CHAPTER 460

Emily’s POV

My heart raced as the man who had been watching me ripped the cloth away from my mouth. I screamed at the top of my lungs, the sound echoing off the cold, damp walls.

“Shut up!” he shouted, his voice a snarl that sent chills racing down my spine.

Before I could catch my breath, he swung his fist, connecting hard with my jaw. Pain exploded in my mouth, and I tasted the metallic tang of blood. I gasped, tears spilling down my cheeks. I wanted to sob, to give in to the darkness creeping in at the edges of my mind. But as I sat there, blood dripping from my lips, I felt something stir within me—a flicker of defiance.

I can't let Isabelle win. She won't get the satisfaction of breaking me.

“And Jared needs me,” I whispered to myself, the thought igniting a spark of determination. My son deserved better than to lose his mother to this nightmare. I couldn’t let them take me without a fight.

The man standing in front of me gave out an evil laugh. He had just been playing with me