But when you told me the whole story I felt like throwing up

3

Valentina glanced at the tall trees that were almost hiding a worried Sasuke and Sakura.
The pink-haired woman hugged her husband and kissed his forehead as an attempt to calm him from the previous situation with his niece, while his expression remained unreadable.

"Everything will be okay. I am talking to our daughter, Sarada. So she can understand the situation you were in with your brother." Valentina managed to read Sakura's lips. "That he was a good man."

The ex Anbu averted her gaze, uncomfortable at having witnessed the married couple's private conversation, and instead focused on walking alongside Konohamaru by the cliff.

"I'm here if anything," Konohamaru reached for her hand once he noticed her attention was back at him, but Valentina avoided eye contact. She would rather stare at the bottom of the cliff, scanning for any sigh of Itachi's daughter.

"I'm sure your daughter will come to her senses," Konohamaru continued, a soft squeeze on her hand, attempting to make eye contact. Despite the entire situation, he was continuously trying to flirt with her.

"Valentina."

She let go of Konohamaru's gripped as she heard Gaara's voice coming from behind him. "Gaara, hi." She awkwardly waved at him.

Naruto had introduced her to Gaara at his birthday party to see if a romance would spark, and ever since the two had been talking.
However, Valentina knew her relationship with the Kazekage would not advance from the friend zone because she was not the affectionate type. The last time she loved someone, they died to be with the one they desperately wanted to reunite with. Obito desperately wanted to reunite with Rin, and Valentina never got over that.

"I'm sorry to hear about what happened with your daughter." Gaara continued, and her attention was back to him.

It was easier to talk to Gaara than to Konohamaru for her. The redhead did not flirt as much.
But eye contact with either man was hard especially when they kept referring to Lily as her daughter. Lily was not her daughter. Lily looked nothing like Valentina nor Itachi. Lily was all her mother. A constant and eternal reminder that Itachi chose another woman over Valentina.

If either Gaara or Konohamaru knew that Lily was not Valentina's daughter and that she contributed to her parents' death, they would kill her at sight. They would kill Valentina and Sasuke at sight.
Valentina was lucky that Sasuke was close to Naruto and that Naruto was very forgiving.

"I'm here if anything. I'll keep an eye out to see if I see your daughter in the hidden sand village." Gaara continued.

"Thank you." Valentina mumbled as Gaara hugged her and then walked away, leaving her alone with Konohamaru once more.

Jealousy radiated from Konohamaru, but Valentina chose to avoid eye contact. She desperately wanted to be alone and escape her reality by daydreaming.

"Well." Konohamaru pulled her into a big hug. When she tried to pull away, he grabbed her face and pressed his lips against hers. "I'll see you later, Valentina."
As he walked away, he winked and smiled, leaving her standing awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

"What? Was that the first time you've kissed someone in 12 years?" Sasuke's cruel comments began towards Valentina now that they found themselves standing next to each other by the cliff.

"What do you want?" It was in fact the first time Valentina kissed someone after Obito, and at that point she wanted to be left alone. She wanted to jump off the cliff. Not because she hated the kissed, but because Konohamaru kissed her in a manner that was strikingly similar to Obito's when he was still alive.