Chapter 4 - The First Missing Recording
Dr. Elena Shaw returned near midnight.
She found Khloe sitting in the dark with every lamp switched off and the curtains open to the city.
“You should be resting,” Dr. Shaw said.
“I cannot rest while my husband controls who enters my room.”
Dr. Shaw closed the door and lowered her voice.
“I spoke with administration. Marcus’s medical authorization was uploaded before you arrived.”
“I did not sign it.”
“I believe you.”
Khloe turned.
“Why?”
“Because the signature file includes a timestamp from last Tuesday at two seventeen in the morning.”
Khloe waited.
Dr. Shaw continued.
“You were attending a prenatal appointment with me in another building at that exact time. Our cameras recorded you.”
“Can you prove that?”
“Yes.”
“Then why has his authorization not been removed?”
“Because Vale Foundation attorneys contacted the hospital’s legal department. They claim the timestamp resulted from delayed processing.”
Khloe laughed bitterly.
“They always have an explanation.”
Dr. Shaw sat across from her.
“The laboratory tested the stained sheet.”
Khloe gripped the edge of the chair.
“And?”
“The sample contained a sedative.”
Khloe stopped breathing.
“It was diluted, but the dosage could have caused dizziness and confusion. In a pregnant patient with your blood pressure history, the risk would have been serious.”
“Did you report it?”
“I informed hospital security.”
“Marcus controls part of security.”
“I know.”
Dr. Shaw reached into her coat and handed Khloe a sealed envelope.
“This is a copy of the laboratory report. Keep it somewhere Marcus cannot find it.”
“Why are you helping me?”
Dr. Shaw looked toward the hidden camera.
“My younger sister was treated in this hospital six years ago.”
Khloe waited.
“She died after receiving the wrong medication. The official investigation called it a pharmacy error.”
“I am sorry.”
“Two months ago, I discovered her record had been changed. The original medication order was signed by a doctor who never treated her.”
Khloe’s skin prickled.
“What does that have to do with Marcus?”
“The altered record was approved by a Vale Foundation administrator.”
Dr. Shaw opened her own tablet.
“There are seventeen similar cases. Wealthy patients, sealed settlements, missing footage, altered charts.”
Khloe felt sick.
“Why has no one exposed it?”
“Because witnesses lose their jobs. Files disappear. Families accept settlements that include strict confidentiality agreements.”
“And the camera?”
Dr. Shaw glanced up.
“An investigator named Adrian Cole installed it without telling Marcus. He believes someone has been using private suites for crimes hidden behind medical privacy laws.”
“Is he the one messaging me?”
“I do not know. Adrian trusts almost no one.”
A soft sound came from the hallway.
Footsteps stopped outside the suite.
Dr. Shaw quickly stood.
“Hide the report.”
Khloe slid the envelope beneath the cushion of a chair.
The door opened.
Marcus entered carrying a small overnight bag.
“I thought you had gone home,” Khloe said.
“I decided to stay.”
His eyes moved from Khloe to Dr. Shaw.
“What are you discussing?”
“Mrs. Vale’s blood pressure,” Dr. Shaw answered.
Marcus placed the bag on the sofa.
“At midnight?”
“Medical conditions do not follow business hours.”
He smiled without warmth.
“I would like a moment alone with my wife.”
Dr. Shaw looked at Khloe.
Khloe wanted her to stay.
But Marcus had already stepped aside, holding the door open.
Dr. Shaw left.
Marcus locked the door.
Then he walked through the room, examining the furniture.
“What are you looking for?” Khloe asked.
“Nothing.”
He stopped beside the chair.
The laboratory report was hidden beneath its cushion.
Marcus placed one hand on the backrest.
“You have been speaking to someone.”
Khloe forced herself not to look at the envelope.
“I speak to many people.”
“Someone has been sending documents from the family trust.”
Her heart pounded.
“How would you know that?”
Marcus took out his phone.
He showed her a screenshot of her messages with the unknown sender.
Khloe stared at him.
“You copied my phone.”
“I protect my family.”
“You spy on your family.”
His voice softened.
“Tell me where the documents came from.”
“I do not know.”
Marcus crouched in front of her.
“You should be careful, Khloe. Whoever is contacting you may not want to save you.”
“And you do?”
“I am your husband.”
“That is not an answer.”
Marcus reached toward her face. Khloe pulled away.
His hand stopped in midair.
Then the lights flickered.
The television turned on by itself.
A security recording appeared.
It showed Marcus entering the suite earlier that afternoon.
Isabella followed him.
They believed the room was empty.
Marcus’s recorded voice came through the speakers.
“The first camera feed has been erased.”
Isabella asked, “And the second?”
Marcus looked directly toward the hidden camera.
“There is no second camera.”
The screen went black.
May you like
Marcus slowly raised his eyes toward the molding above the door.
For the first time since Khloe had known him, he looked genuinely afraid.
