CHAPTER 3: THE UNRAVELING
CHAPTER 3: THE UNRAVELING
By morning, the story had already begun to spread.
But not publicly.
Not yet.
First came the boardrooms.
Then the legal teams.
Then the calls Marcus Thorne had never received before—not even during mergers worth billions.
Now, every call ended the same way.
Disassociation.
Distance.
Damage control.
Marcus sat alone in his office, staring at the security footage replaying silently on his screen.
Isabella’s heel.
Khloe falling.
The way she protected her stomach before herself.
He paused the video.
Something shifted in his expression.
Not anger.
Understanding.
For years, he had allowed Isabella into their orbit.
Not as a partner.
Not as a threat.
But as a convenience he never corrected.
And that negligence now had a cost measured in blood and consequence.
His assistant entered carefully.
“Sir… the Carter legal team is requesting immediate formal proceedings.”
Marcus didn’t answer right away.
Then quietly:
“Do not negotiate.”
A pause.
“Prepare everything. I want her name removed from every association we ever allowed.”
“Yes, sir.”
When the door closed, Marcus leaned back in his chair.
May you like
For the first time, he wasn’t thinking like a husband.
He was thinking like a man who had just understood what he failed to protect.
