I focused all my attention on my hands, carefully squeezing the hot towel so that the steaming bathwater could run deep inside his last raw wound. "Well... if I truly do end up dead out there one day, then at least I will die knowing that I actually took a chance to explore the outside world," I countered softly, a small, stubborn look settling on my features. "My curiosity might have gotten the absolute best of me, but at least I will take my final breath with absolutely no regrets inside my heart."
Michael let out a low, cynical grunt from deep within his chest, the water rippling around his broad torso as he shook his head. "The dark place where you were locked away by your father might have actually been a necessary protection for you, Fedora," he murmured, his features turning cold a
