[3] MARANELLO || C. LECLERC

FIFTY

* a quick question before you read: will max be by camille's side when she walks down the aisle? i guess you'll only know if you read on ... please don't forget to engage with this chapter by voting and commenting! i've had such a burst of motivation and inspiration for this story - hence the frequent updates - so everything is totally appreciated!! we're less than 10k from 100k reads and i would love to hit that milestone soon. your support is SO appreciated. also, please stick around for the question at the end of this chapter - it's super important i'd love your thoughts! enjoy! *

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CAMILLE

The Italian sunshine was beaming through the gaps in the flowing curtain.

I didn't get much sleep, however, when I finally managed to nod off, I was pleased not to be alone. Before we climbed into bed in Lando's hotel room, he promised me that if I needed him at any point during the night, that I simply needed to wake him up. He kept his promise too, because when I was tossing and turning, thinking about my best friend in a hospital bed instead of next to me in Maranello, I started to get upset. Lando held my hand and promised that everything would be okay, staying awake until I fell asleep, just like Max would.

Leaving Lando's sleeping body behind, I crept out of bed and slipped out onto the balcony. I didn't take in much of the view and simply appreciated the warm, morning sunshine instead.

Thinking about Max in his hospital bed made me feel sick to my stomach. On Tuesday, I was adamant that I couldn't leave England to fly to Italy. I sat beside Max and held onto his hand, while listening to him tell me why I needed to go. I couldn't let him down. Charles promised that we could easily reschedule the wedding, but it was a date we'd been looking forward to so eagerly. Max made me promise not to cancel it. He wanted this for me more than anything.

The last time I saw Max was Wednesday, one day before we left for Maranello. He was in good spirits and doing well, slowly improving with his speech, balance and walking. I just knew that it wouldn't be enough for Jasper to officially discharge him. Lando and I arrived in Italy early on Thursday morning, and I didn't speak to Max once. Sophie, Victoria and Dilara were still in England - I wasn't expecting them to leave Max's side for my wedding - and they informed me that Max slept for the majority of the day yesterday. Obviously, working with a physiologist was tiring for him. Mama and Papa, however, flew out to Maranello yesterday evening, after spending some time at the hospital. They updated me on Max's condition. I just knew that it wasn't enough and it devastated me.

Desperate to feel his arms around me again, I closed my eyes and bundled my knees to my chest, hugging them tightly. I imagined being this close to Max, feeling his warmth radiating from his body and onto mine. It felt like longer than a lifetime since I'd been in his arms and today, more than ever, I wanted to be exactly there.

I knew he was getting better, that he was able to walk a little further than the start of the week, but he wasn't strong enough to fly to Italy. When mama told me late last night, I felt my entire world collapse in a matter of seconds. I had no choice but to be strong, but hearing that from her when we were already in Italy meant there was absolutely nothing anyone could do.

"Hey," when I heard Lando's voice, I didn't acknowledge him. I kept my chin between my kneecaps. "Happy wedding day."

He was doing everything he possibly could to keep my spirits up, but deep down, he knew it wasn't a happy wedding day. Even if someone sat with Max on FaceTime for the entirety of the day, it wouldn't be enough. I knew that, and Max knew it too. This wasn't what we wanted for each other. Part of me wished I could just go back to being a little girl, when it was Max and I, with no cares in the world, apart from being by each other's sides.