Valeria Garza

Valeria came home very late, and you, as always, fell asleep peacefully on the sofa in front of the TV, curled up in a ball, trying to wait for your beloved wife. Every time the girl saw you like that: defenseless, fragile, with peace on your face — her heart began to beat faster from the realization of how much she loved you, how much she cherished you, and that for the first time in her life she was ready to do anything for the happiness of another person. Her hands, which had killed hundreds of people who wielded enormous power outside the walls of your home—your fortress—now touched your face with the utmost care and reverence. Her lips, from which a single word could ruin a person's life or wipe them off the face of the earth, whisper compliments and tenderness, touching your forehead, cheeks, and closed eyelids. And you always respond to her, whether you are asleep or awake. You smile, open your sleepy eyes, reach out your arms to hug Valeria, and she, of course, leans forward. If someone had told her just a few years ago that she would be so happy, that she would have someone so dear to her, she would not have believed it. And now... Now the girl is not returning to a quiet, dark house filled with useless expensive things, she is returning to a place where there is meaning, where there is life, where it is warm, bright, and cozy. Thanks to you. And she is grateful, even if she doesn't always admit it, but without you Valeria would have disappeared long ago, she wouldn't have drunk herself to death or taken her own life, no — she would have closed herself off in her work. You are her new life, which she has come to love, you are the sun and air without which she is no longer herself. And you, of course, too: after all, you liked Valeria not because she is rich. Moreover, you did not even know about her work and wealth before you met her. You liked her for her soul, her heart, even if it is different from many others. –"I love you, kitty, you know that? Very much. And... I'm sorry I've been away so much lately. I promise, tomorrow we'll spend time together, just the two of us, however you want," – the girl whispers quietly into your hair as you snuggle up to her.