Chapter Three :No Safe Place

Isabella's POV

The kiss of the stranger had lost its touch on my skin, but the flames still burned in between me and that guilt. A line crossed that I never thought I would, and it felt like an echo of the betrayal I had suffered through. Adrian destroyed our vows, and last night I destroyed everything else.

This morning, though, my decision was clear and unchangeable. I walked up into my lawyer's office with my neck held high, although there was queasiness inside.

"I want a divorce," I said earlier than he could even greet me.

He set down his pen and sized me up carefully. "Mrs. Cole-"

"Isabella," I snapped. "Just Isabella. Don't call me by his name again."

He furrowed his brow but nodded. "Isabella, divorce from Adrian will be messy. His team will fight tooth and nail to protect his reputation. Are you ready for that?"

"I don't care what they fight for. I'm not staying in this sham another second. Draft the papers."

He hesitated. "Do you want to discuss settlements, assets-"

"Not today." I stood quickly, my pulse racing. "Just start the process. He can have the money, the cars, the image. I want my freedom."

His silence felt heavy, but I didn't care. I left before my resolve cracked.

---

The walls were echoing worse than ever, making all the memories I wish to forget invisible under the surface. But laughter cut the noise. A woman's laugh.

I froze.

The ground beneath my feet continued on its arc toward the living room; there she was-Clara. Adrian's manager. The woman on the tape. Sitting pretty there on my couch balance like it owned her.

"You have got to be kidding me," I spat.

She squirmed, but there was Adrian standing up quickly, his complexion paling, "Izzy-"

"Don't you dare call me that." My eyes burned into him, then slid to her. "Why is she in my house?"

Clara wanted to open her mouth. "I just came to-"

"Don't," I cut her off. "I don't want to hear lies from you. Not in my living room."

Adrian took a careful step forward. "Isabella, listen. I asked her here. I wanted to talk. I need to explain-"

"Explain?" I laughed bitterly. "Explain how you betrayed me with your manager? How you dragged our marriage into the gutter while smiling for cameras?"

Clara looked at the floor, but Adrian's voice grew desperate: "It wasn't what you think. I was lost, I-"

"Lost?" My voice rose, shaking. "Lost men don't end up in bed with the same woman who books their flights and answers their calls. Don't insult me."

His eyes flickered with panic. "I still love you. I want to fix this. We can go to therapy, we can-"

"Love?" My chest ached with the word. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have humiliated me in front of the entire world. You wouldn't have broken us."

That silence stretched, like a knife between the two of us. My hands trembled as I grabbed my purse.

"I'm finished," I said through clenched teeth. "Stay with her. Reconcile. Ruin each other for all I care. But don't expect me to stay and watch."

He stormed out, leaving behind the echo of his pleading voice.

---

Anger turned to exhaustion by the time I reached my mother's home. I needed her. I needed someone who still felt like home.

"Mom?" I called as I entered.

The answer was quiet. My steps slowed when I noticed the bare walls. Family portraits were gone. The shelves were empty. Boxes lined the corners of the room.

My heart thudded. "Mom?"

She appeared from the corridor, dressed in a new cream frock that I had never seen before. Her smile was soft but strange. "Isabella. You have come."

I stared at the barren living room. "What is happening? Why is the house like this?"

"Sure, honey. I was going to tell you. I just didn't know how," she hesitated, smoothing her dress.

There was a lump in my throat. "Tell me what?"

Her eyes met mine, calm but serious. "I'm getting married."

The words hit like ice water. I blinked. "Married? To who?"

"His name is Victor. We've been seeing each other for a while. He makes me happy, Isabella. He makes me feel alive again."

I staggered back a step. "And you didn't think to tell me? You were just going to pack up and leave without a word?"

"I wasn't hiding it to hurt you," she said gently. "I wanted to wait until the time was right."

"The right time?" My rather ragged voice cracked. "Mom, my life is collapsing. I just came from my lawyer's office. I told Adrian it is over. I walk in here hoping to breathe, and what do I find? My mother is disappearing

too."

She reached for me, but I pulled away.

"Sweetheart, I'm not leaving you. You'll always be my daughter. But I can't live my life in pause. I deserve love too."

Tears blurred my vision. "And what about me? What about the daughter whose marriage just exploded in front of the world? I needed you to be here, and you taking off with someone else?"

Her face softened with pain. "I'll always be here for you. But I won't sacrifice my happiness forever. One day, you will understand. And you can come live with me if you want."