Valeria's POV

At first, I thought she was just shifting in her sleep.

Her breath had been even, her body warm and still against mine for what felt like hours. She had drifted off so easily, her head resting against my chest, her body molding against mine like she belonged there.

I hadn't moved. I barely even breathed, afraid that if I did, I'd break the strange, delicate moment we'd found ourselves in.

Then, her fingers twitched. Her breath caught.

She made a sound—a soft, choked whimper. Then, she gasped.

Her whole body jerked, her hand clutching onto my shirt, her breathing suddenly erratic. She was still asleep, but her face twisted in fear, her brows furrowing, her lips parting like she was trying to say something but couldn't.

My heart clenched at the sight of it. What the hell was she seeing?

I hesitated, my fingers hovering near her shoulder before instinct took over.

I moved my hand, cupping the back of her head, pulling her closer. "Emilia, wake up." My voice was low, but firm.

She didn't wake. Her body shuddered, pressing harder against mine, as if she were trying to escape something.

I felt something in me snap.

I tightened my hold on her, my other hand moving to her waist, keeping her steady against me. "Wake up, princess. You're safe."

Her breath hitched. Then—she gasped awake, her body jolting against mine.

---

Emilia's POV

The second I woke up, I didn't know where I was.

My heart was racing, my skin clammy, my breath coming in sharp, uneven pants. My mind was still tangled in the nightmare—gunfire, darkness, the feeling of being trapped—

Warm hands. A strong grip. A steady heartbeat beneath my ear.

I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision, and that's when I felt her.

My hands were clutching onto Valeria's shirt. My legs were tangled with hers, my body pressed so close I could feel every inch of her warmth.

And she was holding me.

Her arm was wrapped around my waist, firm, unyielding. Her other hand was cradling my head, her fingers in my hair, keeping me against her.

Keeping me safe.

A shiver ran through me—not from fear, but from something else. Something far more dangerous.

"Breathe," she murmured, her voice deep, steady, grounding.

I sucked in a sharp breath, my grip still tight on her shirt. I should move.

But of course I won't.

Because for the first time since that day, I actually felt safe. I swallowed hard, my voice barely above a whisper. "I had a nightmare."

Valeria didn't say anything right away. She just exhaled slowly, her breath warm against my hair.

Then, her grip on me tightened. "I know," she said.

Her voice was different—low, rough, like she was barely keeping something contained.

I don't know what came over me. Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe it was the way she hadn't let go.

But I moved closer.

My fingers relaxed against her chest, sliding down slightly. My legs shifted, pressing more firmly against hers, and I felt her whole body lock up beneath me.

I swallowed. I shouldn't be doing this. But I couldn't stop.

So instead, I turned my head slightly, nuzzling against her neck.

Her breath hitched.

I could feel the tension in her arms, in her entire body. She was fighting something.

"Emilia." My name came out like a warning.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my voice breathless. "Just for a little longer."

She didn't say anything, she did not object. Then, after what felt like an eternity, Valeria did something I never expected.

She rested her chin against my hair.

And she didn't push me away. So I surrendered back to sleep.

The soft knock at the door pulled me from sleep, my mind still hazy, my body warm and impossibly comfortable. I shifted slightly, blinking against the morning light spilling through the curtains, and that's when I realized—

I was still on top of Valeria.

My breath caught in my throat. My head rested against her chest, my arm draped over her waist, our legs still tangled together like we had fallen asleep clinging to each other.

Slowly, I tilted my head up.

Valeria was still asleep, her head resting against the headboard, her breathing slow and deep. Her body was completely stiff, as if she had fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position and just never moved.

It hit me all at once. She never shoved me off. She held me the entire night.

Another soft knock at the door made me jolt slightly.I cleared my throat, trying not to think about how much heat flooded my face as I called out, "Come in."

The door creaked open, and Lucia stepped inside. She barely made it two steps before she froze, her lips parting slightly in surprise.

She saw me still draped over Valeria, saw the way Valeria's arms were loosely resting around me, even in her sleep.

For a second, Lucia just stared. Then, her lips twitched, her eyes glinting with amusement.

I could already feel my face burning before she even said a word.

Lucia took a step closer, her voice low, teasing. "Wow. You two are... exactly how I left you last night."

I squeaked. My entire body flushed red.

Lucia leaned in slightly, her eyes twinkling with barely contained excitement. "It's okay," she whispered conspiratorially, like we were two girls giggling about a secret crush. "I came in yesterday to check on her wound, but she told me to leave because you were finally sleeping safely."

My stomach flipped. No way.

My mouth parted slightly. "She—she told you that?" Lucia grinned, nodding.

A small, delighted sound almost escaped me, but I bit my lip, trying to hold it in. Instead, I smacked Lucia's arm lightly, as if that would make her stop looking so smug.

We were giggling like little kids who had managed to do something they always wanted. Then, reality slammed into me like a truck.

Her wound. Panic gripped me as I snapped my gaze to Valeria's bandages.

Oh, God. I had been pressing on her injury all night.

Carefully, I lifted myself off her, my heart hammering as I peeled back the blanket just enough to check.

Sure enough, the white fabric was slightly stained with red. Guilt surged through me. I had been so comfortable in her arms, so caught up in my own emotions, that I hadn't even considered what it might be doing to her.

Lucia's gaze followed mine, and her expression softened. "She must have been in pain, but she didn't wake you," she murmured.

Valeria had stayed still, endured it, let me sleep peacefully at her expense. I swallowed hard, my chest tightening with something I wasn't ready to name.

I turned my gaze back to her, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest. She looked peaceful now, but how much pain had she been in all night?

