Valentina's POV
The voices around me were relentless. The crowd’s ridicule poured over me like cold rain, their laughter sharp and cutting. I could feel their judgement with every look they threw at me and in their every whisper. My heart raced faster and I found it hard to look up at my father.
“Valentina,” Hiro called me, his steady voice drawing me out of my thoughts- thoughts that wanted to drown me in them.
I raised my head and turned to look at him, a bit surprised by how he had called me. His eyes were dark but I could see every emotion on them, raw and reassuring and I was confused.
“Do you have any trust in me? Do you believe in me?” He asked, his voice still as calm as ever even with all the chaos.
I looked at him with confusion written all over my face, I thought I had
