Preparing For Battle

Cara's POV

I sighed in relief, sinking further into the bathtub as the warm water engulfed my body, soothing my aches. It's been two months since the day Kane came to the mansion for the first time.

Two months since I became Mrs. Bernardi, and to say it has been one hell of a roller-coaster would be putting it mildly. 

Adonis had been the same as always, controlling, chauvinistic, arrogant, and hot-headed, and I was the stubborn one. Although, compared to how we started, there was now a mutual understanding.

Something like respect and care between roommates. Nothing more.

Except you don't sleep with your roommate at every given chance.

Life as Mrs. Bernardi has been good to me. It was nice knowing I could live comfortably without having to worry about survival. The sex, on the other hand, as always, was mind-blowing.

We'd bicker back and forth and have intense arguments that always ended with both of us panting heavily on the bed. Sometimes in the bathroom, other times in his study. There was practically no surface we hadn't touched on Adonis's floor.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I recalled how he roughly took me from behind a few days ago. I had somewhat begun to think of this as a vacation. A break from reality... just until I got what I wanted.

I placed my hands on both sides of the tub to pull myself up and said a silent prayer that I was able to walk without crutches and use my hands again.

The cast had been taken out two weeks ago and I was now completely healed. At first, it felt weird because I had to move into training fully, but I quickly got the hang of it. 

Walking over to my vanity desk, I dropped my towel to prep myself for bed. I glanced at myself in the mirror, and my eyes appreciated some of the significant changes. I was fitter than I was when I first began... probably lost some weight, but it made me love myself even more. 

I was preparing for battle. 

Kane had been surprisingly really helpful. We started with simple training that my cast permitted me to do and moved up to harder ones the stronger I got. The last two weeks had been so intense, and I remember how I could barely lift a muscle after training the first time with the cast holding me back.

I didn't even have to do much work to get him hooked, and it made me wonder if he still had some feelings left for me. He'd show up twice a week for two hours only, help me train, and then return home. I once tried getting him to make it three times, but he adamantly refused. 

We couldn't discuss much as a certain someone made sure we had at least two guards watching over us, but Antonio's spies were still very active. 

I'd received more secret notes on what I needed to do than I could count.

Show Kane all the exits. Give Kane a detailed structure of the guards' arrangement. Get a copy of Adonis's recent dealings and so on.

He even trusted me enough to speak through a phone call, and I suspected my relationship with Kane had something to do with that.

Adonis, on the other hand, has been extremely busy, or at least that's what he wanted me to think. He'd disappear for a few days and suddenly reappear again. Whenever he was around, he was either cooped up in his study doing paperwork or locked up in the room doing unmentionable things to me. 

Living in the mansion had been a bit boring as Tina had to return to her life, and Luca always disappeared whenever Adonis did. I questioned it once when he got back from one of his trips, and the only reply I got was,

'I leave for business.' 

"What business?" I had asked.

"My business," Adonis replied, and then he ripped off my clothes and proceeded to make me forget about his so-called business.

Of course, this made it easy for me to garner information. No one but myself, and Adonis stayed on the third floor so I could go into his study in the pretence of searching for something else.

Fishing out the spy was another thing I've busied myself with. I'd tried fitting in everyone whose names started with a 'T' at the mansion, but no one matched. I'm sure the staff all thought their Capo's wife to be a little crazy when she went around asking for their names and telling them to say

'Cecelia'.

The more I studied her, the more I became curious and suspicious. It would've been a bit easier to keep my eyes on her if she lived on the estate, but I had to make do with the occasional visits. 

Notwithstanding, hanging out with her would have been another option to ease my boredom, but we were opposites. Cecilia was outgoing and all about enjoying life, according to Luca, so she rarely stayed in a place for too long, but I'd rather be cooped up indoors, enjoying a big slice of cheesy pizza whilst I watched the reruns of my favourite shows. 

Maybe that's why I've been so bored recently. I should probably get out more.

Exhaling deeply, I pulled on my most comfortable nightgown before heading to bed, alone as Adonis had once again left for his secret rendezvous two days ago. 

Who knew how long he'd be away this time? Three days? Four days? A week was the most... 

I sighed, my eyes closing as sleep claimed me.

I didn't get to sleep for long as the sound of a heavy thunderstorm woke me up. The room felt eerily chill, and I realized I had forgotten to close the windows before going to bed.

I shivered at the cold, rolling over with a grumble and moved to get off the bed. My body tossed into a warm one instead, and I sucked in my breath in shock. From the hard dips, it was one I probably knew so well.

My brows furrowed in bewilderment. 

When did he get back? 

The room was pitch black, so I couldn't see anything but his big form as he lay on his front. I moved to switch on the bedside lamp. 

My heart skipped a beat. My lips parted, but I choked on my words as fear gripped me.

Blood... so much blood...