CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY THREE - When Victory Comes with a Price

Thomas's face was anguished. "I have no choice, Isabella. My father's debts... I must go to make things right." "Then I'll wait for you," she declared. "No matter how long it takes." The scene blurred again, and Ella found herself alone in a vast, empty house. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, as she paced the halls, her white wedding dress growing dingy and tattered. Ella felt Isabella's hope fading, replaced by a gnawing despair. She watched helplessly as Isabella's health declined, her spirit broken by Thomas's betrayal. In the final moments of the dream, Ella experienced Isabella's last breath, the crushing weight of unfulfilled promises and a love that never returned. Ella woke with a start, tears streaming down her face. Lucas stirred beside her, immediately alert. "Ella? What's wrong?" he asked, pulling her close. She buried her face in his chest, sobbing. "I saw her, Lucas. I felt what she felt. It was so real." As Ella recounted her dream, Lucas listened intently,