Out Of The Bag

Cara's POV 

Adonis watched me with nonchalant eyes like it was nothing serious. I scoffed.

Was this how he was going to be?

Natasha moved to hold my hand again. "Cara, I'm sorry—

I held up my hand in silence.

"Not you. I'm talking to Adonis. This is between myself and my husband." 

'I'll be coming back to you later.' I wanted to add but decided against it. Adonis's reply to my question would determine that.

The door to his study was pushed open, and Luca came in with a worried-looking Cecelia. They must have caught on from my tone when I left the movie room that something was wrong, but the tension that they felt in the atmosphere confirmed it. 

"What's going on?" Luca asked, glancing between Adonis, Natasha, and me. 

"Adonis was just going to explain to me why Natasha knows about my family history even better than I do." 

Luca frowned and then turned to Adonis.

"Did you tell her?" 

I eyed him. "So you knew too. Good, who wants to do the honours of explaining it to me? "

"Your father isn't your father." Adonis deadpanned.

"Excuse you? What's that supposed to mean? Next thing you'll say is my mother wasn't my mother." 

"That's right."

I squinted my eyes at him.

"Is this a joke to you? To you all?" 

"You asked for the truth. That's it. Your father had connections with the Grecos and had been paid regularly since you were placed in his care. That's how he fueled his gambling addiction. Kane was with you to keep an eye on him. That's all I know."

I chuckled in disbelief. 

What was he saying? I've been lied to my whole life? But my parents were nice to me. They never told me I wasn't biologically related to them.

I shook my head at them.

"You're lying. You're all lying. You too, Cecelia?"

She gave me a look of pity. "This is also news to me, but if Adonis and Luca say so, I don't think it's a lie."

"This is all my fault." Natasha choked out a sob, and I eyed her irritatingly. 

I had already seen past her pretence; why was she still keeping it up?

Adonis walked over to his safe and searched around for a while before coming back to his desk. He picked up a tablet and placed it in my hand.

"All the evidence you need is there." 

I looked up at him, then at the tablet. My eyes scanned the contents on the screen. He was being truthful. Everything he said was true... I had been played once again moreso, by the people I called family.

The tablet fell from my hands, and I stumbled back in shock; his hand shot out to grab me by the waist. 

"Get your f*cking hands off me, you bastard!" I screamed, taking a step back from him.

"You knew but didn't think to tell me? It's about my life, Adonis. My life, but you told Natasha?" I threw a disappointed look at Luca. "You too?"

"I didn't tell Natasha. In fact, I'd like to know how she found out." Adonis replied coolly, then folded his arm across his chest in question. 

"Yeah. Adonis didn't tell me. My father did." Natasha defended in a weak voice, and he studied her quietly before nodding in agreement.

"You heard her. It wasn't me." 

I let out a scornful laugh. He was taking it with levity—like there wasn't much to it. I'd just found out that my father wasn't who he told me he was... that I had no family, and they were all acting like it was no big deal.

"That doesn't change the fact that you didn't tell me! You were angry because I wasn't completely honest with you, yet you were doing the same to me? Talk about double standards!" 

"Cara, you need to calm down. Stress is not healthy for the baby," Cecelia offered.

"It's my baby Cece! My baby! Just like it's my life, and they hid the truth from me." 

"I know Cara. I do." She consoled me, but I wasn't having it. 

Why would he keep the truth from me? How was I to get closure when the people involved were dead?

"It's not just your child but mine too, so you'd better keep calm, as she said," Adonis ordered.

"You have no right to speak to me that way after what you just did." 

"I did nothing! Even if I had told you, you wouldn't have done anything! I found out by chance and took care of him.

"Adonis," Luca warned, but he continued.

"Why do you think he was killed? I could've prevented his death, but I took care of the bastard for you. Something you wouldn't be able to do yourself.

"What?" I whispered as rage filled me. "You did what?" I pushed at his chest. "You're a monster."

He winced at my words, but I didn't care. I was far beyond a caring point. How could take the decision to kill my father in his hands? Betrayed or not, it should've been money to make. Now he was stating it with pride?

"You think I'd be grateful? That I'll say thank you? You must be deranged. I thought you could have a shred of humanity left in your cold heart, but I was wrong! I've said it before and I'll say it again." I pushed at his chest again, and he pinned me with a blank, intent look. "You're the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone... the devil himself. Your father should've beaten you to death when he had the chance—

"Cara, that's enough!" Luca yelled at me. 

"Do not speak to me that way, ever again," I yelled back with bloodshot eyes, turning back to the block of ice in front of me.

"Your mother must have left you because she knew what you'd become." I laughed sarcastically. "I can't believe I begged you to take me back. You don't deserve anyone around you. As of today, I'm done with you. The only reason I'm not leaving is because of this child." I pointed to my bump, heaving heavily after my long rant as I peered up at him.

His cool, collected demeanour only aggravated me further. He didn't say a word and just kept staring at me with a blank look.

I looked around to see shocked faces staring at me. My eyes landed on Natasha, and she moved to speak but I didn't wait to hear what it was.

"Shut the f*ck up! I don't like you." I blurted out, and boy, did it feel good. "I don't like you at all, so do your best to remember that and stay out of my way." 

Wheeling around, I walked out of the study into the room.

There was no way I'd stay in the same room as him. I began throwing my clothes into my bags for the second time in a month.

He was right. We need to heal. This—whatever it was between us—wasn't working. He'd been lying to me from the start. He really was the cause of my father's death. 

The lingering voice was right. My revenge plan was back on, and this time, I'd see it to the end, and just like a moth drawn to a flame,

My phone beeped, and Antonio's name flashed on the screen. I connected the call without a second thought.

"I thought you'd take forever to reach out."

He chuckled darkly.

"Hello, Amore (love)."