The Betrayal
Isolde~
It was my children’s fifth birthday.
At least, that was what I thought.
But here I was, standing by the corner of the hall, watching my twins, my husband, and my sister shine on the dais.
The air was thick with the smell of vanilla frosting. Everyone looked so happy. Everyone but me.
It shouldn’t be like this. I should be excited that my celebrity sister made time out of her outrageously busy schedule to celebrate my children's birthday. I should be happy that Roy didn't miss their birthday this year, and both our families attended as well, even Roy and Callista's friends.
It should be a thing of joy.
But it wasn't.
Not after I'd been pushed aside for the fifth time. Not after I'd been ignored every time I tried to take part. And now, seeing the four of them laughing over a joke the Mc said, something inside me had started to ache.
My husband, Roy, hadn’t noticed my absence. Or maybe he didn't read meanings into it – no one in the hall noticed anyway.
The MC, Roy’s friend, laughed into the mic again. “Alright, everyone! Let’s get the twins ready to cut their cake!”
The crowd cheered.
I set my glass down, hands trembling slightly and to be honest, I didn't know why I was trembling. I took a step forward. My heart was pounding, not with joy but with bitterness, and heavy pressing down on my chest.
Callista was already beside Roy, the twins bouncing happily between them. Our daughter wrapped her arms around Callista’s leg, while our son held Roy’s hand, staring up at him with the kind of adoration they always had for him.
“Sister!” I called out, forcing a smile. My voice wavered. The music was loud, but somehow she heard me.
She turned, her smile perfect as always.
“I…” I walked closer, trying to sound cheerful. “I’ll help them cut the cake.”
Her smile faltered. For a brief moment, something cold flickered in her eyes. But I didn't want to think she was angry over that. I joined them on the stage, inserting myself between her and my husband, pretending not to notice that the air had shifted.
“Come on, sweeties, it's time to cut your cake,” I smiled, reaching for my daughter's hand but she stepped away from me, hiding behind Calista’s legs.
I frowned. “Callie? Don't be naughty. Come here.”
“No, I don't want you here.” She cried.
My frown deepened. I was feeling another wave of embarrassment but I tried not to let it show.
Callista cleared her throat, “Isolde, you should probably step back. Don't ruin the moment for them.”
“I beg your pardon?” I straightened my back, anger slowly rising to my chest. “What do you mean ‘ruin their moment’? They're my children and I have more rights being here than you!”
Her smile vanished, replaced by a cold look she mostly gave the staff. “Says who?”
I froze, so did the music and the laughter. Or was it just my world that froze?
I stared at her, my lips parting. “What?”
“I'm asking you. Who said they were your children?”
My jaw dropped, my head shifted to Roy, confusion and disbelief filling my head. However, Roy didn’t look at me. His jaw was tight, eyes fixed on anything but me.
“D–did you drink too much, Callista?” I smiled, trying to force a smile that probably looked like a grimace, thinking that must have been the case. But deep within, I knew it wasn't.
Callista was the perfect example of composure and class. She would never do anything to embarrass herself even within the estate, let alone in public, where she could be photographed by paparazzi.
“Dad, mom, when do you intend to tell her? I'm sick of these games.” She raised her voice towards our parents.
My mom cleared her throat. “I think it's time.”
My dad sat quietly, sipping his drink.
“That's right. Tell her already. Our Rothschild family can't stand her anymore!” My mother-in-law shouted, feeling excited.
“Callie and Roy are finally going to get the happiness they deserve,” their friends said, clicking their glasses and giggling.
“Yes, tell her. I don't want the nanny calling herself our mother anymore.” My son, Rex, said, head tilted up, giving me that cold look that should never be directed at his mother.
“Wh–what is going on, Roy?” I stammered, my body trembling because I could already guess what was going on.
“He's not going to say it. Let me tell you,” Callista said, stepping towards me. “Your little fantasy of a happy life? It all started with me.”
“I—what are you talking about?” I stuttered even when I didn't want to. “Callista, stop it. This isn’t funny.”
“Oh, it’s not a joke,” she said, sighing as though this bored her. “Six years ago, before you were brought back, I was… in a complicated situation. My career was about to explode, and getting pregnant wasn’t part of the plan. I didn't want to abort Roy's baby nor was I ready for marriage. I was barely twenty.”
The words hit me like a blade straight through my chest.
I turned to him, trembling. “Royce?”
He didn’t answer. He didn’t even flinch, look guilty or remorseful.
Callista continued. “Our parents didn’t want a scandal either. So dad remembered he had an illegitimate daughter somewhere, so he brought you home – the poor orphan who lived in the countryside. You were perfect for the job. You were gentle, naive, too sweet, too desperate to prove you were worthy of my parents’ love.” She smiled, cruel and slow.
“And Roy, the first day he showed you to look for me, you blushed and hid in the garden, watching him like he descended from a romance novel.” She clicked her tongue. “So, I told him to spoil you and ask you out, which of course, was too easy, considering you were already lusting after him.”
I stumbled back, shaking my head. “No… no, that’s not true. It can’t be.”
But no one said a word. Not my mother. Not my father. Not Roy or his family.
“Just a month after you were brought back, Roy married you.” She laughed. “Actually, your marriage wasn't registered. It was fake. Then, the child I was carrying,” she said, pausing long enough for all she'd said to sink into my chest and rip my heart apart. “was transferred to you.”
My ears rang. “T–transferred?”
She smiled. “Yes. A medical miracle, they called it. I was only four weeks pregnant. My doctors said there was an experimental way to preserve the pregnancy if the original mother couldn’t continue. It involved moving the fertilized tissue and its early implantation cells from my womb into yours.”
I shook my head, unable to breathe. Unable to believe what I was hearing. “That’s not possible—”
“I thought the same,” she interrupted. “But your body was a perfect match for the experiment. Our blood type, uterine structure – everything aligned. So those times you were drifting in and out of sleep, and you'd be rushed to the hospital for endless tests and the doctor told you that your body was weak from years of living in the countryside, where you were exposed to harmful gems and needed treatment to correct some defect inside your body…that was actually the preparation for your body to carry my embryo.”
She breathed, “So, no, Isolde, Callie and Rex aren't your children. They're mine.”
