“Where is he?” Cara asked Luca.
She wanted to get to him as soon as possible; the longer she waited, the more liable she was to change her mind.
Without waiting for a reply, she was already out of the room and heading towards the elevator.
If Adonis wasn’t on their floor, then he was definitely on the second floor, she concluded, but Luca’s reply caused her to halt for a second.
“The fourth floor.”
Cara looked back with a questioning expression.
“The fourth floor?”
He nodded.
The same fourth-floor Adonis had firmly warned her not to ever go into. She was torn. He was already pissed at her; this was not the right time to test his patience.
She frowned. “Are you sure?” And Luca exhaled deeply with a disgruntled expression.
He knew Adonis never liked anyone going up there. It was the only floor in the mansion. Even the maids weren’t allowed to clean that particular floor.
“I’m not sure about anything right now,” he confessed.
“But you still think I should go…”
“Yes.”
Cara nodded at the confirmation, her eyes had a resigned look as she stepped into the elevator and set it headed for the fourth floor.
She wasn’t going to be here too long anyway, so it won’t matter if he got pissed. By the time she reached, her curiosity had heightened, and she’d already guessed about a million things to expect, yet none of it came close.
A weapon room. A safe. His torture room? For God’s sake, even a red room. With the amount of time she’d spent doing ‘things’ with him, she wouldn’t be surprised if he had one… Cara had considered every option available and prepared herself for the worst, but there was nothing to see.
Nothing, as in literally nothing.
It was just an empty, plain floor with only one room, and sitting at the door of the said room with his eyes closed was Adonis.
He looked awful.
Adonis still had on the same bloodstained clothes from the fight, but it was now thoroughly rumpled. His black hair was sticking up in several directions, and his jaw sported a small stubble. He looked like he’d aged ten years in just a day with how pale his skin was and his sunken cheeks.
Cara didn’t know what to do. Now that she was up here, she felt she was unprepared. She had come up with the promise that she’d leave if that’s what he wanted, but she wasn’t so sure anymore. Cara felt her resignation slipping away.
She wanted more time with him.
It’ll be better to just turn around and leave. Yes, that’d be better. He was asleep, so he wouldn’t know she was there.
She raised her foot to take a step back when his tired eyes flung open. They were instantly replaced with contempt as he snarled.
“What are you doing here?
Cara was taken aback at his tone. It was just like when they first met.
“I…” She stuttered, “I wanted to see you.”
Adonis let out a sarcastic laugh but it came out scratchy.
“See me? So you can laugh in my face?” He replied in a husky voice.
“Why would I want to do that?” Cara cried out and he snapped.
“I don’t know. The same reason you decided to betray me. It’s all your fault. Nonno (grandfather) would still be here if it wasn’t for you!”
“You know that’s not true, Adonis!”
He scoffed, looking away from her.
Cara’s stomach fluttered with nerves, and she wondered how she was going to get through to him when he was like this.
Deciding to go with the truth, she spoke up, her voice filled with deep concern.
“I don’t know what to say. I don’t know where to start from. I was angry at you. My life turned upside down the moment I met you, and I believed you were the cause, just like you do now. Yes, I gave Antonio some important documents and info on you-
Adonis squinted his eyes in disbelief. “What?”
“But that was before I fell for you.” Cara quickly defended. “I fell for you and it all didn’t make sense anymore. I began to see things in a better light but I couldn’t stop at once. Antonio would’ve suspected me.”
“You could’ve told me-
“I wanted to.” She choked out a sob. “God, I wanted to but I was scared. We’re new in this, I didn’t want to ruin it all.” She paused to take a seat opposite him, and he threw her a weary look.
“I’m sorry. I sincerely am and I know that you’re angry. You’re grieving. Grandfather meant a lot to all of us, but you can’t shut everyone out, Adonis. We’ve talked about this before. You are in a better place; do not take yourself back to the place where you’d become too confused to accept the truth.”
Finally, his gaze met hers, and the struggle Cara saw in them made hers glint with tears.
Adonis was having an internal battle with himself.
“I messed up.” He croaked out. “I messed up big time. I should’ve known what his plan was. I should’ve protected him.”
Cara placed a hand on his thigh in comfort.
“It’s not your fault. Your grandfather won’t want you to think it is.”
He nodded in agreement.
“It wasn’t my fault.” Then his voice switched from calm to dangerous. “How could I have known that the woman who was hired to be my wife was working for the enemy? I knew you weren’t being completely honest, but I didn’t think you’d follow up with it. After I confessed my feelings to you? I bared my soul to you and you made a mockery of me.”
Cara had anxiously waited for those words. It took longer than she expected, but she knew they’d come. There was no need to avoid a conversation that would later happen.
“I know I did wrong, and that’s why I made sure to tell you myself before you find out elsewhere.”
She said in a level tone but was taken by surprise as Adonis rose abruptly.
“Get up.” He instructed, and she did.
“Look round. This is the fourth floor I told you to stay away from. Do you know why?”
Cara shook her head in reply.
“This floor means the most to me in the entire mansion. I left it bare because it’s where I come to whenever I want to be alone. It’s where I can easily be myself without the pressure of who I’m supposed to be. In here, I am not Adonis Alessandro Bernardi, heir to the Italian mafia, but just Adonis. I’ve always said I never wanted to love or commit. That’s a lie because I wanted something more. A home.” He gave her a sad smile as he glanced around the room. “A small space where I could make my own family, but now, it has become a place where I lost the last family I had left. The place where I’ll let you go…”
Cara’s face snapped to his and tears welled up in her eyes again.
“Don’t do this, Adonis. Whatever happened, I am willing to pay for it. Punish me if you want but I don’t want to lose what we had. You know it was real. What we had was real.” She pleaded.
“No, I don’t! I don’t Cara! When it comes to you, I can’t tell which part is fake or real.” He spat, his voice dripping with bitterness.
His words hurt more than she thought they would, but Cara told herself it was because he was hurting. There’s no way he meant those words. She reached out to him, and he took a step back.
“Adonis ple-
He raised a finger in silence.
“Do not say a word. I should’ve known this wouldn’t work. Everyone always leaves. Cara Camilla Rodriguez. I relieve you of the marriage contract we had. I’ll pay you the rest of the money for the time and effort wasted.”
Then walked over to the elevator door.
“The only reason I’m not putting a bullet through your head is because I love you.”
Cara choked back a sob at his confession.
Why now?
How could he say he loves her, yet he’s asking her to leave?
“Adonis, please…
Adonis threw her a cold glance
“Get off my estate.”
And then he was gone.