Chapter 440

Isabella stared at Michael, her face pale. She couldn't believe what her husband had done.

Michael had come clean, so there was no point in hiding it. He looked into Isabella's eyes and said softly, "Babe, I admit I lied about this. I was scared that if you knew how I planned to get back at Pearl, you'd hate me. But I just couldn't control my anger. If I hadn't shown up that day, who knows what would've happened to you?"

A flicker of pain crossed Michael's eyes. He couldn't stand seeing Isabella suffer because of Pearl.

Suddenly, Isabella touched Michael's face, and he looked at her, surprised.

Isabella smiled gently at him. "Honey, do you really think I'd resent you for everything you've done for me?"

Michael bit his lip and nodded. He was indeed terrified that Isabella would hate him.

Isabella shook her head. "No, babe, even though your methods were harsh. But like you said, if it weren't for you, after what Pearl did to me, I might've ended up taking my own life. I have no right to be mad at you, and I definitely can't forgive Pearl on your behalf. We're in this together."

Michael's eyes lit up, and he hugged her tightly. "That's amazing, sweetheart. I'm so glad you're not mad at me."

"Alright, babe, now's not the time for this. We need to figure out how to hold on until help arrives or find a way out of here," Isabella said, gently patting his back.

Michael looked at her seriously and said, "Don't worry, babe. As long as I'm alive, I won't let anyone hurt you."

Isabella's face softened. Suddenly, Michael's expression changed. He quickly pulled Isabella away and drew his gun.

A scream echoed from behind Isabella. Michael yanked her up from the ground.

"They've found us. We need to move," Michael said, pulling Isabella away from their hiding spot.

But Isabella shook off his hand, grabbed a gun from the body on the ground, and stood beside him.

"Don't think I'm just a weak woman. I can handle a gun," Isabella said, her face determined.

Michael smiled and led her away.

Not long after they left, a group of people gathered around the body on the ground.

More and more of Paxton's men arrived at the abandoned factory.

"They were just here. Team one and team two, flank from the left and right. Teams three and four, search along the stairs. Team five, follow me. Let's corner them," the captain ordered.

As the teams moved, Captain Lyle Warner spoke into his earpiece, "Efren, do you have eyes on them?"Sniper Efren Britton, perched on a distant building, peered through his scope. Keeping an eye on the factory, he spoke into his earpiece, "They should be hugging the wall. I haven't spotted them yet; looks like they're aware of me."

"Keep scanning for any signs. We'll try to flush them out," Lyle replied, leading his men in pursuit of Michael and Isabella.

Michael and Isabella crept along the wall. Whenever they approached windows that could expose them, they crawled to stay out of the sniper's sight.

"Babe, this feels like we're in some action movie," Isabella joked, her once pristine outfit now dirty and disheveled.

Though she tried to make light of the situation, Isabella's body trembled slightly with fear. She was trying to stay calm and show Michael she could handle it.

Michael looked at her with tenderness and a hint of guilt in his eyes.

"Don't give me that look. You did what you had to. If it were me, I wouldn't have let Pearl off easy either. Maybe not as harsh, but I'd definitely put a few bullets in her. Paxton wouldn't spare me either. So stop blaming yourself," Isabella whispered, pulling Michael along as they continued to flee.

More enemies appeared along their path, forcing Michael and Isabella into firefights.

Michael's marksmanship was top-notch, a skill he honed during his mercenary days. Each shot he fired hit vital areas like the head or chest.

Isabella's shooting wasn't as precise as Michael's, but her suppressive fire still caused trouble for their pursuers.

After dispatching another wave of enemies, Michael pulled Isabella along, continuing their escape.

But this time, Michael's expression was grim. He had figured out the enemy's strategy.

"They're herding us into a trap. Paxton must've sent someone serious to take us down this time," Michael said with a cold smile.

Isabella felt a pang of guilt. Michael could've easily escaped on his own, but he stayed to protect her.

"Now it's my turn to say this: put away your guilt. We're in this together," Michael said with a gentle smile.

Suddenly, Isabella's eyes lit up. "How about we play dead?"

Michael was taken aback. Playing dead? That was pointless. The enemies would definitely check to confirm.

But then he got it. She wanted to wear the enemies' clothes and pretend to be dead.

"Not a bad idea. It might buy us some time," Michael agreed.

A few minutes later, Lyle and his men arrived at the spot where Michael and Isabella had been. But they found no trace of them, as if they had vanished into thin air.

"Damn it, where did they go? How could they just disappear?" Lyle roared, frustration etched on his face.

However, Lyle and his team didn't notice the slight movement of the eyelids on the two bodies lying nearby.