LOGINValeria’s POVTerra looked exhausted as she sat across from me. The tears staining her face made her appear older somehow, more fragile than the terrifying ghost I had built up in my mind over the last twenty-six years. “Our picture perfect family image was much more important to him than my mental health and my feelings,” she resumed quietly. “He tried to gaslight me into staying, talking about how a broken home would severely affect you growing up but I told him you growing up and finding out he cheated would be far worse because of how much you idolized him.”I swallowed hard.The way she said idolized hit too close to home because it was true. Growing up, I had worshipped my father completely. In my eyes, Eren Daelmont could do no wrong. He was powerful, intelligent, protective and endlessly devoted to me after Terra disappeared.Everything I believed about love and safety had been built around him.Terra uttered, her voice trembling slightly.“He quickly switched to manipulation
Valeria’s POVThe words felt unreal at first. They hovered in the air between us like something poisonous, something too twisted and absurd for my brain to fully process. But no matter how badly I wanted to dismiss Terra as a liar or a lunatic, I couldn’t deny what I had seen with my own eyes.Those scars definitely weren’t fake.The memory of them flashed through my mind again and my stomach twisted violently. The burn marks. The raised flesh. The ugly, uneven patches spread across her skin like evidence of prolonged torture. No amount of makeup or theatrics could fabricate something that horrific.I hated that part of me softened at the sight.I hated that despite everything, despite twenty-six years of resentment and abandonment and grief, there was still a part of me that reacted instinctively to her pain.Forcing down the voice in my head that reminded me I couldn’t trust her, I let out a slow breath and moved away from the door, lowering myself back into the chair.“ You have 5
Valeria's POV “Don’t pretend like you suddenly care for me,” I cut in sharply, my patience snapping. “What is this really about, Terra?”The name slipped out with intention.I saw it hit her immediately. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, the faintest crack in her composure. Good. She didn’t deserve to be called anything else. She wasn’t my mother. Not anymore.“Valeria, please just—”“This is about money, isn’t it?” I interrupted again, my tone laced with biting sarcasm. “Going by your appearance, you’re in desperate need of some cash. Wherever the hell you’ve been didn’t favor you, huh? You couldn’t show your face to Dad so you came to me because you still think I’m that helpless little kid who couldn’t live without her Mom.”“No, sweetheart. You’ve got it all wrong. Please just listen to me for a second—”“Stop it!” I snapped, my voice rising. “Stop with the emotional blackmail, it won’t work on me. I’ve already lost all respect for you, don’t make me lose my humanity as well. If
Valeria’s POVWhen I opened my eyes, the first thing that hit me was the unfamiliarity.It wasn’t just the room. It was the silence, the stillness, the way everything felt slightly… off, like I had woken up in a place that didn’t belong to me. For a few seconds, I simply lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. My brain felt slow, sluggish, like it was struggling to catch up with reality.Then I tried to move.The moment I pushed myself up even slightly, a sharp, piercing pain shot through my head, so sudden and intense that I gasped and dropped back onto the bed immediately. A high-pitched ringing followed, echoing through my skull like a warning siren, and I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping the sheets tightly as I tried to breathe through it.What the hell…My hand instinctively moved to my head, fingers brushing against something rough and unfamiliar. Bandages.That was enough to send my survival instincts into overdrive.My eyes snapped open aga
Valeria's POV Because she was pulling me along so urgently, I couldn’t see her face. The hood of her sweatshirt obscured most of her features, and all I could make out were fragments. She was definitely a middle-aged woman, dressed in simple grey sweatpants and a hoodie that looked worn but clean. Her build was a little on the heavier side, nothing remarkable, but her grip on my wrist was firm and steady.And her hand…It was soft. Warm. Comforting in a way that made no sense given the situation.That same wave of familiarity washed over me again, stronger this time, and it unsettled me deeply. I had no reason to trust her. After everything that had happened today, trusting anyone felt like the fastest way to get myself killed. And yet, something deep inside me insisted that she wasn’t with Isis. That she hadn’t been sent to finish what the others started.But if not that… then what?“At least tell me where we’re going,” I pressed, my voice tightening as my head throbbed violently wit
Valeria's POV The moment they closed in around me, forming a loose but unmistakable circle, I knew there was no escaping this without playing along. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run, to fight, to do something—anything—but the cold, unyielding press of the gun at my back was enough to silence every reckless impulse. I could try screaming for help, but what good would that do? Wouldn't I just end up with a bullet lodged in my spine before anyone could even process what was happening?No. It wasn’t worth the risk.If I died now, Isis would win. She would get away with everything—every lie, every scheme, every attempt on my life. I had come too far, endured too much, to let it end like this.So I nodded.It was small, barely perceptible, but it was enough. The man behind me seemed satisfied because the pressure of the gun shifted slightly, and one of the others gestured sharply toward a narrow alleyway just a few feet away. My legs felt unsteady as I moved, my heart slammi
Valeria's POV After Elliot had his ice cream, we all settled into a warm conversation. The conversation moved from the dining table to the living room, Elliot sprawled on the floor with his tablet while the adults drank coffee and munched on cookies."Remember that summer we tried to build a treeh
Valeria's POV She sank back into her chair. “That… That's my private life. How is that any of your business?”“It became my business when those boys hurt my son, when you dismissed it, and when you protected them instead of doing your job.” I snapped back. I pulled out a paper from my bag that show
Valeria's POV My eyes narrowed into slits as I glared at her. The threat was clear; if she punished the bullies, my son would be punished too."So you are going to do nothing.""I am going to treat this as what it is: a minor disagreement between children. But I assure you that we will keep an eye
Valeria's POV "No, baby," I rushed out, pulling him close again. "No, I didn't do anything wrong. Some people don't understand what happened and they believe lies that other people tell for money. But that doesn't make those lies true. I promise you I have never done anything to hurt anyone on pur







