Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Rise Of The Betrayed Wife: Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

Isla's POVThe charity luncheon was smaller than the gala but somehow more intimidating.Fewer people meant less anonymity.The ballroom at the hotel was elegant and intimate, filled with maybe a hundred guests instead of three hundred.Old money families mostly, the kind who'd been supporting this children's literacy program for decades.Society regulars who knew each other and recognized outsiders immediately.Several people approached me during the cocktail hour before lunch. Older women mostly, who'd known my mother before she died.Their sympathy felt genuine instead of performative.They had real grief in their eyes when they mentioned how much they'd loved her and how sorry they were about what happened.I stood with Callum near the bar, sipping water and trying to look comfortable while he talked to board members from the charity.He introduced me to each person warmly, his hand resting on my back in that familiar way we'd practiced.An older gentleman approached us with a sm

Isla's POV:Rosie took the interview assignment very seriously.She spent fifteen minutes setting everything up in the living room, arranging pillows on the couch in a specific way to create what she called “the special interview spot.”She gathered her stuffed animals and positioned them around us like an audience. She found a hairbrush to use as a microphone and practiced holding it up importantly.Her seriousness about the whole thing was both adorable and terrifying.“Okay, you have to sit here,” she instructed, pointing at the couch. “Together. Like you're on TV.”Callum and I sat down where she indicated. We were not too close but not far apart. The middle ground we'd gotten good at maintaining.Rosie settled into the chair across from us with her notebook decorated with hearts and stars. She had her pencil ready and her worksheet with all the questions printed on it.“First question,” she announced formally, holding up the hairbrush. “Where did my parents meet?”“The hospital,”

Isla's POV:I woke up Wednesday morning with swollen eyes from crying and the memory of Callum's touch still burning on my cheeks.I'd shared more with him last night than I'd intended. Vulnerability I usually kept locked away had poured out in typed confessions while he sat across from me and listened without judgment.I'd told him about my mother's death and my father's blame and growing up feeling like a burden no one wanted.And he'd reached across the kitchen island and wiped my tears away so gently it had almost broken me completely.That touch had felt significant.It was different from all our practiced public appearances.It was different from the careful boundaries we'd agreed to in the contract.I got dressed slowly, taking extra time because I wasn't sure how to face him this morning. What did you say to someone who'd seen you fall apart? How did you act around them the next day?When I finally made myself go to the kitchen, he was already there making breakfast.He looked

Isla's POV:The investor dinner was smaller than I'd expected.Only twelve people in a private dining room at a restaurant so exclusive it didn't even have a sign outside.These were Callum's most important business partners, the people who'd helped fund Thorne Industries when it was just starting and still maintained significant stakes in the company.I sat beside Callum at the long table, nervous despite our practice session yesterday. His hand rested casually on my knee beneath the tablecloth where no one could see.The touch was warm and grounding, his thumb occasionally stroking small circles that sent warmth spreading through my entire body.The investors were curious about me but respectful in how they asked questions.They wanted to know about my background, my interests, how Callum and I had met. I responded through my phone's text-to-speech function and they listened attentively without making me feel rushed or awkward.Several of the older investors mentioned knowing my mo

Isla's POV:Saturday passed in careful distance.Both of us seemed to be avoiding the conversation from last night, the questions we'd asked but not answered.We maintained polite interaction around Rosie, playing games and making lunch together, but the awareness crackled between us constantly.Every time Callum's hand brushed mine passing something across the table. Every time our eyes met and held for a second too long. Every time he stood close enough that I could feel the warmth of him.That evening, Rosie had a sleepover at her friend Emma's house. She'd been excited about it all week, packing her overnight bag with elaborate care and making Maria promise to pick her up at exactly the right time.Maria dropped her off at six, leaving Callum and me alone in the penthouse for the first time since that late-night kitchen conversation where I'd cried and he'd wiped my tears with such gentleness it had almost broken me.The emptiness felt louder than usual. No Rosie chattering about