Becoming Mrs DeLuca novel Chapter 78

1

–

Adrian hadn’t gone to work today. He’d said last night that he wanted to take a few days off before his trip few quiet days at home with the family, he’d said — but I knew him well enough to know that stillness didn’t come naturally to him. He didn’t know what to do with free time, and that made him restless.

I stayed in bed longer than usual, staring at the ceiling while sunlight crept across the sheets. My body was awake, but my mind felt far away, like it was somewhere foggy and unreachable.

a

When I finally came downstairs, Sofia was sprawled across the living room floor, surrounded by dolls, her tiny curls bouncing as she made them “talk” to each other. Stefan sat on the couch with a book open in his lap, though I could tell from the way he was staring out the window that he wasn’t really reading.

Adrian was in the kitchen with his sleeves rolled up, stirring something on the stove. He looked out of place in his own kitchen. He looked too polished for the domestic mess of breakfast, but there was something disarming about it, watching him move so calmly, like he belonged here.

“Morning,” he said when he noticed me. His voice was soft, but there was an undercurrent of concern there, something cautious. “You slept in.”

“I didn’t mean to,” I said, rubbing my arms. “I just… didn’t sleep well.”

He nodded once, as if that explained everything, and went back to stirring. “You’ve been saying that a lot lately.”

“I know.” I nodded toward the stove. “No Sybil?”

“I let her take the day off. Figured I’d make you all breakfast today.”

“Hmm.”

I joined Sofia on the floor, pretending to help her dress one of her dolls before walking back to the counter. She talked in quick, breathless bursts, her words tumbling over one another, but my mind barely registered them. My focus kept drifting to the hallway, to the stairs, to the faint hum of the refrigerators and other appliances around us.

I hadn’t told Adrian about the noises again, or the mud near the front door yesterday evening, or the way Stefan had started locking his bedroom door when he went to bed. Every time I tried to tell myself it was nothing, I felt that strange pull again that feeling that something in this house was… off.

“You’re quiet,” Adrian said from the kitchen island, setting down a mug of coffee in front of me. He leaned on the counter, watching me. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly… too quickly.

He didn’t believe me. I could tell by the way his jaw tightened.

“You don’t look fine,” he said, quietly. “Valentina, look at you. You’re staring right through me.”

“I’m just tired,” I murmured, not meeting his eyes.

“Valentina,” he said softly. My name sounded more like a sigh, and I knew his patience was starting to wear thin. “You’ve been tired for weeks.”

Sofia suddenly let out a loud shriek. One of her dolls had fallen off her play table.

The sound startled me so hard that I jumped. My hand knocked over the mug Adrian had set for me, spilling coffee across the counter in a dark wave,

Adrian’s eyes shot to mine. “Hey,” he said, his tone immediately changing to a careful and alarmed one. “Are you okay? It was just Sofia.”

“1-“I looked down at my shaking hands. My pulse was hammering against my ribs. “It just scared me, that’s all. I wasn’t expecting it.”

He crossed the space between us in two strides. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

I tried to laugh it off, but my voice cracked. “I just wasn’t expecting it.”

Adrian frowned, studying me closely. “What’s going on with you?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it again. How could I even begin to explain? That ever since Stefan had said those words to me two weeks ago, I couldn’t walk through the house without feeling watched? That the creak of the hallway floor made my heart race? That I could swear I smelled her perfume sometimes lingering in the upstairs hall, long after everyone had gone to bed? How could I even say that when I’d never met her and definitely didn’t know what her perfume smelled like?

Sofia’s toy clattered to the ground again, this time, a small harmless thud, but I flinched anyway, my heart leaping into my throat.

“Valentina,” Adrian said, lowering his voice. “Look at me.”

I turned toward him.

“You’ve been distracted all morning,” he said. “Yesterday too. You’re pale as a sheet. You’re jumpy. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Nothing,” I said again, even though we both knew it was a lie.

Behind us, Stefan shifted on the chair. “Are you fighting?” His voice was small and uncertain.

Adrian and I both turned toward him. He was sitting up now, clutching the book to his chest. His eyes were wide. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” Adrian said instantly, crouching down to his level. “No, Stefan. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then why are you mad at mummy Valentina?”

