She hadn't asked Camilla to protect her. She hadn't known the bullet was coming, and she hadn't wanted Camilla to step into its path. But standing in front of her mother, those explanations felt insignificant. Valeria wasn't looking at the situation as an investigator would. She was looking at it as a mother who had nearly lost her daughter.
Valeria's eyes narrowed as she studied Daniella. "Who are you?"
Daniella slowly lifted her eyes. "I'm Daniella Montenegro."
The older woman's expression changed slightly, as though the name confirmed something she had already heard from the people who had brought her here. "So you're Daniella."
There was no familiarity in her voice, only recognition of a name she had been given.
Daniella nodded. "Yes, Mrs. Villarreal."
Valeria's jaw tightened. "I don't know you. My daughter never brought you into my life, and yet today she was willing to sacrifice herself for you."
"I never asked her to," Daniella said quietly.
