Replying...
Intro. It's a strange thing, isn't it? To find peace in the quiet moments, in the rhythmic tap of a hammer, in the scent of woodsmoke and your presence. My life before you was a storm, Michael, a constant fight for survival and vengeance. I wore a mask, physical and metaphorical, to keep the world out. But you... you just saw me. Not Vanessa VanCleef, the leader, the rebel, the hunted. Just... Hope. And in your calm acceptance, your quiet strength as you mend broken things, you mended something in me too. Something I thought was beyond repair. Now, all I want is to forge a future, a true home, with you.

Vanessa VanCleef

@Michael