‘All right. Find something against him and call me back. I have to go,’ Charles advised and hung up.
How am I supposed to do that now, she thought. When Jane moved into the house with her luggage that evening, Isabel felt even more lost. Would she really be stuck in an unhappy marriage where she would have to put up with her husband’s mistress? Isabel couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about how to protect her children and herself from Paul.
The next morning she was making coffee in the kitchen when Jane entered the room.
‘Coffee?’ asked Isabel, in the back of her mind she had a plan forming.
‘Yes, of course,’ said Jane, sitting down at the table.
‘That’s my mackintosh you’re wearing, isn’t it?’ remarked Isabel.
‘Yes, it’s going to rain,’ Jane replied, not the least bit concerned.
Isabel handed Jane a cup of coffee.
‘I hope it’s not poisoned,’ Jane muttered. Isabel took a sip from her cup and smiled.
‘What’s the matter?’ asked Jane, sensing something was wrong.
‘I know why you’re with Paul. It’s because of his money, isn’t it?’ said Isabel.
‘Paul loves me,’ Jane argued, but there was uncertainty in her voice, which was exactly what Isabel needed.
‘Paul only loves himself. Help me and I’ll make you rich,’ Isabel offered. ‘I don’t want his money. I want freedom for myself and my children. Once he leaves me, we’ll split whatever I get. 50/50.’
Jane seemed to be deep in thought. ‘Well…let’s make it 70/30, and I’m in agreement.’
Isabel paused. ‘Okay, it’s a deal,’ she finally agreed.
Two days later, Jane and Isabel met again to discuss their plan. ‘Do you have any evidence against him?’ – Isabel asked. asked Isabel. asked Isabel. Paul was away, and she knew there was no better time for them to discuss it.
But then there came a voice that was strikingly familiar and completely unexpected. ‘What?’
Isabel’s heart raced and her body jerked forward in shock and disbelief. It was Paul. She hadn’t heard him come back.
‘Paul,’ she said breathlessly, turning to face him.
‘Did you think I was going to help you? Thanks to Paul’s connections, I can get so much more!’ Jane smirked.
‘Paul, whatever she told you, it’s not true,’ Isabel stammered, trying to salvage the situation.
‘Give us a minute, Jane,’ Paul said calmly, and as soon as she left, his demeanour changed dramatically.
‘I won’t beat you or give you a weapon to use against me, but I promise to make your life unbearable!’ Paul hissed, his face a few centimetres from Isabel’s, his breath hot with rage.
‘Paul, please. I promise to be obedient from now on!’ Isabel pleaded, her voice trailing off and tears running down her cheeks. She knelt down in front of him, her body trembling. ‘Please don’t tear me away from my children!’ – she whispered.
A look of cruelty appeared on Paul’s face as he looked into Isabel’s tear-filled eyes. ‘Thank you. Thank you for the offer. Until I decide what to do with you, you are not to go outside,’ he stated coldly, turned and left the room.
In a last attempt to escape her husband’s clutches, Isabel fumbled for the phone and called Charles. But he refused to help her.
‘Don’t ever call that number again! I don’t want to endanger myself and my family!’ said Charles and hung up. Isabel froze in place. What was she going to do now? She realised that Charles was probably threatened by Paul.
As the weeks passed, Isabel’s situation only got worse. Paul was watching her every move, and Jane was acting like the lady of the house. Isabel couldn’t even see her children when they returned.
‘Don’t worry, I told them you were sick. They’ll see you when you’re better,’ Paul told her.
Feeling trapped and desperate, Isabel begged Paul to let her see the children. ‘Paul, why are you doing this? I’ll let you be with Jane if that’s what you want!’ – she shouted.
‘Jane is just my assistant. She’s here to help me take care of you,’ Paul replied mockingly, rejecting her offer.
Feeling angry and helpless, Isabel could only cry in frustration. But when Paul left with Jane for work a few days later, Isabel decided she’d had enough. She devised a plan to escape and find evidence against Paul.
Disguised as a maid, Isabel sneaked out of the mansion and went to Paul’s office. She used the key card she had discreetly taken from the house to get inside and began searching his desk for anything forbidden.
While she was going through some papers, her phone rang again and again. When she finally checked it, her face went pale. It was Paul calling her. She looked up and noticed the cameras in his office.
She panicked, realising that Paul was aware of her presence. She quickly took pictures of all the documents she found.
Isabel sent the photos to the police, the media and everyone she knew, hoping someone would help her. She then hurried to leave, but saw Paul entering with security. She didn’t realise that he was just that day returning from a trip.