"Cough—!!!"
Lucian lowered his head sharply, blood spilling from his mouth as his widened eyes locked onto Valentina's pale hand—now bloodied—embedded in his chest.
Shock… maybe even horror flashed through his expression.
But as if that wasn't all, in the next instant, Valentina's fingers moved.
She twisted her hand deeper, as if searching for something inside him… which she immediately did.
"Do you know something…?"
She suddenly asked softly, as though this were nothing more than a casual conversation, while her fingers twisted inside his chest with precise control—tearing through veins before slowly wrapping around his heart.
Lucian's vision wavered, as if something inside his body—something very essential—seemed to loosen under her touch.
"Haa.. haa…"
His breathing grew ragged and uneven, breaking between shallow gasps—not just from the pain, but from the sheer strain of trying to stay conscious while his body struggled to function.
Still…
