CHAPTER FIVE

Isabella stared at Richard, shocked by his harsh tone. "What are you talking about?" she asked, panic in her voice. "I give you my trust, my love, my youth, and even my career, and now you say this to me?"

Richard's lips curled into a cruel smirk. "Well, I'm not done talking, your family has been taking money from me for years. In your name and if you must leave you have to pay up. You don't believe me? Let's call them."

After a revealing phone call with Isabella's brother James, who coldly dismissed her concerns, Isabella's hand shook. She turned to Richard, her eyes blazing with a mix of fury and anguish. "You've turned my own family against me," she whispered.

Richard shrugged, seemingly bored with the drama "I merely gave them what they wanted. Money talks, Isabella."

"So what now?" she asked, her voice hollow.

"Do as you're told or repay every cent I've invested in you and your parasitic family."

Isabella laughed bitterly. "And where am I supposed to get that kind of money? You've made sure I have nothing of my own."

"Not my problem," Richard sneered. "Figure it out or get used to your fancy cage.”

In Isabella’s world, everything was gradually falling apart at the seams. She fell on her knees, burdened by this new form of betrayal that she had never imagined she would face.

On the other hand, in the police car parked across town, Officer Louis could not get the look of fear etched on Isabella’s face out of his mind. His partner’s voice rang in his head, telling him to let it go, but he just couldn’t, something in his heart forbade it.

With a look of a man on a mission, Ramirez took out his mobile and dialled a number which he rarely called.

"Detective Louis? It's Officer Ramirez. I have some information about Richard Stone that might interest you."

There was a pause on the other end. "I'm listening," came the gruff reply.

Ramirez took a deep breath. "I believe he may be involved in illegally imprisoning and abusing his wife. I know you've been following him closely. Are you interested in this case?"

The silence that followed was heavy. Finally, Detective Louis spoke, his voice low and intense.

"Tell me everything, Ramirez. Every detail."

As Ramirez began to recount all that happened, he felt like there was more to the case than what Mr Stone told them.

Back at the Stone mansion, Isabella slowly rose to her feet, her eyes meeting Richard's cold gaze. Something had shifted within her - a spark of defiance ignited by the depths of betrayal she'd experienced. "You may have bought my family," she said, her voice quiet but steady, "but you don't own me, Richard. Not anymore."

Richard's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Be careful, Isabella. You're making a huge mistake, playing a game you can't win."

Isabella stood her ground, unflinching. “This isn't a game, Richard. It's my life."

Richard's jaw clenched. "Putting an end to this union isn't your decision to make."

Before Isabella could respond, the door sprang open. Richard's parents stormed in, their faces twisted with anger.

Suddenly, Richard's parents burst into the room, their faces contorted with rage.

"You ungrateful little witch!" Richard's mother shrieked. "How dare you call the police on our son? The butler just called us, he said Isabella called the police. What is the meaning of this?"

Isabella tried to defend herself. "He's been abusing me, and he's having an affair-"

"Affair?" Richard's father scoffed. "You called the police for such a minor issue, do you know how much damage such police reports can do to your husband if the media finds out? What kind of wife would betray her husband like that? You should be grateful Richard kept you by his side, given your... inadequacies."

Isabella froze, her mind racing. "What do you mean? You...you knew about the affair?"

Richard's mother rolled her eyes. "Of course, we knew. Everyone knows, you foolish girl?”

Richard's father stepped forward, his voice equally harsh. "Our family needs an heir, and you can't provide one. You can't blame your husband for trying."

Isabella's mind raced back to the last family gathering, remembering how warmly they had treated Eliza. She finally understood what was happening.

"I was the ignorant one who couldn't tell what was happening under her nose," she said in a low tone, more to herself than anyone else.

"And did you say abuse?" Richard's mother continued, her voice dripping with contempt. "You should be grateful for every moment of attention our son gives you. Do you think you deserve anything better?"