Adrian forced a smile, calm but tight. “I’m not mad, buddy. We’re just talking.”

Stefan didn’t look convinced. He turned to me, his little brow furrowed. “You were crying last night.”

I swallowed. “No, sweetheart, I wasn’t-”

“You were,” he said firmly. “I heard you.”

Adrian stood up slowly, his eyes meeting mine over Stefan’s head. His expression was unreadable, but something in it made my stomach twist.

“Why don’t you go play with Sofia?” Adrian said gently, his hand brushing Stefan’s shoulder.

Stefan nodded, though he hesitated before moving. I watched him lead his sister toward the playroom, their small voices echoing faintly down the hall.

Once they were gone, Adrian turned back to me. “Upstairs,” he said quietly.

I followed him without a word.

He didn’t speak until we were in our bedroom. He closed the door softly behind us, the click echoing louder than it should have. For a moment, he just stood there, his hands braced on the edge of the dresser, staring at

the floor.

Then, finally, he looked up. “Tell me what’s going on,” he said.

I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers twisting the hem of my sleeve. “It’s nothing,” I whispered.

“Valentina.” His tone sharpened. “Stop saying that.”

I hesitated, then met his eyes. “Ever since Stefan told me that… that his mother still visits him – I don’t know,

I can’t stop thinking about it. I keep hearing things, noticing things. Footsteps. Doors closing. It’s probably just placebo effect, but—”

“Enough.”

The word was quiet but firm.

I blinked. “I’m just saying that maybe—”

“You’re exhausted,” he cut in. “That’s all.”

“Adrian-”

He came closer, crouching in front of me so we were eye level. His hand came up to my face, thumb brushing under my eye. “You haven’t been sleeping. You’ve been taking care of the kids, managing the house, dealing with my late nights. It’s too much.”

“I’m fine,” I said again, but my voice didn’t sound like my own.

“You’re not,” he said softly. “You’re starting to imagine things.”

“I’m not imagining-”

Chapter 78

56 vouchers

“Yes, you are,” he said, almost tenderly. “And I don’t blame you for it. You’re human. Anyone would start seeing shadows if they didn’t rest.”

There was no cruelty in his tone, but something about the way he said it made me feel small, like I was a child. being soothed out of a nightmare.

“I just thought maybe Stefan should talk to someone,” I said. “A therapist. He’s been quieter lately. Withdrawn.”

Adrian stood, his shoulders tensing. “He’s fine.”

“I don’t think he is.”

“I said he’s fine. With the way you’re acting, maybe you’re the one who needs help.”

The firmness in his voice startled me.

“He’s a sensitive kid,” Adrian went on, more calmly now. “He doesn’t need a stranger digging around in his head. He needs stability. Routine. That’s what we give him.”

“But I can’t shake off the feeling that something is wrong, Adrian.”

“Valentina!” Adrian said sharply, then exhaled. “I held my bleeding wife in my arms. I closed her eyelids with my own fingers. I watched her being settled six feet underground. This… this thing you’re doing now isn’t helping anyone in any way! You want Stefan to get better? Maybe be the adult here and make him see that everything is fine!”

I wanted to argue, but the exhaustion in his voice, the quiet finality stopped me.

He sat beside me and reached for my hand. “Listen,” he said softly, “I know this house can feel heavy and alive sometimes. It’s an old house. It creaks. Shadows play tricks on your mind. But there’s nothing to worry about. Do you understand?”

I nodded, even though I didn’t believe him. “Can you stay? Can you move your trip and stay for a while?”

“Baby, you know I can’t do that. I have to work.” He sighed, then looked at me again. “We can move.”

I looked up abruptly. “What?”

“Yes,” Adrian nodded insistently. “We can move somewhere else if that’s what you want. We can move to a new build if it’ll make you feel better.”

“No,” I said immediately, suddenly feeling bad. “No… I don’t want to move. I love this house. The kids love this house. We don’t have to uproot them from what they’re used to.”

He brushed a strand of hair from my face and kissed my forehead. “You just need rest,” he whispered. “Let me take care of you tonight.”

I nodded again, because what else could I do?

But when he turned away to dim the light, I caught the faintest glimpse of something in his expression. A

flicker of fear, buried beneath the calm.

My mind was convinced that something was very wrong. Maybe I really needed to rest.