The De Lucas
She drew in a slow breath.
“I tried to be a wife. I tried to care. But Grant was sleeping around before I even finished unpacking my suitcase. And in a moment of anger… of loneliness… I slept with someone I never should have. I wanted to write this in paper but someone could see it. So video, leaving it with my family hoping you never see it. ”
She looked into the camera now. Straight at me.
“Cedric De Luca.”
My heart stopped.
“He was Grant’s best friend. Dangerous. Ruthless. He had no business being near someone like me, but he was the first man who made me feel seen. Not used. Not sold. Seen.”
She swallowed. “I told him it was a mistake. That I couldn’t—shouldn’t—let it happen again. He said it didn’t matter. That he used protection. But you… you still happened.”
Her voice cracked.
“I lied. I told everyone you were Grant’s. Even him. I didn’t want you born into the kind of life Cedric came from. The De Lucas… they were mafia, Remi. Blood and power and secrets. I couldn’t raise you in that world.”
The camera shook slightly as she reached forward to wipe her face.
“Grant found out eventually. Divorced me. Disowned me. And my family… they tossed me too. I ran. I ran with the only man who ever truly loved me. The man you grew up to know as your father. Joseph. My Joseph. And for a while… we were happy.”
Another video began.
It was me.
No older than four.
Sitting in a flower field, laughing at something the camera wasn’t showing.
Harper’s voice, just off screen, whispered, “My sweet girl. One day you’ll know the truth. But today… just laugh.”
I pressed a hand over my mouth as tears slipped free again.
I let the video play until the end.
Silence filled the room.
And I whispered, “I don’t understand my mother’s life.”
I sat there for a long, heavy moment, staring blankly at the now-black screen. My mother’s life—my life—had just unraveled before me in grainy pixels and whispered secrets. My chest tightened painfully. Every breath felt too shallow, too thin, like I wasn’t getting enough air.
Cedric De Luca.
Mafia. Dangerous. Ruthless. My father.
My real father.
And then Joseph—the gentle man I grew up calling Dad—was someone who chose us. Someone who loved us. The only true comfort in a life that had been tossed around from one powerful man to another.
I couldn’t wrap my head around it all. Tears blurred everything around me as I stood up from the desk, my legs shaky beneath me. I knew exactly what I needed right now—who I needed.
I needed Rowan. He should be back by now.
I didn’t bother grabbing a jacket or keys, didn’t think about appearances or anything else. I just pushed myself forward, down the hall, out the front door, into the night air. My vision was watery as I moved, stumbling slightly down the driveway toward Rowan’s car pulling in just at that moment.
His eyes found mine through the windshield and widened in surprise. But he parked quickly, stepping out of the car, worry flashing across his features.
“Remi?” He moved swiftly to my side, reaching out, gently gripping my trembling shoulders. “Hey—what happened? What’s wrong?”
I didn’t answer—I just moved forward, burying my face in his chest as a sob tore its way out of me. It was a loud, broken cry—the kind you can’t control, that shakes your whole body. Rowan’s arms wrapped around me instantly, pulling me close, shielding me from the world.
“Remi,” he whispered into my hair, holding me tighter. “Talk to me. What happened?”
I clung to him, fingers curled into his shirt, gripping tightly as if letting go meant losing my last anchor to sanity. Finally, through hitching breaths and muffled sobs, I began to speak.
“It’s all a mess,” I choked out. “My mother—my father… everything I thought I knew was a lie, Rowan.”
He didn’t interrupt, didn’t ask questions. He just gently guided me back into the house, sitting us down on the couch, pulling me against him again as I let it all spill out. Everything I saw in the video, every detail of the letter, every painful truth.
“My mother… she married Grant because of debt. Because she had no choice. And Cedric De Luca—” my voice cracked on the name, “—he was Grant’s friend. He was dangerous, mafia. She never wanted me to know. She hid it all. Lied about who my real father was, lied to protect me. Then she met Joseph—the only good thing, the only real love she found. And… and…”
My voice faded into another sob.
Rowan’s hand gently stroked my back, soothing circles against the shuddering breaths. He waited patiently, allowing me the space to grieve. Finally, when the storm inside me began to calm, he spoke softly.
“I’m so sorry, Remi,” he murmured against my hair. “You deserved better.”
“I just don’t understand her life,” I whispered into his chest. “I don’t understand why it had to be so complicated.”
Rowan sighed deeply, pulling back just enough to meet my eyes. His expression was gentle, sincere.
“Power makes people ruthless,” he said quietly, brushing the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. “Your mother was caught in a world she never belonged in. It’s not your fault, Remi. None of it was. She did the best she could. She tried to keep you safe.”
I sniffed, still trembling slightly. “Did you know… the De Luca name? Did you find something?”
Rowan hesitated for just a moment before nodding slowly. “Yes. When we were at the gala—I saw your name in the archives, tied to Cedric De Luca. It’s all there, your birth record, your mother’s brief connection to my grandfather, everything. But I didn’t want to tell you until I had all the facts.”
“So… who exactly was he?” I asked, afraid of the answer but needing the truth.
Rowan took a deep breath. “Cedric De Luca was powerful, Remi. Not the kind of power that comes from money or fame alone. Real power—mafia power. The De Lucas were feared and respected in ways even my family couldn’t match. Your father, Cedric… he was dangerous, yes
, but he was also known for loyalty. And he disappeared not long after your mother left.”
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