Marry. Ride. Love.

What would I have given now for her to just come home?

*Valentino*

I drummed my fingers on the table while waiting for Lando to call me back. He had given me Max's number, but he hadn't answered his cell phone when I had called him. He had rejected the call.

I had then called Lando again, who had promised to talk to Max. However, it took much too long for my feeling. I was almost freaking out because I still didn't know where Bella was or if she was okay and he just didn't get back to me.

I jumped to my feet and started pacing nervously behind the desk.

"Sit down, Vale.", Uccio said in a calm voice "I'm sure she had a good reason to just run away like that.".

"She probably did.", I grumbled "And that's exactly why I'm worried! What terrible thing must have happened for her to just run away like that? Without a word. Not even to Pecco.".

Addressed raised his head. He'd been staring at his cell phone the whole time, probably hoping she'd get back to him.

We had all called her, written to her, and now we were sitting together in the Team Motohome meeting room, waiting. We were waiting for a response.

"I'm really worried," I grumbled, leaning back against the desk. I dropped my forehead into my hand and closed my eyes.

I was worried about Bella. Again.

This woman owned my heart and I would have given anything right now just to know where she was and if she was okay. I would have given anything to hear her voice and know that she was somewhere. Absolutely anywhere.

And if she had told me she had someone else she had just run to, that would have been fine with me too. The main thing was that she was fine.

The main thing was that my little heart, my cuoricina, my Bella, was fine.

Everything else did not interest me just now.

I felt how difficult it was for me to breathe properly. The certainty that it was my fault that she had not told me what was going on, that she had left again, that we had fought again, was overwhelming. I didn't want her to slip through my fingers every time. I didn't want it to hurt. I didn't want her to leave.

My heart contracted convulsively, then I heard my phone vibrate on the table behind me. I immediately wheeled around.

Everyone had gone silent.

"Lando!", I gasped as I took the call from the young Brit.

"Bella's with Max," he said, and a load fell off my mind.

If she was with her best friend, at least she was with Someone who was looking out for her. Someone who cared about her.

"But... Well her mom is doing really bad. She's been in a coma for four years or so and... she seems to be getting worse. Max didn't really tell me much. I told him you called, but he wasn't very responsive to you."

I let my head drop forward again and ran my fingers over the bridge of my nose.

"How bad is it?", I muttered, feeling everything inside me tighten.

I hadn't known about her mother and had had no idea what Bella had probably been struggling with all this time. That she had had to worry all this time.

I felt bad.

„I don't know. But I guess it's not looking too good. I mean... I don't know.".

"And Bella?", I asked.

"I don't know. I haven't talked to her. But knowing her, she's not going to be doing so well right now. She and her mom were really close before..." he swallowed audibly.