Chapter 2
I woke up in a hospital bed.
Bright lights.
Beeping monitors.
A sharp, clean smell.
My body ached everywhere.
I tried to sit up.
Pain stopped me.
“Khloe. Don’t move.”
Harrison stood beside the bed.
His suit was still stained with my blood.
His eyes were red-rimmed.
“The baby,” I whispered.
“Safe,” he said quickly. “For now. You’re both under close observation. She’s strong. Very strong.”
Relief washed over me.
Tears spilled down my cheeks.
“Thank God.”
Harrison took my hand.
His grip was tight.
Protective.
“Listen to me carefully,” he said, his voice low and intense. “What happened was not an accident. Vanessa shoved you. Witnesses saw it. And the courthouse cameras recorded everything.”
I closed my eyes.
“Richard was there,” I said.
“He stood there and watched,” Harrison said, his voice hardening like stone. “Did nothing. Said nothing. And then he walked away with her.”
I opened my eyes.
My heart hardened inside my chest.
The man I had loved for six years was a stranger.
Worse than a stranger.
“Where is he?” I said.
“At the estate,” Harrison said. “Acting like the grieving husband. Telling everyone you slipped. That it was a terrible accident. That you’ve been under stress.”
“He’s lying,” I said.
“And we’re going to prove it,” Harrison said. “I’ve already filed. Divorce. Restraining order. And criminal charges against Vanessa. Aggravated assault. If anything happens to that baby… it becomes attempted murder.”
He handed me a glass of water.
“Rest now. Doctors will keep you here forty-eight hours to monitor the baby. You’re safe. Two deputies are posted outside the door. No one gets in. Not Richard. Not Vanessa. No one.”
I squeezed his hand.
“Thank you, Harry.”
He leaned down and kissed my forehead.
“I’m going to the courthouse now. I’m going to pull every camera angle. I’m going to collect witness statements. By the time I’m done, Richard Harrington will wish he never touched you.”
He walked out.
I lay there staring at the ceiling.
My hand rested on my belly.
My daughter moved.
A small, reassuring kick.
I was not the weak woman Richard thought I was.
I was not the one who would be discarded.
I was Khloe Cole.
And I was done being quiet.
Hours later, the door opened.
I expected Harrison.
Instead, Richard walked in.
My heart raced.
How had he gotten past the deputies?
He walked to the side of the bed.
His face was perfectly composed.
Concerned husband.
“I heard the news, Khloe,” he said softly. “How terrible. You slipped.”
I stared at him.
“I didn’t slip,” I said.
He pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down.
His expression didn’t change.
“People are saying things,” he said. “Accusations. Against Vanessa. It’s hurting the family name. Our name. We need to handle this quietly.”
“Vanessa shoved me,” I said. “Everyone saw it.”
Richard leaned forward.
His voice dropped.
“People saw a pregnant woman fall. They don’t know what happened. It could have been a misstep. Stress. Pregnancy complications. You’ve been so emotional lately, Khloe.”
My blood ran cold.
He was already rewriting history.
“I have proof,” I said. “The cameras. Witnesses. Everything.”
He smiled.
A cold, dangerous smile.
“Cameras can malfunction,” he said. “Witnesses can be mistaken. And people… people can be paid to remember things differently.”
He reached out and touched my hand.
I pulled away.
“Come home, Khloe,” he said. “Drop these ridiculous charges. Say it was an accident. And I’ll be generous. We can work things out. For the baby.”
“Or?” I said.
His eyes hardened.
“Or things could get very difficult for you,” he said quietly. “You have no money in your name. No separate residence. And your brother… Harrison is powerful. But he has enemies. Enemies I know very well.”
He was threatening Harrison.
Threatening my family.
I gripped the sheets.
“Are you threatening my brother?”
“I’m being practical,” he said, standing up. “Think about it, Khloe. Be reasonable. No one has to get hurt. But if you insist on fighting… you might lose more than just a divorce.”
He walked to the door.
“Vanessa sends her regards,” he said casually. “She hopes you recover quickly. She’s very eager to welcome the baby into our lives.”
He stepped out.
I stared at the door, trembling.
Vanessa wanted my baby.
Richard was threatening my brother.
They thought they had all the power.
They thought I was alone.
But they were wrong.
Harrison walked in moments later.
He saw my face.
“What did he say?”
I told him.
Every word.
Harrison’s expression turned terrifyingly calm.
“I told the deputies to let him in,” he said. “I wanted him to think he still has access. Let him feel confident. It makes what comes next so much sweeter.”
He pulled a tablet from his briefcase.
“Because while he was in here threatening you… I was at the courthouse. I pulled the footage. All of it. Multiple angles. Perfect clarity.”
He tapped the screen.
Vanessa’s face appeared.
Every movement.
Every expression.
The shove.
The satisfaction.
Everything.
“Vanessa Kensington is going to prison,” Harrison said. “And Richard Harrington… he’s going to learn that threats don’t work when you’re already holding all the evidence.”
He handed me the tablet.
“Watch this,” he said.
I pressed play.
And there, clearly visible in the background of the footage…
Was Richard Harrington.
Watching.
Not just standing there.
Nodding.
Giving Vanessa a signal.
Before she shoved me.
My breath caught.
Richard didn’t just watch.
He gave the order.
Harrison’s voice was ice.
“They planned it together, Khloe. They meant to hurt you. To hurt the baby. To scare you into silence. And now… we have proof Richard Harrington is an accomplice to attempted murder.”
He leaned closer.
“The question is… are you ready to destroy him completely?”
I looked at the screen.
At Richard nodding.
At Vanessa shoving me.
Then I placed my hand on my belly.
My daughter kicked.
Strong.
Alive.
“I’ve been ready since the day he betrayed us,” I said.
May you like
Harrison nodded.
“Then let the war begin.”
