The door slammed.
The sound echoed through the house like a gunshot.
Isabella spun around, heart slamming violently against her ribs. Her hand flew to the handle. She twisted.
Locked.
Her phone trembled in her hand.
"Nolan," she whispered. "The door just—"
"I heard it," he said, voice sharp. "Get out of the house. Now."
"I can't," she whispered. "It's locked."
Silence crackled through the line.
"Isabella," Nolan said slowly, dangerously calm, "listen to me very carefully. Walk backward. Don't turn around. Don't run."
Her breath came in short, panicked bursts.
"I'm scared," she whispered.
"I know," he said. "I've got you."
She took a step back.
Then another.
The living room felt wrong.
Too still.
Too staged.
Her eyes flicked to the walls.
The message was still there.
YOU DIDN'T CHOOSE WRONG.
Her chest tightened painfully.
"Nolan," she whispered. "They were here."
"I know," he replied. "Security cameras show movement thirty minutes ago."
Her stomach dropped. "They were waiting for me."
"Yes," he said. "But you weren't supposed to be alone."
"I had to get Juan's clothes," she whispered.
"I know," he said again. "I should've gone with you."
A floorboard creaked.
Isabella froze.
"Nolan," she whispered.
"Where?" he asked.
"I don't know," she whispered. "Behind me."
Her pulse roared in her ears.
"Isabella," he said, "I need you to move. Slowly. Toward the window."
She did.
One step.
Two.
Her foot brushed something.
A piece of paper.
She looked down.
A letter.
Her name was written on it.
She screamed.
Nolan ripped the IV from his arm.
"Nolan, stop!" a nurse shouted.
He didn't care.
He was out of bed, pain slicing through him, chest burning, vision swimming.
He grabbed his phone.
"Isabella!" he barked.
"I'm here," she whispered, voice shaking.
"Where are you?"
"Living room," she said. "They left a letter."
"Don't touch it," he snapped.
She had already picked it up.
Her hands shook as she unfolded it.
Her heart stopped.
You are brave.
But bravery makes you predictable.
You will choose him.
You will choose the boy.
So now we choose for you.
Her knees buckled.
"Nolan," she whispered.
"What does it say?" he demanded.
Her voice broke. "They're not done."
"I know," he said.
"I think they're still here," she whispered.
Silence.
Then—
A soft clap.
Slow.
Mocking.
Isabella spun around.
A man stepped out of the hallway.
Tall.
Calm.
Smiling.
"Hello, Isabella," he said.
Her scream tore from her throat.
Nolan ripped past hospital staff, ignoring shouts, alarms, pain.
Nathan intercepted him.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"They're in the house," Nolan snarled.
Nathan's face darkened. "I'm coming."
They were already moving.
The man walked slowly toward Isabella.
She backed up, heart pounding, phone clutched to her ear.
"Nolan," she whispered. "He's here."
Nolan's blood ran cold. "Describe him."
She swallowed. "Tall. Dark hair. Scar on his cheek."
Nolan's chest tightened.
"I know him," he said.
"Who?" she whispered.
"His name is Marcus Vale," Nolan said. "He was my father's enforcer."
The man smiled wider.
"He remembers me," Marcus said.
Isabella shook violently.
"Marcus," Nolan snapped into the phone, "don't touch her."
Marcus tilted his head. "You sound tired."
"Get out of my house," Nolan growled.
Marcus chuckled. "Still possessive."
He took another step.
Isabella backed away until her spine hit the wall.
"Don't come closer," she whispered.
Marcus lifted his hands. "I'm not here to hurt you."
She laughed hysterically. "That's a lie."
He smiled gently. "Not today."
Her stomach dropped.
"What do you want?" she whispered.
"To talk," he said.
She shook her head. "You kidnapped him."
"Yes," Marcus replied calmly.
"You tortured him," she cried.
"Yes."
She sobbed. "You're a monster."
Marcus shrugged. "Monsters don't need permission."
He glanced at the letter.
"You read it," he said.
She swallowed.
"Good," he replied. "Then you understand."
"Understand what?" she demanded.
"That this isn't about Nolan," Marcus said.
Her heart slammed. "Then what is it about?"
"You," he said simply.
Her breath hitched.
"You are the variable," Marcus continued. "The flaw. The complication."
She shook her head. "I'm nothing."
Marcus smiled. "You're everything."
Nolan was shaking by the time he reached the car.
"Faster," he barked.
Nathan floored it.
"You know this guy?" Nathan demanded.
"Yes," Nolan replied. "And he doesn't bluff."
Marcus stepped closer.
Isabella could smell his cologne.
It made her sick.
"You survived what we planned," he said. "That's rare."
She glared at him through tears. "You hurt my son."
Marcus's gaze sharpened. "We scared him."
She lunged forward, slapping him.
The sound cracked through the room.
Marcus blinked.
Then he smiled.
"Oh," he said softly. "That was brave."
He grabbed her wrist.
Not hard.
Just enough.
Nolan shouted through the phone.
"Let her go."
Marcus leaned close to Isabella.
"He can hear me," he said.
She nodded weakly.
"Good," he said.
Then into the phone, "You trained me well, Nolan."
"I will kill you," Nolan snarled.
Marcus chuckled. "Not before the final test."
Isabella's heart pounded.
"What test?" she whispered.
Marcus released her wrist.
"You will choose," he said.
She shook her head. "I already did."
He smiled. "Not like this."
He gestured around the house.
"You will choose which life you save."
Her blood ran cold.
Nolan burst through the front gate.
Police sirens wailed in the distance.
He didn't slow.
"Isabella," he barked.
"I'm here," she whispered.
Marcus smiled.
"I'll be seeing you soon," he told her.
Then he stepped back.
And vanished.
The house was empty.
No signs of entry.
No sounds.
Just Isabella shaking violently in the center of the living room.
The door unlocked.
Nolan burst in.
He crossed the room in seconds, pulling her into his arms.
She sobbed into his chest.
"They're not done," she cried.
He held her tightly.
"I know," he whispered.
Nathan stepped in behind them.
"We're moving you," he said. "Tonight."
"Where?" Isabella asked.
"Somewhere no one knows," Nathan replied.
Nolan nodded. "We disappear."
She clung to him. "They said I'll have to choose again."
Nolan stiffened.
"Choose what?" he asked.
She whispered, "Which life matters more."
The room went silent.
Nolan closed his eyes.
Then said, "Then we change the rules."
That night, as Isabella slept beside Nolan, her phone vibrated silently.
A message appeared.
You did well today.
Next time, you won't have time.
Attached was a photo.
Juan.
At school.
Taken that morning.