I find myself in big, steady arms. Comfortable arms. I really like this hug. Shit what had just happened?
„Amélie, who did that to you?" Lewis asks with a concerned look on his face. I'm still in shock and can't open my mouth to speak.
„Tell me. Was it Charles?" He now asks already knowing the answer from my look at him.
I look around. We stand in the hotel lobby, around us a lot of people. Not only some of the drivers from before but also paparazzi's . I can't believe this happened.
„We need to get out of here" Lewis Hamilton now says and grabs my hand to bring me away. I look behind at all the cameras flashing and see how Lando tries to cover me from them. I give him a weak smile to let him know how thankful I am from this gesture.
Lewis, Lando and me end up in the elevator. No one speaks a word. We reach the eight floor, the Mercedes AMG petronas floor, and walk to Lewis hotel room. It's almost the same as mine and Charles'just inverted.
Lewis directly Leeds me to bathroom, Lando following.
„How the hell did that happen? Why did Charles do that?" Hamilton insists on knowing while he cleaned my bloody cheek with a wet towel.
„When we were checking in I left to go to the bathroom real quick and when I got back he wasn't there. Then you invited me to sit with y'all and I did so. When Charles told me to go upstairs to our room he suddenly pushed me. He said I was a slutty cheater and a bitch." I say almost not being able to continue as tears rush down my cheeks over my wound. The salty water makes the scar burn even more.
„He said I got a message from an unknown number saying „I'm looking forward to seeing you this race weekend". I don't even know who that was. Charles was or I better say is drunk. He thought I have a secret affair and lied to him the whole time. Then I tried to convince him that I don't even know this person, which is the truth. And then.." I cry now infront of Lewis and Lando.
„Then?" Lando wants to know.
„Then he smashed his whiskey bottle against my head" I whisper not being able to look in their eyes.
„Amélie I am so sorry" Lando says and brushes my hair out of my face. He looks at me really sad. I can even see tears in his eyes.
„And the worst part is." I whimper.
„The worst part is that this all already had happened to me. My father, he was an alcoholic and abusive. He treated me like shit and physically abused me. He did the exact same thing to me. That's why I have this right here" I say and point at the scar on my neck.
Lewis and Lando look at me in shock. They're too stunned to speak.
Instead of saying anything Lando just leans in for a hug and I cry. I cry and cry and cry.
I cry rivers.
the next morning
I wake up in a very comfortable bed. I look around and realize it is Lewis' room I am in. I lay on his bed and he slept on the black comfy couch.
I touch my right cheek. I can't feel my skin, just a huge plaster covering the wound.
„I hope it's not too itchy, if so I can take of the bandage and redo it" I hear a mans voice. I am confused. It can't be Hamilton, he's sleeping. I turn over and look in the eyes of the one and only Max Verstappen.
„You did that?" I ask completely confused. „Yup" he answers proudly. „But how do you know how to bandage someone?" I ask again. „Well, my father was sometimes really angry at me and then I also caught some slaps. I learned how to treat wounds right" Max says looking down at me. I just nod. This is actually so sad.
Now I remember the rest from yesterday. After I told Lewis and Lando the whole story some drivers came to check up on me.
„Carlos is with Charles right now. He tries to clear everything up between you two." Max finally says again.
„Do you want to talk to him?" He asks me.
I immediately get a cold shiver. Only the imagination of seeing Charles gives me goosebumps. „Not yet" I whisper trying to hold back my tears.
„Hey Roux, I don't want to romanticize the incident yesterday and I don't want to make it seem like a little thing. It's not okay what Charles did and no one on this earth deserves this. But you need to know, Charles really loves you. Whenever we were together the only thing he talked about was you. How perfect you are and how smart. That he loves everything about you and can't handle it when other men try to flirt with you. Charles really does love you and when he saw that message yesterday he was so so angry. He drunk and without realization he did the worst thing possible. I am so sorry for you and what happened and I understand that you need time. But Charles also needs you. I can also understand that you never want to see him again or that you're traumatized because of him. If you need someone to talk to you can always come to me, I am always here for you" Max whispers and wipes away my tears.
„As much as I love him I hate him for what he did. I can't imagine a life without him. But I think I need some time to recover and forget everything" I answer and smile at him hopefully.
Deeply inside I know, I will never recover.
Max gives me a little hug and then exits the room as he needs to go to a team meeting.
I lie alone in the bed for about ten minutes until Lewis wakes up. „Good morning sunshine" he smiles. „How are you doing today?" He asks and takes a look at my cheek.
„Definitely better. Thank you so much Lewis, thank you for everything" I thank him and lean in for another hug.
I love his hugs. I feel safe. Did I feel safe when I hugged Charles?
„Amélie today is practice. I'll have to go to the circuit. Stay here. You can do whatever you want but I would suggest you to relax and make a chill day. Watch me from the TV" he smirks at me and winks. I nodded and laugh back.
„But what if *he* comes?" I ask nervously. I can't handle Charles in the same room as me.
„I'll make sure that he doesn't even enter this floor" Lewis promises and kisses me on my left cheek.
„Be safe" I say as he walks out the door and I am alone again in this huge ass hotel room.
Could I ever love someone again? Could I ever forgive him? Deep down I know that it wasn't the true Charles, but what he did is still unacceptable. Will he make me forgive him?
I remember the day he asked me to be his girlfriend. We sat at the beach and we talked about that we wanted in a relationship.
„Ami, ma princesse, mon amour. Whenever you fall out of love with me and decide you don't want me anymore, I sear in my life I will make eight special things for you, to make you fall in love with me again. I will prove to you that I love you eight times. Eight, your favorite number, the number of infinity. I don't ever wanna loose you" he whispered while we were kissing. „Promise me" I insisted. „I promise, Ami" he swore. „Okay then sixteen, you need to prove that you really want me and need me if something ever happens to us. You need to prove it eight times, and I will count" I said laughing and kissing him hard.
Will he prove his real love to me with those eight specials? Will we be together again? Ever?
