to Khloe's room?"
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No hesitation.
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"I wanted to speak with her."
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"About what?"
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"About protecting this family."
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Marcus laughed once.
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A cold laugh.
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"Protecting?"
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He threw the hospital visitor report onto the table.
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"You knew Isabella attacked her."
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Evelyn didn't answer.
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"Didn't you?"
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Still silence.
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That was enough.
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Marcus stepped closer.
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"How long?"
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His mother finally looked at him.
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"How long what?"
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"How long have you known Isabella wanted Khloe gone?"
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Evelyn's expression changed.
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Only slightly.
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But Marcus saw it.
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She wasn't surprised.
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She was calculating.
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"Isabella is emotional."
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"That's not an answer."
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"She loved you."
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Marcus froze.
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"Excuse me?"
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Evelyn looked away.
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"She came from the right family."
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The sentence made his blood run cold.
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"Right family?"
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"Her father is powerful."
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"And her family could have strengthened ours."
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Marcus stared.
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"You wanted me to marry Isabella."
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Evelyn said nothing.
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And again...
The silence answered.
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"Khloe was never good enough for you."
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The words finally came.
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Not from Isabella.
Not from the media.
From his own mother.
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Marcus felt something inside him break.
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"She is my wife."
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"She is carrying your child."
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Evelyn's face hardened.
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"Exactly."
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Marcus froze.
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"What does that mean?"
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His mother walked toward the desk.
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Opened a drawer.
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And removed an old envelope.
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"I was going to destroy this."
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She placed it down.
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"But now I think you deserve to know."
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Marcus picked it up.
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The handwriting was familiar.
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His father's.
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He opened it.
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The first sentence made his entire body go cold.
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"Evelyn, if Marcus ever discovers the truth about Khloe Parker, he must never learn the second half of the story."
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Marcus looked up.
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"What second half?"
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Evelyn didn't answer.
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Because she was watching his reaction.
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Waiting.
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The letter continued.
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"If Khloe discovers who her mother really was..."
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Marcus stopped.
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His heart raced.
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Khloe's mother?
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Everyone knew Khloe lost her mother when she was young.
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But apparently...
That was another lie.
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He read the next line.
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"She will realize the Parker family and Thorne family were connected long before the company was created."
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Marcus slowly lowered the letter.
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His entire world shifted.
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The attack.
The company.
The secrets.
The lies.
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None of it started with Isabella.
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It started decades earlier.
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Then his phone rang.
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Unknown number.
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Marcus answered.
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A woman's voice spoke.
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"Marcus Thorne?"
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"Who is this?"
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A pause.
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"My name is Victoria Parker."
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Marcus froze.
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Parker.
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"Your wife's aunt."
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He gripped the phone.
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"That's impossible."
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The woman's voice trembled.
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"No."
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"The impossible thing is that nobody ever told Khloe..."
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"Her mother is still alive."
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May you like
Marcus stopped breathing.
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