Chapter 44 – The Third Betrayal
**Part 1: Isabelle's POV**
The rain pelted down like needles on Isabelle's skin, soaking through her coat and turning her world into a blur of gray and silence. Her wrists were raw from the tight rope that bound them behind her back, the gag cutting into the corners of her mouth. The blindfold clung to her face, damp with rain and tears. She couldn’t see where they were going, but she knew the route by memory. Every bump in the road, every sudden swerve of the van they had shoved her into screamed familiarity.
She’d never thought it would be Marcos.
Marcos, who had guarded her since she was fourteen.
Marcos, who had once taken a knife for her during a skirmish in Paris.
Marcos, who had sworn on his daughter’s life that he would protect Isabelle until t
