specialist appointments, they had finally succeeded.

Marcus remembered dropping to his knees, pressing his

face against her stomach, crying for the first time since he

was a child.

That child was his legacy. But Khloe was his soul. The

thought of losing either of them was a dark abyss that

threatened to pull him under.

The heavy double doors swung open with a soft hiss.

Marcus spun around, his heart hammering violently

against his ribs. Dr. Caldwell emerged, pulling down his

surgical mask. The doctor looked exhausted. The lines

around his eyes were deepened by the harsh fluorescent

lights.

Marcus closed the distance between them in an

instant, his hands clenching into fists at his sides to prevent

himself from grabbing the doctor by the collar. "Nathan.

Tell me."

Dr. Caldwell let out a long, heavy breath, placing a

reassuring hand on Marcus's shoulder. "She's stable,

Marcus. Both of them."

Marcus's knees nearly buckled. A shuddering breath

escaped his lips, and he ran a trembling hand through his

disheveled hair. "Oh, thank God. Thank God. The baby?"

"The baby is fighting," Caldwell said, his tone turning

serious, preventing Marcus from feeling entirely relieved.

"The blunt force trauma from the fall caused a partial

placental abruption. It's a severe complication, especially

at twenty-four weeks. We've managed to stop the internal

bleeding, and we've administered magnesium sulfate to

stop the premature contractions. Khloe is resting now.

We've put her on strict bed rest for the remainder of the

pregnancy."

"But they will live? She's going to be okay?" Marcus

demanded, needing absolute certainty in a situation that

offered none.

"She is entirely out of the woods regarding the

immediate danger," Caldwell confirmed gently. "But the

next few weeks are critical for the baby. Khloe needs

absolute peace. No stress, no sudden movements, no

emotional spikes. You have to keep her calm, Marcus. Her

blood pressure needs to remain perfectly stable."

"I can do that," Marcus said, his voice dropping to a

fierce, determined whisper. "I'll give her everything she

needs. When can I see her?"

"She's waking up from the anesthesia now. You can go

in. But Marcus," Caldwell warned, locking eyes with the

billionaire. "Be gentle. She's incredibly fragile right now,

both physically and emotionally."

Marcus nodded, his jaw set. He pushed past the

doctor and walked through the double doors, stepping into

the dim, quiet recovery room. The rhythmic beeping of the

fetal heart monitor filled the silence—a steady, beautiful

sound that Marcus swore was the greatest symphony he

had ever heard.

Chapter 4: The Footage and the Fury

Khloe looked incredibly small in the center of the

large hospital bed. An IV line fed clear fluids into the back

of her hand, and oxygen flowed gently through a nasal

cannula. Her face was devoid of color, matching the white

sheets pulled up to her chest. But as Marcus approached,

her eyelids fluttered open, revealing the warm, familiar

hazel eyes that always brought him peace.

"Marcus," she breathed, her voice raspy and weak.

He sat on the edge of the bed, carefully taking her

small hand in his large one, pressing it against his lips. "I'm

right here, my love. I'm right here."

"The baby..." she panicked slightly, her free hand

immediately flying to her swollen stomach.

"The baby is safe," Marcus assured her quickly, his

thumb gently stroking her knuckles. "Dr. Caldwell said

you're both stable. You had a complication from the fall,

but they stopped the contractions. The baby is safe. You just

need to rest now. Strict bed rest for the next few months."

Tears welled in Khloe's eyes, spilling over her lashes

and running down her pale cheeks. "I was so scared,

Marcus. She just... she just snapped. I didn't even see it

coming. She pushed me right into the edge of the table."

Marcus felt a familiar, cold darkness rising in his

chest. It was the same darkness he channeled when he