"Alessandro would kill me if he found me here," I admit. "But I couldn't stay away another night. Not knowing you're in here alone with your thoughts."
"Is that why you're really here, Cristian? To protect me from my own thoughts?"
I take a step closer, giving her space to retreat if she wants. She doesn't move. "I’m here because the thought of not seeing you for even one more day felt worse than risking Alessandro's wrath."
Her gaze turns coy. "That's quite the confession from the man who kept telling me how dangerous this is."
"It is dangerous," I murmur, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. My fingertips graze her cheek, and I feel her shiver. "But I'm starting to think some things are worth the danger."
She tilts her face into my touch. "And what things might those be?"
The last of my restraint crumbles as I cup her face between my hands. "You, Valentina. Always you."
I lower my forehead to hers, breathing her in, savoring this stolen moment. But when I pull back, the light in her eyes has dimmed.
"I've been thinking about Carlo."
The sudden change catches me off guard. I guide her to sit on the edge of her bed, keeping her hands in mine.
"His wife is expecting their second child," Valentina continues, guilt etched in her pretty face. "She came to the house to collect his things. Alessandro gave her an envelope—money, I suppose. As if that fixes anything."
My chest tightens upon seeing her pain. "That wasn't your fault."
"Wasn't it?" Her voice turns bitter. "I wrote that letter. I provoked Maksim. I'm the reason we were on that road." She pulls her hands away. "All because I was too selfish to accept my fate."
I want to shake sense into her. "Your fate? Being sold into a brutal marriage isn't fate. It's your brother's cowardice wrapped up as family duty."
"Careful," she warns, though there's no heat behind it. "That's treason."
"Then hang me for it." I take her face in my hands again, forcing her to meet my eyes. "Your sacrifice doesn't make Alessandro strong. It makes him weak. A strong leader would find another way. Luca wouldn’t have it." Why the fuck isn’t he here to stop all this?
She leans into my touch, closing her eyes. "I agreed to this. I can't back out now. Not when more lives could be lost."
That's the moment I realize how truly remarkable she is.
While her brothers play at power, Valentina bears its true weight.
She's sacrificing herself, not from weakness but from a strength I don’t think they fully comprehend.
"Your brothers don't deserve you," I say, in awe of her. "They don't see what I see."
Her eyes open. "And what do you see?"
"A woman braver than any soldier I've ever fought beside." I trace the curve of her cheek with my thumb. "Someone who walks willingly into fire to save others from burning."
A sad smile touches her lips. "That sounds more noble than I feel."
"It's the truth. You're giving up everything to prevent a war. That's not the act of someone selfish, Valentina. It's the act of someone extraordinary."
Her eyes shine with fresh tears, but there’s also the spark of the fierce spirit I fell in love with.
Love.
My chest constricts. That's what this is. Not duty, not desire. Love.
"I wish things were different," she says sadly. "I wish we had met in another life."
I press my lips to her forehead, letting them linger. "In every life, I would find you. And in every life, I would fight for you."
