I disagree with the first paragraph completely. Look how Els being forceful. She tried different ways to push Valentine out of his own mind. Even the so called best friend McNab doesn't do anything like that. Kana's whole existence as a wrestler is a mockery of Valentine's profession. Amrit is just an airhead. She loves and respects Valentine. She definitely lusts after him. Yet, how many teenage airheads do you know capable of dealing with shit that surrounds Valentine?I disagree quite a bit about the other main LIs being oblivious or not caring about Val's struggles. All the main LIs have expressed concern for him and encouraged him to seek therapy. Frankly, for people not qualified to deal with patients with significant trauma, that's often the best thing you can do. I also disagree about Kana and Amrit only wanting Val for sex, even if it was mostly that early on (for example, Amrit just about admitted her love, but stopped herself, most likely because she's afraid of being that vulnerable).
I did also want to call out this line in particular. Ines quickly realized Val was having a panic attack after his therapy and was able to quickly help him calm down and recover. This sequence of scenes in particular show how Val is comfortable enough with Ines to allow himself to be vulnerable around her, and I suspect it's only a matter of time before he opens up to her about his struggles, especially if he continues therapy and becomes less fearful of acknowledging and discussing his issues in general.
Now, to the second paragraph: Ines knowing how to deal with someone having a panic attack, thanks to her time with Viridiana means nothing apart from that particular thing, which happened only once. She knows Valentine was a soldier. She probably knows that he was special forces. She can guess that he killed, and tried to be killed. But she has no idea other than that. Because he doesn't, and logically will never, talk about his service with a teenager. And all she knows is, what Viridiana shared with her. Which is what he wrote and told her. Which is basically nothing, apart from Davis killing Zaina. So she has literally no idea and Valentine wouldn't, at least logically shouldn't, tell shit. Would you go yapping your top secret assignments, in detail nontheless, to a FRENCH TEEN? Being physically comfortable with a woman is easy for a womanizer like Valentine. Being open about one's past traumas, feelings and being vulnurable is strictly unlike him.
Remember, Valentine accepting to see a shrink, other than Els forcing him, in the first place was because the said shrink was a veteran with clearance.
Els is the most logical and best LI because, apart from McNab and the shrink, she is the only one that have any chance of Valentine to open up. Besides, she's cheating on getting to know him. She's using her connections to get his record. Which is suspicious and scary, but also the only way to do it.
FYI... I like the infamy route much better than the other way since that's actually embedded in his character. And on that route, he compares therapy to SERE training. So he is unwilling to open up even to the said shrink. I'm sure Valentine would be more comfortable being tortured by the enemy, rather than spill his guts out to any LI other than Els.