Becoming Mrs DeLuca novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42

ADRIAN

Valentina turned and walked out of the living room before I could say another word. For a few seconds, I just stood there, frozen. It wasn’t because she had seen through Elia’s flirting or sensed that it could’ve been my doing no, that wasn’t what unsettled me It was what she’d said. She wanted to move out of our bedroom.

The words felt like a slap to the face.

I’d let it happen once before- with Serena. I hadn’t fought when she’d demanded her own space, her own bed, her own world separate from mine. I’d accepted it, too tired or too proud to argue, and it had been the beginning of the end. 1 wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Not this time. Not with Valentinal

Because this wasn’t just about appearances or control. I wanted her near me,

I caught up to her on the staircase, my steps echoing against the marble, Reaching out, I took hold of her elbow and gently Turned her around to face me. She stumbled slightly, and her hands flew up, clutching my shoulders to keep from falling. Her eyes met mine- shiny with unshed tears, raw and vulnerable.

Damn it. That was at least the third time I’d made my wife cry since our wedding. My young, brave wife who didn’t deserve any of the coldness I’d shown her. My father’s voice came back to me like a reprimand: Marriage is no place for cruelty. I had told myself I wasn’t guilty of that, but cruelty could take many forms, Silence. Distance, Doubt. And I’d given her all

three.

“I won’t let you move out of our bedroom,” I said quietly but firmly. “You’ll stay.”

Valentina’s brows pulled together as she searched my face. “Why? You don’t even want to hold me at night.”

Her voice cracked on the last word, and the pain behind it made something twist deep in my chest. I would have preferred the sting of a whip over that look in her eyes- hurt, confusion, and maybe even a hint of disbelief.

“Stay,” I repeated, cupping her cheek with my hand. My thumb brushed the soft curve of her cheekbone. She leaned into the touch, just barely, and that small, instinctive gesture undid me.

“Why?” she whispered again.

My jaw clenched. Because I needed her near. Because the thought of her alone in another room made the house feel like a mausoleum again. Because she was the first thing in years that made the darkness ease, even a little.

But the words that came out were simpler. Harder.

“Because I tell you to.”

She shook her head, her voice steadier now, though her eyes still shone. “That’s not a reason, Adrian. Give me something else.”

“Because I want you close,” I said quietly. “Because I like falling asleep with your strawberrys

Valentina blinked, caught off guard. Then the corner of her mouth curved up. “Strawberry

ng my nostrils at night.”

I leaned in before she could tease me further, lowering my head until my lips brushed the soft curve where her neck met her shoulder. Her skin was warm, impossibly soft, and that scent- sweet and faintly fruity–wrapped around me like a spell. I breathed her in, let myself get lost in it, then pressed a slow kiss there.

“Like a goddamn strawberry field, I murmured against her skin. “And I don’t even like strawberries.”

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Chapter 42

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She giggled, her body twitching slightly as I trailed another kiss along her throat. “Who doesn’t like strawberries?”

“Me,” I muttered, nuzzling against her neck again, feeling her laughter vibrate softly beneath my lips. “They’re false advertising. They promise sweetness, but most of the time they’re sour and watery.”

“Adrian,” she gasped between giggles, trying to squirm away. “That ticklest”

I lifted my head, smirking despite myself. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright with amusement and something softer that hit me square in the chest. That unguarded light in her face, it chased away a shadow I hadn’t even realized had settled over me for so long.

For a long moment, I just looked at her.

“Nobody,” she said quietly, as I brushed my thumb over her jaw, “can resist a sweet strawberry”

Her smile widened, gentle and knowing, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt something close to peace.

“Yeah,” I murmured, my voice lower than I intended. “I can see that.”

She tilted her head, a small crease forming between her brows. “It doesn’t make any sense though. I can’t smell like strawberries. My shampoo’s cherry.”

A chuckle rumbled in my chest before I could stop it. “It’s strawberry for me.”

She arched a brow, a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. “Sure. If you order the cherry to be a strawberry, that’s what it’ll be.”

I cut off her teasing with a kiss- soft, unhurried. Not the kind born from anger or frustration, but the kind that felt like an apology I didn’t know how to say out loud. She kept her eyes open, watching me even as our mouths moved together, as if she wasn’t going to let me hide behind it.

“You want me close at night?” she asked against my lips.

“I do.”

“Okay.” Just a simple word that landed somewhere deep inside me.

Without thinking, I scooped her into my arms. She let out a small sound of surprise but didn’t pull away. “Adrian…”

“Shhh…” I brushed my mouth over her temple. “We’ll talk afterward.”

She didn’t argue, just rested her head against my shoulder as I carried her upstairs. The quiet between us wasn’t heavy- it felt like something delicate and unspoken was forming there.

The moment I laid her down on the bed, she moved closer, her body instinctively fitting against mine. For a moment, I just hovered above her, drinking in the warmth of her skin, the faint scent that had somehow become mine alone.

Wo

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