Michel blinked the unshed tears as his gaze fell on Fanny's sleeping face.

If it weren't for her breasts going up and down, she would have been dead. It scared him, and he prayed - hoping that she would wake up quickly.


He needs her beautiful eyes to look at him. Her sweet voice.

She looked very peaceful, although her sleep was probably disturbed by nightmares.

And Michel is determined to stay with her so he can stay away from them. He will fight her demons for her sake.


After all, now he has promised to never leave her side again. His chest swelled, and for the first time in his life, he felt weak.

When they were done, Rosabella dressed Fanny as well, and Christian came to stand beside Michel.


"Can I look at your feet now?"

Without answering, Michel sat down on a nearby chair, pushing his bleeding leg away so Christian could examine it.

Michel restrains the pain as Christian first removes the bullet and then disinfects the area, quickly suturing the wound.

It was painful and burned like hell, but when Michel kept seeing the image of Fanny lying in that basement-like dungeon, he forgot all about his own state.

After checking on his work, Christian then pressed a fresh bandage over the wound and stood up, silently bowing to him respectfully before walking out of the room with the promise of coming back in a few hours. again.

Rosabella stayed and stood by the bed.

"You go. I stay with her. She said sternly, the first words she'd said to him since she'd stayed.

She hates him. As far as she was concerned, it was he who was to blame for all that had happened.

And she's adamant that her opinion of him won't change even if it's obvious he's having a hard time seeing Fanny like this.

But Michel shook his head as he slid down the bed beside Fanny and arched his body around her.

"No. I'll take care of her." Michel said, placing a small kiss on Fanny's ear.

Letting out a sigh, Rosabella crossed her arms.

She feels like fighting this guy but knowing that her best friend will be asleep for a while, she tells herself that she will have to come back later.

So, feeling angry but also relieved that Fanny was back, she quietly left the room.

Glancing at Charles, Michel licked his lips and adjusted himself next to the sleeping girl.

"Leave now." He spoke mindlessly, carefully brushing Fanny's hair out of her face.

Without any resistance, his second-in-command nodded and also walked out speechless, leaving him with her alone.

When he heard the door finally close, Michel closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.

So much had happened, and he wondered how they would come back from there.

Pulling the blanket over him, he wrapped an arm around her chest, pulling her forward as he ignored the sharp pain in his leg.

"You are safe at last," Michel mumbled in her ear.

Fanny didn't stir at all. Not even a little bit. Her lack of movement was like a knife in his heart.

As the seconds, minutes, and hours passed, Michel gradually lost his resolve.

Leaning on her further, he whispered the same words to her that she had told him when he nearly died a few months ago, hoping that even in her sleep she could hear her. he looked like he heard her.

"Don't give up. Pull over."

And with that, his eyes drooped, his vision blurred, and darkness covered him when he finally fell asleep beside her.

---

Fanny slept both days.

Everyone in the house came and went, checked on her, removed her drops, and adjusted her medication while full of hope that she would eventually wake up so they could see that she he's fine.

However, when she finally opened her eyes, it was midnight, at 1 a.m. while Michel was fast asleep beside her.

The leader just suddenly felt a slight shift in the mattress and when he drowsily opened his eyes, he noticed her sitting up, staring into the darkness of the room.

Wandering around, he quickly got up and fumbled for the bedside table, turning on the light he had there.

"Fanny?"

She did not answer.

Michel gulped and got out of bed to sit right in front of her on the bed, searching and finding eye contact with her.

But she just stared.

Fanny just stared at him blankly before she looked down at her and then looked around, observing her surroundings.

When her gaze returned to him, he managed to send her a faint smile as his heart pounded wildly in his chest.

"Fa..."

"Why am I here?" Her voice was small and hoarse but there was still an underlying tension.

Michel kept her gaze.

Now that she was actually looking directly at him, he noticed how different her eyes were.

They still had the same shape and color, but somehow their curious glow had disappeared. They are flat, emotionless, and cold.

"What? Fanny, I...

"Why am I here?" She repeated, her voice a little louder now as the emptiness in her eyes was suddenly overcome by something Michel had never seen in her face - anger.

Not knowing how to respond to her, he carefully reached out his hand, trying to touch the side of her face.

Though his attempt was immediately halted when Fanny swatted his hand away.

"You don't touch me."

Shock flooded Michel's system when he saw her - the girl who had never used any profanity - glaring at him with murderous rage.

His throat was completely dry as he tried to find the right words. But he doesn't even have to.

Because before he knew it, Fanny was already trying to push off the blanket and was already out of bed, wincing in pain when her bruise came into contact with something.

"Fanny, you need to rest. Please get back inside the bed. Fanny." He quickly got up from his side and circled around the bed to reach her again, hoping to support her with his arm as she was very unsteady on her feet.