Apex | Charles Leclerc

Chapter 50

Hello! 

I had no plans of updating tonight, but here you go :) I wrote this in an hour and a half with a glass of soju and sprite so please keep an eye out for some typos 🤣

Enjoy!

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September 24, 2025 - Monaco

"Are you sure?" The doctor asked me as she stood in front of the exam table I was currently lying on. They just finished and the shaky breath I let out when the second doctor walked out of the room with my findings bounced off the walls. 

The entire four hours were brutal. Every swab and every photographic evidence they took of the bruises and scratches they found on my skin was a constant reminder of what happened. The entire time, I stared at the white clock mounted on the wall, counting the seconds that continue to tick by. At first, I convinced myself it was a way to distract me from how I was so vulnerable at that moment, but then I realized I was doing it so that I wouldn't close my eyes. Closing my eyes would mean that I'd see him, hear him, and feel him. 

If I closed my eyes, I would've shied away from the doctors, the fear of being touched too strong.  

"Yes." I gulped, sitting up and getting off the exam table as I made a move to grab the new clothes they provided. The ones I was wearing were sealed inside a plastic bag for evidence. "I can access it anytime and from anywhere, yes?" I clarified, turning to her as she held the folder which contained my information and the results of the exam. 

"As long as it's within the timeframe of the statute of limitations." She nodded her head, face apprehensive. "Ms. Kaplan, are you sure you don't want me to contact the police? You can give a statement and–" 

"I don't need you to call the police." I cut her off and that was the last time she tried to convince me before she nodded her head and left me alone to change. 

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Charles asked, interrupting my train of thought, as we both stood by my front door, his suitcase beside him. Last night was the first time we've properly seen each other in weeks since I was hectic with work.

I was given the option not to take a case, but I needed it.

I needed to get away. I felt like a coward, acting as if it didn't happen because recognizing the fact that it did was too painful to endure. When Adeline brought up a case that would require fieldwork in Norway, I immediately accepted it. I spent my days investigating witnesses, thinking of strategies, and standing in court. I was the only one from the Monaco office, so I only talked to the other people present for professional matters. I wore myself out so much I'd wake up at almost lunchtime during the days when we had no work. 

Charles commented on my appearance when he picked me up at the airport, the dark circles under my eyes not covered enough by my concealer. I remember giving him a sad smile before making an excuse about the late nights at work when in reality, I rarely had any overtime during the work trip. 

My nights were spent locking myself in my hotel room with the television constantly on, my need to have white noise in the background coming back. I tried to keep myself as busy as I could, but as soon as my body hit the mattress and sleep overpowered me, I fell into the rabbit hole of memories I don't want to relive but have no control over. 

It was excruciating because the nightmares weren't only of that night in Italy, but of what happened with my family as well. I found that the common factor was the helplessness I felt during both events in my life, the lack of control staring back at me as I recalled the root cause of my trauma.