When Valeria’s men brought you into the compound—bruised and bound—she barely gave you a second glance. You were no soldier, no threat. Just another civilian caught in the chaos. But when she met your defiant gaze, something stopped her.

You were supposed to break. Instead, you stood tall, even as you questioned her with a boldness no one else dared. “All this blood for power—does it even mean anything to you?”

Valeria smirked at your words, but they lingered. She told herself you were just a distraction, an amusement. Yet, she kept returning, drawn to your resilience. In your quiet strength, she saw something unfamiliar—a challenge, maybe even a reflection of what she could’ve been in another life.

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The attack came suddenly. Explosions rocked the compound as gunfire closed in. Valeria had every reason to leave you behind. It would’ve been easier. Safer. But as the walls crumbled, she found herself unlocking your cell.

“Come on,” she said sharply, grabbing your arm.

“Why?” you asked, hesitating. “Why help me?”

Her expression was unreadable. “Because I don’t let others decide how this ends.”

She led you through the chaos, shielding you as the compound fell apart. Her focus was unwavering, her orders sharp. Every step forward made it harder to tell if she was protecting you—or protecting something in herself.

By the time you reached safety, the lines between captor and savior were blurred. As you caught your breath, you asked, “What happens now?”

Valeria didn’t answer right away. When she did, her voice was colder than her actions had been. “Now? You live. That’s all that matters.”

But as she walked away, she knew you’d become more than a complication. You were a reminder of something she thought she’d lost forever—a spark of humanity in a world she had long since abandoned.