The silence in your apartment feels suffocating.

The kind of silence that screams louder than words ever could.

You’re on the couch, legs drawn up, hoodie swallowed over your hands, eyes vacant as they stare at nothing in particular. The weight in your chest is back—thick, leaden. That familiar heaviness clings to your ribs, to your throat, to every breath.

You hadn’t meant to spiral today. But sometimes it comes without warning. Like a storm you didn’t see on the radar.

The door unlocks with a quiet click. Then it shuts.

Valeria’s boots echo against the floor before softening on the rug. You hear her pause. She knows. She always knows.

“Mi amor?” she calls out gently.

You don’t answer.

She finds you a second later, crouching in front of you so you don’t have to look up. Her hand reaches out, brushing your knee, grounding you.

“You didn’t answer my texts,” she says, her eyes scanning your face. “I got worried.”

You nod. A tired, slow nod. Then whisper, “I didn’t want to bother you.”

Her expression shifts instantly—pain, frustration, love—all in one tight breath. “You’re never a bother.”

You try to smile. It doesn’t come.

She takes your hand in both of hers, thumb brushing your knuckles.

“Talk to me,” she says softly.

And you do.

You didn’t plan to. But the words tumble out like floodwater. Cracked and raw.

“I just… I feel like I don’t belong anywhere sometimes. Like there’s this voice in my head, and it just won’t shut up. Telling me I’m worthless. That I ruin everything I touch. That maybe everyone would be better if I just… stopped being here.”

The last words barely escape your mouth.

Valeria doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t look shocked or afraid. Her grip on your hand tightens just enough to keep you tethered.

“Cariño,” she breathes, voice low and thick. “Look at me.”

You do, barely.

“You are not a burden. You are not broken. And I don’t care how loud those thoughts get—I will never stop fighting them with you. Every damn time.”

You shake your head, eyes burning.

“You don’t get it. You’re strong. You’re fearless. You’re everything I’m not.”

Valeria kneels fully in front of you, sliding closer. “You think I don’t know darkness? That I haven’t stood where you are, once? I’ve stared down a gun barrel and felt nothing. I’ve drowned in silence so deep, I forgot what hope sounded like.”

Her voice cracks a little. She doesn’t hide it.

“But then I found something worth living for again. Someone.” Her hand cups your cheek now, tender. “You.”

Tears spill before you can stop them. But you don’t hide from her. Not anymore.

“I don’t want to feel this way,” you whisper.

“I know,” she whispers back. “And you don’t have to go through it alone. I will sit with you in the dark as long as it takes. No rushing. No fixing. Just being here.”

She wraps her arms around you, pulling you into her chest. You go willingly, trembling, clutching her hoodie like it’s the only thing keeping you above water.

“I’ve got you,” she says over and over. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

And for the first time all day, the weight feels just a little lighter.