Rain blurred the city lights outside the car window.
Adrian sat stiffly in the back seat, Marco's coat wrapped tightly around his thin shoulders. The fabric was warm, heavier than anything he had worn in years, but it also felt unfamiliar—like it didn't belong to him.
Nothing about tonight felt real.
Not the men.
Not the guns.
Not the name they kept calling him.
Adrian De Luca.
He stared down at his hands.
They were still shaking.
The car was quiet except for the steady sound of rain and the low hum of the engine. Dante drove with both hands firmly on the wheel, his eyes fixed on the road. Marco sat beside Adrian, occasionally glancing toward him like he was afraid the boy might disappear.
Adrian noticed.
It made him nervous.
Finally, he spoke in a small voice.
"…You said someone knows."
Marco turned slightly toward him.
"Yes."
"Who?"
Marco didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he chose his words carefully.
"We don't know yet."
Adrian swallowed.
"So… someone is looking for me?"
Dante's voice came from the front.
"Not anymore."
His tone carried a quiet promise.
Adrian didn't know why, but hearing that made his chest tighten strangely.
The car drove for a while in silence.
Streetlights passed one by one outside the window.
Adrian kept watching them, trying to understand what was happening.
Everything had changed too quickly.
Only a few hours ago he had been chopping wood in the rain.
Now he was sitting in a car with strangers who said they were his family.
He glanced at Marco.
The man looked calm.
But Adrian noticed something.
Marco kept looking at him with a strange expression.
Like he was studying him.
Adrian looked away quickly.
"…Why are you staring at me?" he asked quietly.
Marco blinked.
Then he gave a small, apologetic smile.
"Sorry."
Adrian frowned slightly.
Marco continued softly.
"You look a lot like someone I know."
Adrian's chest tightened.
"…My twin?"
Marco nodded.
"Alessio."
The name echoed inside Adrian's mind.
Alessio.
Something about it felt familiar.
But when he tried to remember more…
His head began to ache again.
Adrian quickly looked down.
"I don't remember him."
"That's okay," Marco said gently.
"You don't have to remember everything right away."
Adrian nodded slowly.
But inside, he felt something strange.
A small piece of guilt.
Someone had been waiting for him, they said.
For eleven years.
And he couldn't even remember them.
The car finally slowed.
Adrian looked up.
At first, he thought they had entered a different part of the city.
The streets were wider.
Cleaner.
Tall gates appeared ahead.
Dante drove toward them without slowing down.
The gates opened automatically.
Adrian's eyes widened.
Beyond the gates…
A massive estate stretched into the darkness.
Rows of trees lined the long driveway.
Lights illuminated a huge mansion in the distance.
Adrian's breath caught in his throat.
"…Where are we?"
Marco answered quietly.
"Home."
The word echoed inside Adrian's chest again.
But this time…
It didn't feel completely impossible.
The car moved slowly down the long driveway.
As they got closer to the mansion, Adrian noticed something.
People were standing outside.
A lot of them.
Guards.
Staff.
And several figures near the front steps.
They were waiting.
Adrian's heart suddenly began beating faster.
"…Why are they all there?"
Marco glanced toward the entrance.
"Because they've been waiting for you."
Adrian's stomach twisted.
The car finally stopped.
Dante turned off the engine.
For a moment…
No one moved.
Marco looked at Adrian.
"You don't have to rush," he said gently.
Adrian nodded slowly.
But his hands were trembling again.
Marco opened the car door first.
Cold air rushed inside.
Then Dante stepped out.
Adrian hesitated.
He could see the people outside now.
Some of them looked nervous.
Some looked shocked.
And one woman standing near the center…
Was already crying.
Adrian felt his chest tighten painfully.
"Is that…?" he whispered.
Marco nodded softly.
"Yes."
Adrian suddenly felt scared.
More scared than he had been during the gunshots.
"What if…" he murmured.
Marco looked at him.
"What if what?"
Adrian's voice trembled.
"What if she's wrong?"
Marco understood immediately.
What if they were wrong?
What if Adrian wasn't really their son?
Marco placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder.
"You'll still be safe here."
Adrian stared at him.
"Even if I'm not… Adrian?"
Marco didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Adrian looked down again.
Then slowly…
He stepped out of the car.
The rain had stopped.
The night air was cool and quiet.
The moment Adrian stood up fully…
Every person outside the mansion froze.
Because the resemblance was impossible to miss.
He looked exactly like Alessio.
Just thinner.
More fragile.
The woman standing on the steps gasped softly.
Her hand covered her mouth.
"…Adrian."
The name trembled in her voice.
Adrian froze.
Marco stepped slightly behind him, giving him space.
The woman slowly walked down the steps.
Each step looked careful.
Like she was afraid the moment might break.
When she reached the bottom…
She stopped a few feet away.
Her eyes moved across Adrian's face.
His hair.
His thin frame.
The bruises on his arms.
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"My baby…"
Adrian didn't know what to do.
No one had ever looked at him like that before.
Like he mattered.
Like he had been missed.
She lifted her hand slightly.
But stopped halfway.
"…May I?" she asked softly.
Adrian blinked.
No adult had ever asked him permission before.
He didn't understand why.
But slowly…
He nodded.
The woman stepped forward.
Her arms wrapped gently around him.
The hug was careful.
Soft.
Like she was afraid of hurting him.
Adrian stiffened instantly.
His body didn't know how to react.
But the woman simply held him.
Her shoulders shaking quietly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
The words confused him.
"Why?"
She pulled back slightly, tears still falling.
"Because it took us so long to find you."
Adrian stared at her.
For some reason…
His chest hurt again.
Behind them, footsteps approached slowly.
Adrian turned his head.
Several young men stood there.
They all looked different.
But something about them felt similar.
The same eyes.
The same sharp features.
Family.
One of them stepped forward hesitantly.
He looked about Adrian's age.
Maybe the same age.
Their eyes met.
And the world suddenly felt strange.
Because it was like looking into a mirror.
The boy's voice came out barely above a whisper.
"…Adrian?"
Adrian stared at him.
His heart beating loudly.
"…Alessio?" he said slowly.
The boy's eyes filled with tears.
And for the first time in eleven years…
The De Luca twins stood face to face again.
But neither of them knew what to say next.