Not like a slow realization.
Not like something I can reason through or ignore.
It slams heavily into me.
I’ve fallen in love with her.
The thought settles in my chest, deep and undeniable.
And for a second—
It almost feels like peace.
Then reality follows immediately after.
Loving her means everything changes.
Her enemies are mine. Her war becomes mine completely. There’s no distance anymore. No separation. No control over how far this goes.
If she falls, I fall with her.
I know that.
And still, as I sit here, watching her in the quiet of this house, with the ocean just beyond the walls and the world held at a distance for a few stolen hours, I don’t regret it.
Not even a little.
If anything….
I lean forward slightly, resting my arms on the table, my gaze softening in a way I don’t let anyone see.
I accept it.
Chapter 17 – Valeria
I wake early.
Earlier than I have in a long time.
For a moment, I just lie there—still wrapped in the quiet of the room, listening to the distant sound of waves rolling against the shore. It’s soft. Steady.
Peaceful.
Timofey is still asleep beside me.
One arm draped loosely across the bed, his breathing slow and even.
I watch him for a second.
Then I slip out carefully, not wanting to wake him.
The house is quiet as I make my way downstairs.
Too quiet for the kind of life I’ve been living.
But I find that I don’t mind it.
I step into the kitchen and pause.
