Valerie looked at the water, then back at Demian. There was a brief hesitation not from fear, but from the realization of something rare, a quiet, steady trust.
Slowly, she stepped forward.
And in that hidden place, beneath a rainbow born of falling water, Valerie allowed herself for the first time in a long while to let everything go.
For Valerie, everything felt pleasant in a way that almost made her forget the world.
In that place beneath the open sky, surrounded by forest and the sound of water that demanded nothing from her, she felt as though her life consisted of only two people: herself and Demian. There was no Ivanka. No pressing family. No watchful gazes that forced her to stay guarded or cautious.
Only them.
The cool river water brushed against her skin, easing Valerie's breath. For the first time in a long while, she did not feel the need to be anyone at all. Not a Duchess. Not a Count's daughter. Not a woman constantly expected to be strong.
She was just Valerie.