I exhaled shakily. Lucia caught my expression immediately and gave me a reassuring look. "It's not as bad as it looks," she said softly, though I wasn't convinced.

Valeria hadn't moved all night. Not once. She had let me stay curled against her, pressing into her injury, without so much as a complaint. She could have pushed me off. She could have woken me up. But she didn't.

"I'll get the bandages," Lucia said, before quietly slipping out of the room, leaving us alone.

I let out a slow breath and shifted, attempting to move off Valeria's lap, but the second I did, her entire body tensed. Her grip on me tightened suddenly, her muscles locking up as if she were bracing for something.

Her breathing hitched. Like she thought someone was dragging me away.

"Hey, hey—" I whispered quickly, my hands moving to her arms to steady her. "It's just me. I was just trying to get up."

Valeria blinked rapidly, her focus snapping back to reality, to me. Her chest rose and fell unevenly, but she loosened her grip, her hands hesitating before falling away completely.

I swallowed hard, watching her carefully. She had been so still all night, and yet that reaction—it wasn't just startled. It was defensive. It was survival.

I hesitated before speaking. "Why didn't you wake me up?" My voice was quieter now, a mix of guilt and something else I couldn't quite place. "I was hurting you, wasn't I?"

Valeria exhaled, running a hand over her face before leaning back slightly against the pillows. "You needed the sleep," she said simply.

"That's not an answer," I pressed. She glanced at me, her dark eyes unreadable. "You needed the sleep more than I needed to be comfortable."

My chest tightened. She's so careless with herself. Always putting me first. Always acting like her pain didn't matter.

"You should take better care of yourself," I muttered.

A slow smirk tugged at the corner of Valeria's lips, but it wasn't amusement—it was something sharper, something unreadable. "You shouldn't talk about being reckless," she murmured, her voice lowering.

She leaned forward slightly, eyes locking onto mine. "You act like you trust me. You act like you believe I'll protect you. But you still hide things from me."

I swallowed, my fingers curling against the sheets. "That's not—"

"You have nightmares," she cut me off. "I hear you wake up gasping for breath. I see the way your hands shake when you think no one's looking. And yet, you keep pretending like everything is fine."

I stiffened, my breath catching.

Valeria watched me, her voice quieter now, but no less intense. "You went through something horrible, Emilia. And before that, your life was easy. You had control. You had stability. Now, you don't. And instead of admitting it, you act like nothing happened." She tilted her head, studying me like she was waiting for an answer I wasn't willing to give. "But I see it. I know you're not okay."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

Valeria exhaled, shaking her head slightly. "You expect me to trust you. To let you in. But how am I supposed to do that when you won't do the same?"

I flinched. Her words struck too deeply, too accurately.

I had been hiding it. I had been pretending like I was fine. Because the alternative—the truth—was too terrifying to admit.

I shifted uncomfortably, glancing away. "I just..." My throat felt tight. "I don't want you to leave."

Valeria frowned, confused. "What?"

I exhaled shakily, forcing myself to meet her gaze. "I don't want you to leave," I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. "If I show you how afraid I really am, if I let you see all of it... you'll leave again." My fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt. "You'll say it's to keep me safe. You'll say I'm better off without you. And I don't think I can handle that again."

Valeria went Silent and her entire body went still.

She wasn't expecting that. I could tell.

The way her fingers twitched. The way her throat bobbed slightly, like she was forcing herself to swallow back words she wasn't ready to say.

Finally, she inhaled deeply. "I won't leave," she said, her voice rougher than before. "You don't have to be afraid of that, I will protect you."

I swallowed, studying her face, searching for any hesitation—any sign she didn't mean it. But there was none.

Her jaw was tight, her shoulders tense, but there was something raw in her eyes. A quiet kind of conviction. I licked my lips. "Why?"

Valeria blinked, caught off guard by the question.

I tilted my head slightly. "Why won't you leave?" She didn't answer. She just stared at me, something flickering behind her dark eyes that I couldn't quite decipher.

Before I could push further, the door cracked open, and Lucia slipped back inside, carrying the fresh bandages.

She hesitated at the sight of us—at how close we were, at the tension hanging thick in the air. But instead of commenting, she just cleared her throat.

"Got the bandages," she said lightly, placing them on the bedside table.

Then, after a pointed glance at Valeria, she added, "I'll leave you to it." She exited just as quickly, the door clicking softly behind her.

I turned back to Valeria, my lips twitching. "She keeps interrupting."

Valeria hummed. "She means well."

I grabbed the bandages and shifted closer, carefully reaching for her shirt to check her wound. "I need to clean this," I murmured.

She nodded wordlessly, letting me lift the fabric.

I worked in silence, my fingers gentle as I changed the bandages. As I smoothed the fresh wrap over her ribs, my gaze caught on a thin, faded scar near her side.

Without thinking, I traced my fingers over it. Valeria flinched slightly. "Don't."

I looked up, surprised. Her face was unreadable, but her hand had moved instinctively, catching my wrist before I could press further.

I swallowed hard, nodding. "Okay."

She let go, and I returned to finishing the bandages, carefully securing them.

Once I was done, I exhaled, letting my hands rest on my lap. My fingers hesitated for a second before reaching for hers. I lifted her hand gently, bringing her palm to my lips.

Valeria inhaled sharply, her fingers twitching against mine as I pressed a soft kiss against her skin.

I let my lips linger for just a moment before pulling away, meeting her gaze. She looked stunned. Unraveled.

And for the first time since last night, I knew I had broken through her walls.

Maybe just a little. Maybe just enough.