Coping With Life

Cara's POV

"Thank you," I said softly as the doctor wiped away what was left of the gel on my protruding belly.

I was in a hurry to get back to the mansion.. in a hurry to see Adonis. It wasn't like he could speak or even blink at me, but being in his presence alone was calming.

It made me feel content. Just seeing the light rise and fall of his chest reminded me that there was still hope.

Done with my check-up for the day, I stepped out of the hospital with my bodyguards behind me, ushering me into the car, and then we were off.

It's been a month since that night.

Over seven since I met him, and four since I got pregnant. The time was so little, but a lot had changed.

I remember thinking to myself a few months back that I wanted my father's killers gone within six months of being Mrs Bernardi.

If you asked me now, everything was so wrong with that thought.

The next thing I knew after Alvaro delivered the news to myself and Luca, I was waking up on a bed.

It seemed like passing out had become a personal hobby of mine.

It hurt. God, it did. But I'd come to accept that it was better than hearing he was dead. The men were released with simple bruises and nothing more, and then we were off to the mansion.

Adonis had been lying in bed ever since.

It was still hard to come to terms with the fact that my father was the leader of the most feared mafia group in the world. What was harder was the fact that he expected me to take over.

We weren't all that close—it'll take a while to get there, but his occasional calls made me happy. I knew he was dying to ask when I'd be visiting for the first time; he always had a lot of stories to tell whenever he called. Stories about the mother I never knew. Stories about myself as a child. Stories about their love.

But it wasn't time yet. I couldn't leave Adonis.

I couldn't leave the family. They had begun to look up to me as a stand-in for their indisposed leader. It seemed like the fact that I was carrying his heir gave them hope... as though it gave them a reason to remain strong.

Everyone was trying their best to keep the family as alive as Adonis would've wanted. He was a strict ruler, but he valued his subordinates.

Their loyalty to him was a testament to that. Yet it made me more anxious.

Would they still be loyal if they found out the truth?

The people who knew about it were dead, save the unknown sister and Adonis's mother. I and Luca had agreed with my father to take the secret to our graves—what if either of the two women showed up?

So I had busied myself with finding them.

I wanted to get to them first before they did us. But even with the experience I had, there was little I could get done myself without exposing the truth.

What of Luca, you say?

I haven't seen him in two weeks.

It's as though he'd been avoiding me since we found out.

At first, he'd come to the mansion, dish out orders and duties, check on Adonis when he was sure I wasn't in the room, which was very difficult as I was always in the room then leave again.

He continued that way for two weeks until he ultimately stopped coming.

I wondered if it was because he was uncomfortable with the news about my birth. Was he worried I'd switch sides? I had tried reaching out to him; it was hard to reach out to someone who didn't want to be seen.

Conversing with Cecelia was easy and it kept me occupied. She always dropped by the mansion to keep me company and when she couldn't, we'd find a way to video call.

She had also noticed the subtle changes in Luca and was just as helpless as I was. I couldn't even tell her the reason I suspected it to be.

The tyres of the car screeched to a halt, and I got out without any assistance, rushing towards the third floor.

"Hello!"

I greeted a worried-looking Nadia, who was waiting to receive me by the door.

Considering my newfound trust issues, she was the best choice. I needed someone whom I could trust to look after Adonis when I was too tired or stressed to do so, so I had to call her in.

The poor woman almost had a heart attack at the news, but like me, she believed he was going to scale through.

"Cara?" She called after me, but I was already down the hall, pressing the elevator button to the third floor.

The moment I stepped onto our floor, the sleepy form of Cecelia curled up on our sofa stood starkly out of place in the usually put-together and silent living room.

Taking soft steps, I walked up to her, giving her a gentle shake.

"Cecelia?"

She sighed and mumbled something incoherent as she blinked her eyes open.

I immediately knew something was wrong.

The dried tears on her face were enough to tell me if her messy appearance and bloodshot eyes didn't.

Taking a seat on the sofa opposite hers, she sits up, resting her chin on her legs as she pulls them together.

"What did Luca do?" I asked plainly, and it evoked fresh tears in her already dried-up eyes.

Whatever he had done, it was very bad.

"It's fine." I comforted like I didn't need someone to comfort me too. "You can take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

I was already where I wanted to be, even if it was a few steps away.

Cecelia sniffed, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"He called off the engagement."

My eyes narrowed in disbelief at the unexpected news.

"What? Why would he do that?"

"I think he's cheating on me, Cara."

She broke down into tears.