Chapter 26 - Callahan #2
“I hope you can forgive me,” Vani added gently. “Being a new bride has been more stressful than I expected. I’m still learning how to navigate everything that comes with being Callahan’s wife.”
My mother stared at her, completely speechless. I had seen my mother stunned exactly twice in my life. Both times, my wife was the cause.
“Yes… " Well,” my mother said slowly, clearly recalibrating. “Marriage can be quite the adjustment.”
“I’m beginning to see that,” Vani admitted with a small laugh.
I watched her carefully. Every word. Every expression.
Because this woman—my wife, who had moved into my bedroom without asking and confronted my mother at every turn—was suddenly acting like the perfect society daughter-in-law.
Which meant one thing. This was all a part of her plan.
“Are you as surprised as we are?” Theo murmured as he drew closer to me.
“I might be more surprised,” I muttered back.
Vani continued speaking with my mother as if nothing unusual was happening.
“I truly do want us to start over,” she spoke sincerely. “Family is important to Callahan. I’d hate to be the reason for unnecessary tension.”
“I’m glad you’ve finally come to your senses,” my mother smiled, her voice full of satisfaction as she looked directly at Vani.
That wasn’t an unusual sentence coming from my mother. What was unusual was the fact that Vani didn’t immediately argue. Instead, Vani nodded.
“Yes,” she said calmly. “You were right all along.”
For a moment, it felt like the room went completely silent. I looked from my mother to Vani, certain I had misheard something. But no. Vani stood there looking perfectly composed, her posture relaxed, her tone even.
My mother’s expression shifted almost instantly. The tension she carried around Vani melted away, replaced by something that looked dangerously close to delight.
“Well,” my mom said, clearly pleased. “I’m glad to hear you finally recognize that.”
“I do,” Vani replied smoothly. “I was wrong.”
Emily slowly turned toward me with the same confused expression I knew had to be on my face. Theo, who had been leaning casually against the back of a chair, straightened slightly.
Emily narrowed her eyes at Vani. “Are you sick?” she asked bluntly.
Theo let out a quiet laugh. I almost did too, if I wasn’t so busy trying to figure out what was happening. Vani smiled lightly.
“No,” she said. “I’m fine.”
Emily didn’t look convinced.
“You sure?” she pressed, tilting her head slightly. “Because this feels suspicious.”
Theo nodded. “Extremely suspicious.”
Vani laughed softly, waving a hand as if brushing the whole thing away.
“I just realized,” she said calmly. “Your mom was right all along.”
My mother physically seemed to brighten with every word Vani spoke. Her posture straightened with pride, and the pleased look on her face grew stronger. I stood there, completely puzzled.
“Bro,” Emily looked concerned, “is she running a fever?”
“I don’t think so,” I muttered.
Theo crossed his arms.
“This feels like a trap,” he said thoughtfully.
Vani just smiled. “I assure you it isn’t,” she said lightly.
My mom cleared her throat, drawing attention back to herself.
“You guys are being overly dramatic,” she said, looking at me. “Callahan. May I have a moment alone with you?”
My immediate thought was to refuse, given how weird everything was.
Instead, I glanced at Vani. She appeared completely focused on Emily and Theo, listening as Emily continued questioning her sudden personality shift.
But even though her attention seemed elsewhere, I knew her well enough to notice the slight tension in her shoulders.
But before I could move far, Vani leaned closer to me. Her movement was subtle enough that no one else noticed. She lowered her voice just enough that only I could hear. “Tell your mom you want a divorce.”
I froze.
“What?” I whispered, turning slightly toward her.
“And tell her we don’t have a prenup,” she added calmly.
I stared at her. Her expression remained completely neutral, her attention seemingly still on Emily, who was now asking her if she had recently hit her head. I opened my mouth to question her, but before I could say anything—
“Callahan,” my mother called again.
I looked up. She was already standing near the doorway, waiting for me.
I glanced back at Vani. She still hadn’t looked directly at me, but there was the faintest hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth.
I had absolutely no idea what she was doing, but I also knew she wouldn't ask me to say this without a reason.
Still confused, I stepped away and followed my mother. As soon as we were alone, she turned to face me.
“I’m glad your wife is finally seeing reason,” she said immediately. I rubbed the back of my neck, still trying to process the conversation that just happened.
“Yeah,” I said distractedly, hesitating for half a second before deciding to follow through with Vani's instructions.
“I want a divorce,” I said.
Her expression shifted instantly from pleased to confused. “What?”
“I want a divorce,” I repeated.
“After she just admitted I was right?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “Because the marriage isn’t working.”
That part, at least, wasn’t a complete lie. It wasn't working; it was going perfectly.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “After all that talk about wanting to be with her, now you want a divorce. That’s ridiculous.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But that’s where we are.”
She studied me carefully, suspicion creeping into her expression. Then she asked the question I had been waiting for. “There is a prenuptial agreement, correct?”
Right on cue.
“No,” I said.
Silence fell. The shift in her demeanor was too dramatic to be considered real. She gasped, her eyes widened. She took two shaky steps back. “You married her without a prenup?”
“Yes.”
“Callahan!” she snapped. “Do you have any idea how irresponsible that is?”
“Yes,” I said calmly as I forced myself not to react.
“You’re a billionaire!”
“I’m aware.”
“And you married a woman without protecting your assets?”
“You were forcing Victoria onto me,” I grumbled, a little annoyed. "I wasn't thinking."
“That’s obvious!” She began pacing the hallway, agitation radiating off her.
“This is exactly the kind of reckless decision-making that ruins men,” she continued. “If you divorce her now, she could walk away with half of everything.”
I said nothing. This would probably be the best time to reveal that Vani and I still have a contract in place that protects our assets, but I quite liked the look of utter distress on her face.
“You cannot divorce her.”
That… was not the reaction I expected. I thought she would fight tooth and nail to rid me of this marriage, even if it meant there'd be a battle in court, but I was obviously wrong.
“I thought you didn’t like her,” I said slowly.
“That’s irrelevant,” she snapped.
“It seems pretty relevant.”
“It isn’t,” she insisted.
Her mind was clearly racing now. “Divorce without a prenup would be financially disastrous.”
“She wouldn’t do that. She just apologized to you.”
“She's probably planning to come off as a good daughter-in-law so she'll win in court,” my mother said sharply.
“You’re the one who wanted me to leave her,” I pointed out. "She doesn't know I want a divorce."
"That was before I knew you were foolish enough to marry her without a prenup,” she scowled. “Which means divorce is no longer a viable option.”
“So your solution,” I said slowly, “is for me to stay in a marriage you hate.”
She huffed. “It’s the only logical choice.”