Isabel unexpectedly returns home early to find her wealthy husband, Paul, with his mistress, Jane. Unfazed, Paul boldly moves Jane into their home. Paul is powerful and dangerous, and Isabel can’t leave but soon demonstrates her strength against him.
Eager to surprise her husband, Paul, for his birthday, Isabel walked into their home only to find him in bed with another woman, Jane. Her jaw dropped, but this was nothing compared to Paul’s nonchalance.
“June, this is my wife, Isabel. Isabel, this is June,” Paul said, acting as if nothing was wrong.
Isabel’s pale face grew paler as Jane, smug and unbothered, greeted her while lounging in their bed. “This is insane!” she yelled, looking back and forth between them.
“Relax,” Paul said dismissively.
“That’s my robe!” Isabel cried out, pointing to Jane.
“You said you’d be back by seven. It’s not even 5:30,” Paul deflected, frowning. “You know what? Pick your stuff up and get lost for a couple of hours, alright?”
But Isabel was frozen.
“You have 10 seconds to disappear, honey,” Jane smirked, chuckling. “You wouldn’t want to be here when we continue.”
Isabel’s body snapped out of her trance, and she walked out, knowing she couldn’t hesitate any longer. Most of her belongings were still in the bedroom she shared with Paul, but she couldn’t bear the thought of returning there. So, she began to pack what little she had in other parts of the house into her suitcase.
As she was zipping up her suitcase, lost in her thoughts of escape, she was startled by Paul’s voice behind her. “Where are you going?” he asked, his voice laced with anger.
“I don’t know, but I’m leaving you,” Isabel said, grabbing her suitcase.
“What about Julia and John? What will happen to them when I block your card?” Paul questioned. His words were like a slap in the face.
She reminded him of the challenge of explaining his affair to their kids, but Paul cruelly dismissed her, asserting his control and threatening her access to their children.
With a heavy heart, Isabel decided to stay to protect her children. She knew Paul would poison them against her and show off his affair, much to their detriment. But, as soon as she could, she sent John and Julia to a summer camp, away from this mess.
But Isabel was trapped for a while.
Since that day, Paul and Jane blatantly flaunted their romance. “Hello to the wife,” he greeted Isabel mockingly as they entered the kitchen one day. Isabel continued her tasks in silence, perhaps whisking a little too rougher.
“Sweetheart, how are you doing?” Paul continued taunting as he flirted with his mistress. He then asked Isabel to prepare breakfast for three, joking about marrying her for her cooking and ability to remain quiet.
Paul boasted about his business conquests as they ate, trying to provoke Isabel with his success and control. Despite his words, Isabel remained silent, adopting the gray rock method.
Tired of her silence, Paul came up with a new idea. “You know what, ladies, I’ve been thinking. Since we’re having such a great time, we should make this a regular affair,” he suggested. “Jane should move in.”
“What?” Isabel couldn’t contain her shock as her fork dropped from her hand.
“Finally, the spectator speaks. What? Is there a problem?” Paul snapped, then turned to Jane. “Now, what do you say, babe?”
Jane smiled and nodded eagerly.
***
Days later, Isabel called an attorney but it was no use.
“Mrs. Yeats, I’m sorry, but I cannot take your case,” a lawyer, Charles, replied, his tone apologetic yet firm. Isabel’s heart sank. “Your husband is a mighty and dangerous man. He has connections in high places, some of which aren’t entirely legal.”
Isabel begged the attorney for something that could help her divorce Paul, and although hesitant, Charles revealed that only something incriminating could help them go through the divorce without repercussions from Paul’s connections.
They needed to get him in trouble with the police, and she was determined to do whatever to get out of this.
One morning, after Paul left for work, Isabel seized the opportunity to confront Jane over coffee. At first, she was polite, but Jane knew something was up.
“Alright, let’s not beat around the bush. I know exactly why you’re with Paul,” Isabel leaned in, her voice turning low.
“Oh, yeah. Why?”
“Money. You can’t deny it, but you know it won’t last long,” Isabel replied.