She moved closer, her voice dripping with venom. "You're nothing but a gold-digging tramp who wormed her way into our family. We gave you everything, and this is how you repay us?"

"I've given everything to this family," Isabella protested weakly.

"Everything?" Richard's father laughed cruelly. "You can't even give us an heir. You're as barren as you are useless."

Richard's mother nodded in agreement. "A real wife would have given Richard a child by now. Instead, you force him to seek comfort elsewhere. It's your fault he strayed!"

Isabella felt the weight of their words crushing her. "But I've tried... the fertility treatments-"

"Excuses!" Richard's mother spat. "You're a failure as a wife, as a daughter-in-law, and as a woman. Richard deserves so much better than you. You've been nothing but a burden. We gave you a chance to prove yourself worthy of the Stone name, and you've failed spectacularly."

His father nodded grimly. "We should have listened to our instincts and never allowed this marriage. You've brought nothing but shame and embarrassment to our family."

"And now you have the audacity to cry abuse?" Richard's mother sneered. "You should be on your knees, thanking us for not throwing you out on the street where you belong!”

Years of devotion to Richard's company, designing tirelessly without a word of praise. Endless attempts to please his parents met with only more demands and criticism. Painful medical procedures endured alone, while Richard couldn't be bothered to accompany her. And now, when she finally found the courage to ask for a divorce, Richard suddenly had an opinion on what a wife should or shouldn't do.

Isabella felt a change inside her. The pain was still there, sharp and strong, but now she also felt determined. Her face showed different feelings - surprise, pain, and anger. But then, unexpectedly, she started to laugh. It began as a small giggle, then grew into loud laughter that filled the room. Richard's parents looked shocked and just stared at her.

After a while, Isabella stopped laughing. The room became very quiet. She looked at Richard, then at his parents. She saw how surprised and disgusted they seemed.

Richard's mother recovered first, her face contorting with renewed anger. "How dare you laugh at us, you ungrateful wretch! After everything we've done for you?"

Isabella's voice was quiet but steady. "And what exactly have you done for me, Mother? Besides criticising my every move, demeaning my efforts, and now, defending your son's infidelity?"

Richard's father stepped forward, his voice cold. "Watch your tone, girl. Remember who put a roof over your head and clothes on your back."

"Ah yes," Isabella nodded, a bitter smile playing on her lips. "The roof I clean, the meals I prepare, the company I design for - all without a word of thanks or appreciation."

Richard moved towards her, his hand raised as if to grab her arm. Isabella slightly jerked backwards a reaction that caught the attention of all those present in the room.

"You see?" she said in a barely audible tone. "This is what I've been living with. The constant fear, the walking on eggshells, never knowing when the next blow will come."

Richard's mother scoffed. "Don't be so dramatic. A little discipline is necessary to keep a wife in line."

Isabella turned to her, eyes wide with disbelief. "Discipline? Is that what you call it when your son locks me up? When he throws things at me because dinner isn't to his liking?" She looked at Richard's father. "Or maybe you believe it is okay for a husband to have sex with his wife against her wish especially when she is in a lot of pain due to the fertility treatments he agreed on?" His father glared at him but did not say anything.

Isabella went on, her words becoming more forceful. “And let’s not forget the number of nights I spent sleeping alone, not knowing where my husband was, only for him to be chasing my cousin, the cousin all of you welcomed in our home while I was treated like an outcast.”

She looked at their blank expressions and stopped speaking for some time. "You know what the saddest part is? I actually believed I was the problem. That if I just tried harder, worked more, changed myself more, I could earn your love and respect."

Richard finally found his voice. "Isabella, you're hysterical. You need help-"

"No, Richard," she cut him off. "What I need is to be free of this toxic environment. What I need is to remember who I was before I let this family tear me down piece by piece."

His mother's face twisted in disgust. "This woman has mental issues. Quickly send her to a psychiatric hospital and have the doctor prescribe her some sedatives so she doesn't embarrass our family!"