Chapter 103

• Isabella's eyelids opened, revealing a blurry environment. She lay on the cold, unforgiving ground, her body weighed down by heavy chains that bound her wrists and ankles. The metallic links dug into her skin, rubbing her raw and leaving faint, crimson marks that seemed to pulse with every beat of her heart.
• As her vision became a bit clearer, she saw that she was in some sort of enclosed space, a truck, perhaps, or a container. The air was hot and thick with the smell of rust and grease, the smell burning her nostrils and making her stomach turn with nausea. The only sound was the rumble of engines and the creaking of metal, a kind of noise that seemed to reverberate through every cell in her body.
• With great effort, Isabella lifted her head, her gaze drifting to the side. Her heart sank, moving into the depths of despair. Her three children. Her precious, innocent children were tied together, their small bodies swaying gently with the motion of the vehicle. Their mouths were covered with rough, gray tape, silencing their cries and rendering them mute.