“Paul loves me,” Jane protested, trying to sound confident.
“Paul loves only himself,” Isabel insisted, leaning closer.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Help me. Help me divorce him, and I’ll make you rich,” she answered. Isabel’s hands reached for her husband’s mistress’s, a plea for her understanding as she began to explain what she needed from Jane.
Jane agreed, but two days later, when Isabel asked Jane if she had obtained anything, she smiled and crossed her arms. Paul joined them and laughed at his wife.
“You thought I would side with your plan? Do you know what Paul’s connections can get me even without his money? Moreover, why should I side with you when Paul loves me?” Jane asked mockingly.
Isabel tried to excuse herself, but Paul grabbed her arm. “Give me a moment with my wife, Jane,” he said, pulling Isabel roughly away into another room.
“If you keep planning crazy things, I’ll make your life unbearable,” he seethed into her ear.
“Please, don’t keep me away from my children,” Isabel pleaded.
“Until I decide what to do with you, you’re not allowed outside,” Paul decreed, locking her in a room and yelling through the door. “Don’t try me, Isabel. This is your last chance to keep seeing the kids.”
***
As weeks passed, Isabel’s situation only worsened. Her every move was tracked, and she lived under the constant surveillance of Paul’s watchful eye. Jane continued to live with them, flaunting her presence, while Isabel was treated no better than the servant in her home.
When her children returned from camp, she couldn’t see them. “Don’t worry about them. I told them their mother was sick and sent them to spend time with their grandparents,” Paul said calmly. “You’ll see them once you learn to behave.”
“Paul, why are you doing this? I promise to let you be with Jane if that’s what you want!” Isabel pleaded after finishing the dishes one evening.
“Let me be with Jane? You don’t have any authority over me,” Paul scoffed, shaking his head. “Don’t be stupid. Besides, officially, Jane is just my assistant who comes over to work overtime. Oh, and pack for my trip tomorrow.”
***
Once Paul and Jane were gone the next day, Isabel devised a plan to escape. After scoring a key card that Jane must have left behind accidentally, she left their big estate. She drove to Paul’s office building and people-watched until the end of the business day.
The janitorial staff had a particular closet near the stairwell, and Isabel managed to get in without being noticed. After donning a stolen uniform, she used the elevator to get to the top floor, into Paul’s office. Fortunately, no one had stayed behind since the boss was away.
Inside Paul’s office, Isabel’s frantic search was interrupted by her phone. It was Paul. He had to know she had left the house already, so her hands scrambled to find something to incriminate him. Finally, Isabel discovered the office safe, and his password was left on a Post-It note.
She smirked at it. “ILOVEPAUL” was typical of her cheating husband, but Isabel had no time to waste. She accessed the contents of the safe, took as many photos as possible, sent them to Charles, and ran out of there before someone could grab her.
That will have to be enough, Isabel thought, her heart racing as she ran. But when the elevator doors opened in the lobby, she saw her husband surrounded by guards.
“Take her! She’s my wife, and I can attest that she’s crazy,” Paul declared, raising one finger in her direction. She was trapped and could only close her eyes as she thought about her children, whom she might never see again.
But, just then, police cars surrounded the building, and several cops got out. “Mr. Yeats?” an officer addressed Paul. “You’re under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
Isabel couldn’t understand what was happening until she saw the attorney, who ran toward her. “I should’ve done more,” Charles said, breathless, watching as Paul was taken away. “But I still investigated and asked around. Turns out, one detective was dying for information about Mr. Yeats. I forwarded your photos and told him Paul was hurting his wife.”
“Thank you,” Isabel sighed, wiping sweat from her forehead.
Jane had just appeared and watched with wide eyes as her meal ticket was taken into custody. Her eyes turned to Isabel, and her upper lip curved. “I should have taken your offer,” she said.
Isabel shrugged. “I was lying anyway. You don’t deserve that money,” she said. “It belongs solely to my kids. Go away.”
Jane scurried off, and Isabel turned to Charles. “Now, it’s time to get my babies back,” she said, walking away from the building toward her in-laws’ house.
