Chapter 5 – Thirty Marble Steps
Three days later, Khloe attended her final prenatal appointment before entering her ninth month.
Everything about the morning felt ordinary.
The baby's heartbeat was strong.
Her blood pressure was stable.
The doctor smiled.
"Your little girl is healthy."
Khloe left the clinic with tears of relief in her eyes.
She texted Harrison.
She’s perfect.
His reply came seconds later.
Take the rest of the day off. Go somewhere peaceful.
Instead, Khloe decided to stop by the Montgomery County Courthouse.
Her divorce attorney needed one final notarized document before Harrison could file the emergency financial injunction.
She never expected to see Vanessa standing on the courthouse steps.
Dressed in an elegant cream-colored suit, Vanessa smiled as if they were old friends.
"What a coincidence."
Khloe sighed.
"I don't want any trouble."
"I just wanted to talk."
"There’s nothing left to say."
Vanessa stepped closer.
"You know..."
She glanced at Khloe's stomach.
"Richard says pregnancy has made you emotional."
Khloe remained silent.
Vanessa laughed softly.
"I almost feel sorry for you."
A few attorneys walking past slowed their pace.
Something about the conversation felt wrong.
Khloe tried to walk around her.
Vanessa blocked the path.
"You really think Harrison Cole can save you?"
"My brother doesn't need to save me."
"No?"
Vanessa leaned closer.
"Then who's going to save that baby?"
Khloe instinctively stepped backward.
"So you admit it."
Vanessa's smile disappeared.
"You've been working with him."
"I have nothing more to say."
Khloe turned toward the staircase.
Vanessa's eyes hardened.
"If I can't have my future..."
she whispered,
"...neither can you."
Both hands slammed violently into Khloe's shoulders.
The force caught her completely off balance.
Her foot missed the edge.
Then—
she fell.
One step.
Three.
Seven.
Ten.
By the time her body stopped tumbling, thirty marble steps had turned crimson.
The entire courthouse plaza froze.
Someone screamed.
A clerk dropped an armful of files.
A judge shouted for an ambulance.
Vanessa stood motionless at the top of the staircase.
Both hands still extended in front of her.
She had forgotten one thing.
The courthouse security cameras had captured everything.
And only fifty yards away, Harrison Cole had just stepped out of his car.
The sound of his sister's body striking marble echoed across the plaza.
May you like
He looked up.
Then he saw the blood.
