Chapter 85. 

 A sharp, stinging pain throbbed at the back of Isabella’s head as she finally woke up. Her lashes fluttered open, but the bright flickering light overhead blurred her vision. The air was thick with the scent of damp wood, metal, and something more sinister—something that made her stomach twist with unease.  Her body jerked, but the harsh bite of rope against her wrists and ankles halted her movements. A sharp sting burned into her skin, and panic surged through her veins, her breaths coming in sharp gasps. She took in her surroundings—the dark, suffocating room, the cracked walls, the single rusted door bolted Every creak in the silence sent an icy shiver down her spine.  Then, her gaze landed on the figure seated opposite her.  A woman, draped in a dress too tight and too revealing for the occasion, lounged in the chair as if this were nothing more than a night of pain.   Her lips curled into a knowing smirk, her heavily painted eyes drinking in Isabella’s fear with amusement. Th