Hope is a dangerous thing for a Woman like me to have

Chapter 34

Charles POV

"FUCK" I yelled as my car came to a gritty stop, beached in the gravel. Perez had caught my back left tyre going round the bend, resulting in both of us spinning out. I breathed deeply, trying to fight the dizziness that clouded my brain and made it hard to think properly. It was probably for the best, or else I may be 10 meters to the left, where the Red Bull lay marooned, letting Perez know exactly what I thought of him at that moment. 

"Are you ok?" I heard Xavi through my speakers. No, I wasn't fucking ok. My onset podium had been destroyed on lap 1, and points I cruically needed after this shit start of a season were now even more crucially needed. 

"Are you ok?" Xavi repeated. 

"I'm Ok." I muttered back. "That was all Perez's fault. Is he blind?!" I couldn't control my anger. 

"We saw." Xavi replied calmly. 

I smacked the palms of my hands on my steering wheel hard, before removing it and getting out. Some marshalls assisted me to the edge of the track, where I was then escorted back to the garage. I kept my visor down, not wanting the cameras to catch my tear filled eyes and get the wrong impression. Yes, I was bit upset, but these were tears of frustration not sadness; I was pissed off. 

I walked into the garage and straight through, not in the mood to talk to anyone. I got to my room and kicked a ferrari hat that lay strewn on the floor. I took a few minutes to compose myself, then went back to the garage. 

The first thing I looked for was the screen, then I searched for Edom's name. HAK, came up under Verstappen in second place. Atleast my crash had some good consequences. Knowing cameras would be on me, I tried my best to squash the smile that nearly rushed onto my face. 

Pride washed over me in the last 5 laps as I realised Edom was going to bring it home to second place and I rushed to my room to get changed. I grabbed normal clothes and a cap to not stand out and rushed to the podium before the final lap, hearing the cheers for her as she crossed the line. For once, I was content to watch the race from the sideline and not be on the podium. Of course it would've been a million times better to get to stand next to her up there, but from down here, I could give her looks no one else would see. 

After what felt like forever, Edom came out onto the podium, beaming at the supportive crowd. I wasn't sure this girl knew just how loved by fans she was - she was so humble and down to earth, you wouldn't think she had boosted the F1 viewship up by 13% in the short space of this season. 

I watched her stand on that podium with a smile plastered on my face as the national anthem that usually made me want to rip my hair out played in the background.

 I felt no jealousy towards her, but I felt a slight tug of it towards Max as he showered her in champagne. Although Edom had forgiven him, I hadn't, especially considering they had slept together. The thought of them together made me sick, even more the thought that he had made her finish, but I wasn't a loser on track or in the bedroom; finishing fast was something I would always ensure. 

Edom finally caught my eye, and I winked at her, letting her know how we would be celebrating tonight. I thought I caught a slight blush in her cheeks, but it may have been the lighting. 

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Before she could say anything, I wrapped her in a deep hug. Her head was against my chest and it felt like it belonged there. 

"You did it." I breathed "And I'm so proud of you."

I had met her outside the stairway on our hotel floor after she got back from the track.