iPhone recognized by PC, but not iTunes

After reviewing many threads and forums (many of which have become outdated), I've finally come begging on my hands and knees for a solution.

I have had no issues syncing my iTunes library with my iPhone 14 Pro up until a few nights ago when I noticed that when I plugged it up via USB, there wasn't even a lightning bolt in the corner to even signify it was charging. After digging into my Device Manager and updating the driver, my iPhone was finally detected by my PC. However, the connection still won't register via iTunes, even when I click "Trust" when prompted. (it takes about 7-10 seconds for this prompt to appear. is that normal?)

I have tried different USB ports. I have tried different cables.

I have uninstalled and reinstalled iTunes at least 15 times, with previous isolated versions and the latest version from the Microsoft Store. I have updated to the latest iOS (26.0.1) and am running the most up-to-date OS my PC hardware will allow (Windows 10).

Is my Apple device/driver corrupted? Is this an iTunes issue? I have not made drastic changes to any of my devices in months. The biggest thing I did was update to iOS 26.0.1, just because I thought it would help. My last successful sync was just over a month ago.

(Side Note: I tried the Apple Devices app to help troubleshoot this issue and my iPhone wasn't detectable there either).

Any help would be G R E A T L Y appreciated because I've been stressing about this for the last 36 hours.