The Crimson Betrayal

PART 3 — THE WIFE’S FINAL MOVE

Three days later, Callum returned home earlier than usual.

He found Isidora sitting in the living room, wearing an elegant ivory dress. A folder rested on the coffee table.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Something you need to read.”

Callum picked up the folder.

His expression changed when he saw the words printed across the first page.

PETITION FOR DIVORCE.

He looked at her sharply.

“Are you serious?”

“Completely.”

“Isidora, what the hell is this?”

“Divorce papers.”

He threw the folder onto the table.

“You’re divorcing me because I’ve been busy with work?”

“No. I’m divorcing you because you’ve been sleeping with Vanessa Reed.”

His face went still.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then Callum laughed bitterly.

“Who told you that?”

“Does it matter?”

“She’s my assistant. You’re making ridiculous accusations.”

Isidora reached for her phone and placed a photograph in front of him.

It showed Callum kissing Vanessa outside the hotel.

His jaw tightened.

“Where did you get this?”

“Does the location matter? Or would you prefer to discuss the eleven months of hotel visits and the apartment you bought for her?”

Callum stared at the photograph.

Then his expression turned cold.

“Listen carefully. Whatever happened with Vanessa, it was a mistake.”

“A mistake that lasted eleven months?”

“I never stopped loving you.”

Isidora looked at him sadly.

“Then why did you make another woman believe she was going to replace me?”

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he reached for her hand.

“You’re pregnant. We have a son coming. Don’t destroy our family over this.”

She gently pulled away.

“You destroyed our family when you decided I was someone you could deceive.”

Callum’s phone suddenly rang.

Vanessa.

This time, he answered.

“What?” he snapped.

Isidora could hear the woman’s distressed voice through the speaker.

“Callum, you promised you’d come tonight. The doctor wants you at the appointment. We need to talk about the baby.”

The room became completely silent.

Callum quickly ended the call.

Isidora stared at him.

“So it’s true.”

He rubbed his forehead.

“Isidora, I can explain.”

“There’s nothing left to explain.”

“She told you she’s pregnant?”

“Yes.”

Callum lowered his voice.

“She’s carrying my child. I have responsibilities.”

Isidora nodded slowly.

“And I have responsibilities, too. To the little boy I’m carrying.”

She stood up, holding the back of the sofa for support.

Callum immediately moved toward her.

“Careful. You shouldn’t be standing so long.”

She looked at his outstretched hand.

“Don’t pretend to be a caring husband now.”

His expression shifted.

“You’re my wife.”

“Not for much longer.”

She picked up her handbag and walked toward the private elevator.

“Where are you going?”

“To my father’s apartment. Margaret has arranged everything.”

Callum followed her.

“You can’t just leave!”

Isidora turned around.

“Actually, I can. And there’s one more thing you should know.”

She handed him a sealed envelope.

“Your lawyers will explain the financial agreement. My father’s investment trust was established before our marriage. You have no ownership of it.”

Callum opened the envelope.

His face slowly drained of color.

“What is this?”

“Something my father arranged because he never trusted men who thought money gave them the right to control women.”

The elevator doors opened.

Before stepping inside, Isidora looked at him one last time.

“Take care of yourself, Callum.”

Then the doors closed.

For the first time in three years, Callum Wolf was standing alone in his penthouse.

But his phone began ringing again.

This time, it wasn’t Vanessa.

It was his chief financial officer.

“Mr. Wolf, we have a serious problem. The board has received documents concerning the transfers to Vanessa Reed. They’re demanding an emergency meeting.”

Callum stared at the elevator.

“What documents?”

There was a pause.

“Everything, sir. And there’s another issue. Your wife’s trust owns a significant portion of the company.”

Callum slowly lowered the phone.

He had spent eleven months protecting his mistress.

But he had never considered that the woman he betrayed might be the one person capable of changing his entire empire.

Meanwhile, in her father’s apartment, Isidora rested one hand on her stomach.

Her phone lit up with a message from Margaret.

The board meeting has been scheduled for Monday morning. Your father would be proud of you.

Isidora looked out at the Manhattan skyline.

“Your father made a terrible mistake,” she whispered to her unborn son. “He thought he could have everything.”

She smiled faintly.

“But now, sweetheart, we’re going to build a life that belongs only to us.”