Becoming Mrs DeLuca novel Chapter 105

**Through Shadows We Painted Our Forever by Erynn Vel Coren**
**Chapter 105**

**ADRIAN**

The tires screeched against the slick asphalt as I navigated the final corner with reckless speed. The rain had begun to fall, transforming the world outside into a chaotic watercolor painting, the headlights slicing through the downpour like sharp blades. Beyond the windshield, everything morphed into a swirling blur, indistinct and unnerving.

My heart raced, pounding furiously in my throat, echoing in my temples, and vibrating through my fingertips as they gripped the steering wheel.

Rico’s last words echoed relentlessly in my mind, drowning out even the roar of the engine.

*I simply took what belongs to me.*

Stefan. My son. Snatched away.

With a surge of adrenaline, I slammed the brakes just in front of the house. The vehicle barely came to a halt when the front door burst open, and Valentina came barreling out, barefoot and coatless, her hair plastered to her face by the relentless rain. In the floodlights, she appeared like a specter—pale, wild-eyed, and already unraveling.

“Adrian!” Her voice pierced the night, a desperate scream that clawed at my heart the moment she reached me. She collided with my chest so forcefully that I had to brace myself, my legs trembling to keep me upright.

Her hands clawed at my jacket, my shirt, anything within her grasp. “Tell me I heard wrong. Tell me you didn’t say he took Stefan. Tell me it’s not true!”

I grasped her wrists, attempting to steady her, but she shook so violently that it felt like I was holding onto a storm. “Valentina—”

“No!” She wrenched herself free and pounded her fists against my chest, each blow a mix of anguish and fury. “No, no, no! This is my fault. I went to him. I told him everything. I thought I could fix it, and instead, I made it worse. I made him take my baby!”

Her voice cracked on the last word, and she folded in half, wrapping her arms around her belly as if trying to physically hold herself together. Sobs erupted from her, raw and jagged, the kind that left no room for air.

I sank to my knees in the driveway, the rain soaking through my suit, and pulled her into me. She fought against me for a brief moment before collapsing against my shoulder, her fingers digging into my back with a grip that felt like it might leave bruises.

“Listen to me,” I murmured into her drenched hair, my voice steady despite the chaos around us. “This is not your fault. Rico was always going to do this the moment he found out. You didn’t hand Stefan to him; he already took our son before you even went there. If anything, you fought for him. You hear me? You fought.”

Her sobs were too overwhelming for her to respond, and all I could do was hold her tightly as the rain poured down, washing away the world around us while the bitter truth sank its teeth deeper into both of our souls.

Eventually, I managed to get to my feet, half-carrying her inside. The house felt eerily silent. There were no barks from the dogs, no cheerful sounds of cartoons playing in the living room. Just Sybil standing in the hallway, arms wrapped around herself, her eyes red and puffy.

“Sofia?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

“She’s sleeping upstairs,” Sybil replied softly. “She doesn’t know anything.”

Valentina made a broken sound, pulling away from me as if drawn to the stairs by an invisible force. She needed to see her daughter, to confirm that Sofia was safe and sound in her bed. I let her go; she needed something solid to cling to right now, while I had to make some urgent calls.

I stepped into my office and closed the door behind me. The silence in here was even more oppressive. On the wall, a drawing from Stefan years ago still hung—an uneven red racecar with “DADDY” scrawled beneath it in purple crayon. The sight of it made my chest tighten painfully, and I had to grip the edge of the desk to steady myself.

I dialed Damien’s number.

He picked up on the first ring, his voice sharp and alert. “Talk to me.”

“Rico has Stefan.” My voice came out flat, a lethal edge slicing through the tension. “He admitted it. He found out that the boy is… He’s had him for hours.”

The line fell into a heavy silence, the weight of my words hanging in the air. Then Damien cursed under his breath, the sound low and furious. “Where?”

“I don’t know yet. But I need to be in every property Rico owns—shell companies, his family’s homes, every safe house, every warehouse from here to fucking Milwaukee. Do it quietly, and no one breathes a word until I say.”

“Already pulling records,” Damien confirmed. “I’ve got two guys I trust who can start driving grids tonight. We’ll find him, boss.”

“We have to be faster than Rico,” I insisted, urgency fueling my words. “It’s only been hours, so he’s definitely still in the city.”

“I’m on it,” Damien replied. “You stay with Valentina. Keep her safe. Rico’s crazy. He might want to come for the girl next—”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify