Adonis blinked.
“I was kidnapped as a child? Nonno never mentioned anything.”
“Not even in your tell-the-story journal?”
He shook his head in disagreement, his grey eyes shining in utter disbelief.
“Hmm.” Miguel shrugged. “I thought he would’ve explained that to you.”
“Well, you can, Dad.” Cara chimed in, curious about the details as well. “Maybe it’ll help us get a clue to solving the picture.”
“There’s nothing much to solve corazon. It’s a simple and clear story.” He dismissed, picking up his refilled glass, “How old were you in that picture?”
Adonis stroked his chin, refreshing his memory. From the picture, he looked grown, but still too young to be a teenager-probably in his preteen years so he threw the guess out,
“… between twelve and thirteen?” watching as Miguel took a swig of his drink, the loud gulp making him wish Cara would allow him just a glass.
His heavy gaze met his wife’s, who-somehow could read his thoughts- gave him a stern look that left no room for negotiation.
“Oh, let the poor man breathe, Camilla.” Her father brushed his hand over his head. “Two months without booze is enough punishment.”
“Thank you so much for your concern, Dad. Now, you were saying?” She retorted with a pointed look.
Raising both hands in mock surrender, the man continued,
“Your age fits the time frame. Camilla was a year and some months old at the time, so I think you’re correct. Your mother, sorry. Sarah,” he rephrased, came for you when Dimitri was out of town. That’s really all that there is to it.”
Adonis still didn’t get it, “I wasn’t a child. I should know if it happened.”
“Ahhh… did I mention you were drugged?”
Cara sucked in a sharp breath.
“Drugged? She drugged her son?”
Why was it that when she thought she could understand that woman, Sarah blew her mind all over again? Who does that to their child? Well, he isn’t her son, but she didn’t know that.
Adonis wasn’t as shocked as she was. Or pissed even. You couldn’t be disappointed in someone you had no expectations of. Instead, he asked in a steady voice,
“Why would she drug me just to take me away? She could’ve asked Nonno if she wanted to see me.”
Miguel sighed dramatically.
“Honestly, I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know why it happened. I’m only bringing the truth together from the clues I know; the things Dimitri told me when we were together. He met his son-in-law’s dark gaze.
“But should you really be asking such a question?”
Words did not need to be said to have an understanding of what he was hinting at. The question was indeed stupid. With everything Sarah did to his son, in addition to knowing the truth, there was no way Dimitri would want her around his grandson.
Adonis cleared his throat, “So, how was I found?”
“High and unconscious in her bedroom.”
Cara who was beginning to feel drowsy, jerked awake,
“What?”
“I think it was two days after you were gone.” Miguel dropped, ignoring her outburst.
“Why would she do that? Is she sane?”
If he heard again, he didn’t let it show, “As I said, I don’t know the details, but I believe she was high as normal and having issues with her husband. She planned to leave with you and the girl.”
“So, it was nothing serious?”
She eyed them in disbelief,
Dosing a child was nothing serious?
“Nothing serious.” Miguel repeated, “Except for the fact that you came back as high as a kite and unconscious for a week.”
“Dad!”
“What!”
“Stop making this into a joke. It is not funny.”
“When did I do such a thing?”
“You keep putting it out there like…
Their banter faded into the background as the wheels turned in Adonis’s mind. His thoughts centred around three main points:
1.) According to their calculations, it seemed he had met Luca by then. How come he had no memory of the event?
2.) Being high the entire time could account for the reason why he couldn’t recollect; what about after waking up? In his mind, it was like the event didn’t exist.
3.) Within the last few months, he had discovered a lot of secrets surrounding his birth and life-secrets he had never imagined yet made sense and opened his eyes. Every unclear thing had been made clear save the cause of his periodic headache. Could it be related to the kidnapping?
He made a mental note to see Doctor Bruno when all was over. If there was anyone that could give him answers, it was the man. After all, he had been their family doctor since Adonis moved away from the Italy mansion.
Feeling a small tug on his arm, he ooked to the side to meet Caras’s eyes on him,
“You seem lost. What’s on your mind?” She whispered so only he could hear.
The previous Adonis would’ve waved it off but the current him easily let his thoughts flow out,
“I’d like to know what happened exactly. I think it’s the answer to a question I have had for years.”
“You could always talk to Sarah.” She suggested
“I’d rather die.”
“I thought so too.” She smiled, searching his eyes.
The last twenty-four hours had been so overwhelming for her; how much more him? Cara knew of his emotional struggles-the demons he had decided to face… He had even gone as far as facing them alone when no one knew.
She had thought he was just grieving when Nonno died, not knowing he was shouldering the burden of the truth.
If her whole life had been a lie, his wasn’t a reality.
How was he faring? Was his strong persona just a facade, and was he breaking down inside? Cara wanted him to know that she was here and wouldn’t be taking an inch away from his side.
Whatever it might be, she was with him every step of the way. They weren’t an ordinary couple; they now had a family, and family stuck by each other.
Wasn’t that his motto?
Clasping his hand in hers tightly, she placed the other over him, “So… I’ve been wanting to tell you something.”
Adonis could hear the hesitation in her voice, “Really?”
She hummed.
“I practised hard, try not to laugh in my face.”
Just then, a phone began to beep, and Miguel stood to his feet, excusing himself.
Yet no one acknowledged him. It wasn’t like he noticed either; he was busy exchanging heated words with whoever was on the other side of the phone.
“Go on…” Adonis encouraged, wondering what it was. She had yet to say a word, but her face had flushed the colour of an overripe tomato.
For some reason, he felt he was about to be amused, but the second she parted her lips,
“Sei il mio mondo, il mio cuore e tutto cio che c’e in mezzo (You’re my world, my heart, and everything in between)…
His jaw dropped.
… Non so quanto ti e stato detto, ma lo diro tutte le volte che avrai bisogno di ascoltarlo ( I do not know how much you’ve been told this, but I will say it as many times as you need to hear it-
Cara paused to catch her breath, by then, tears were already streaming down her eyes, but she continued either way.
-Ti amo Alejandro (I love you Alejandro). Over and over again. Now and forever.”
Adonis’s heart skipped a beat.
Was this what people meant by love could kill? Because God, he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. He was scared that any slight movement would wash away the moment-Adonis wanted to bask in it forever.
Her broken accent didn’t make the words feel any less beautiful than they were. To anyone else, they might have sounded like refined English, but to him, it was an anthem he wanted to recite for the rest of his life.
Steadily, he lifted his trembling hand to wipe away her tears, and just before he could pull away, Cara closed hers around it, placing a small kiss that sent his heart into a seizure.
“Say something…” she murmured.
He wet his lips,
What could he say? What should he start?
He had a lot… so many things… she had learnt Italian for him? It was the first time she was confessing her feelings straight up. Did she mean those words? How could she fall for a man like him?
But when he spoke, none of them came out.
“I… I don’t know what to say.”
Cara let out a small laugh, “That’s more than enough. You’ve said it all.”
No. He wanted to argue. But what was the use when he couldn’t summon those words?
When he tried again, his voice came out in a husky rasp, “You don’t know how much I want to kiss you right now.”
“So what’s stopping you?”
F*ck!
Truly, nothing was stopping him; he could lean down and place a soft kiss on her temple to show how much her confession meant to him. He could take her soft lips in his and-
“Okay. That’s enough. No kissing on my couch.” Miguel marched back in, crossing his arms against one another. “I’ve given you both enough time.”
He could-when her father was somewhere else.
Cara rolled her eyes, “Can’t we just have a minute to ourselves, Dad?”
“You will have more than a minute to yourselves, corazon. Right after we plan the next course of action.” He gave her a fatherly look and then turned to Adonis.
“What’s the plan?”