Becoming Mrs DeLuca novel Chapter 38

ADRIAN

Sofia had woken up one more time, but when I tried to get up, Valentina insisted that I stay in bed as she took care of it.

Maybe that was why I felt more relaxed this morning than I’d felt in a long time.

And despite her lack of sleep, Valentina got up once I was done in the bathroom and slipped in herself.

I stepped into Stefan’s room. As expected, he was already awake and hunched over his tablet, the glow lighting up his small face. In the beginning, I’d tried hiding it from him, thinking the constant screen wasn’t good. But it was the only thing that seemed to make him even remotely happy, and so every morning, I gave it back. At least it kept him calm.

He didn’t so much as glance at me when I entered. His little shoulders stiffened, though, as if bracing himself. That reaction unsettled me more than I cared to admit.

I crouched beside his bed until I was level with him. “Stefan, come on. Put that aside.”

There was nothing. Not even a flicker of acknowledgment.

I reached out and slid the tablet from his hands. The second it was gone, his scream tore through the room, raw and piercing. My jaw tightened, but I didn’t hand it back. Instead, I placed it high up on the shelf where he couldn’t reach. Then I picked him up.

He fought me the entire time- small arms flailing, legs kicking, his little body rigid with refusal. And still, the worst pain wasn’t the struggle itself. It was how much he resisted being near me at all.

Swallowing the ache down, I carried him over to the changing table. This had always been our ritual, me waking him, us sharing these small moments together. He used to love it, used to cling to me in the mornings. But now… now it felt like all of that had been ripped away.

His teary eyes darted past me suddenly, drawn to something behind my shoulder. I turned and found Valentina standing in the doorway, holding the dog in her arms. Her gaze was soft, her expression almost too full of emotion.

She stepped inside quietly. “Milo heard you crying and came up to check on you,” she said gently.

At the sound of her voice, Stefan’s cries faltered. His attention shifted to the dog. Wide–eyed, he studied the fluffy creature as if it were the only thing in the room that mattered.

Valentina stopped beside us, lowering Milo just enough so the dog could peek over the edge of the table. Stefan’s small hands stilled. His eyes locked on Milo’s, and for once, he didn’t fight me while I undressed him. His chest still trembled with after–sobs, but he stayed quiet, captivated by the dog.

Valentina opened the wardrobe and carefully selected his clothes. She laid them beside me: jeans, socks with little spiders drawn on them, and a sweater with bold letters across the front.

She smiled as she held it up. “You get to wear your big brother shirt today.”

Chapter 38

MG you to

Stefan blinked at it, and for a fleeting moment, the corners of his mouth trembled into something close to a smile. It was small, but it was real.

I had to look away when I felt myself starting to get emotional. Clearing my throat roughly, I forced out, “You are a good big brother, Stefan. Sofia needs you at her side.”

He nodded slowly and let me put the clothes on. He could dress himself, more or less, but as with so many other things, he refused to do it since his mother’s death. I lifted him off the table but didn’t put him down so he could walk as I usually would have done. I pressed him to my body. His eyes remained on Milo, but at least he didn’t try to squirm away from me.

“Let’s check on Sofia,” I said.

We headed into Sofia’s room together, and Valentina set Milo down so she could pick up Sofia. The dog trotted out of the room to do whatever it had in mind, probably to pee on the expensive rugs.

The moment it was out of sight, Stefan became restless. I lowered him to the floor before he could start to cry again. He immediately walked away, probably to go in search of his tablet. Valentina held Sofia but looked at me. The compassion in her expression didn’t infuriate me this morning. It only made me feel wistful.

With Sofia on her arm, she came over to me and touched my chest. “He’ll come around, I promise. Just give it time. It takes time to heal.”

Would she be as optimistic if she knew what had really happened?

I glanced down at my watch. “I need to go now.”

I was about to walk out, but then I stopped. I wasn’t sure why, but I cupped her cheek and pressed a light kiss to her mouth. “I appreciate your efforts, Valentina.”

Surprise crossed her face. The same surprise I felt since minute one of our marriage. She wasn’t anything like I expected. She could have given in to the hysterics like other young women, but instead she tried to handle the tasks of her new life diligently.

She handled them in a kind and lovely way. She seemed too good to be true.

I pulled back and went downstairs. Elia waited for me in front of my car to get further instructions. Remembering last night and this morning, a hint of reluctance filled me when I thought about my

arrangement with Elia, but it wasn’t enough to make me abandon the matter. Valentina had done nothing to deserve this, but I needed certainty before her loveliness had me wrapped around her finger and made me blind to a hurtful truth.

I was doing it for myself, but more than that, it was for my kids too.

My kids wouldn’t survive a repeat performance of their mother’s demise.