While Elena struggled to keep from falling, Rosa endured beatings, threats, and the burden of protecting both a mother and her unborn child. Even after Daniel cut the rope, he couldn't bring himself to let go.

Chapter 2: The Severed Ties

Rosa collapsed onto the marble floor, gasping for air, her bruised body trembling as Daniel dragged Elena to safety beside her. There was no time for gratitude. The heavy oak doors of the master suite were already shuddering under the blows of Alejandro’s guards.

"We have to move," Daniel barked, pulling his heavy revolver from its holster. "They heard her. They heard everything."

Rosa forced herself to her feet, ignoring the agonizing pain in her ribs. She grabbed Elena’s arm, supporting the pregnant woman's weight. "There's a service stairwell behind the armoire," Rosa choked out, wiping blood from her split lip. Daniel threw his shoulder against the massive wooden wardrobe, revealing a narrow, dust-choked passage. As the bedroom door splintered inward, the three of them slipped into the darkness. Daniel sealed the false wall behind them just as gunfire erupted in the room they had left behind. They were no longer prisoners; they were the most hunted people in the country.