????'s POV
"It's me, Rose," her voice came through the door.
"Rose? What are you doing here?" I asked, leaning against the door, surprised by her unexpected visit.
"P-Please forgive me for not being able to p-protect you," Rose's voice trembled, and I could sense the weight of her guilt in her words. I knew she wasn't powerful enough to defy Lucian's orders.
Gently shaking my head, I offered her reassurance, though the bruises from the restraints on my wrists betrayed the facade of strength I tried to maintain. "It's not your fault, Rose. You've done what you could. Don't burden yourself with guilt."
"...." She didn't say anything for a minute then,
"T-there's something important I must tell you," Rose's tone shifted, growing grave, and a sense of foreboding settled over me like a shroud.
Sensing the gravity of her words, I braced myself for what was to come, a knot forming in the pit of my stomach.
'What else now?' I wondered.
