Fragile Heart

30

Stellas pov

I woke up to find Lando gone again.

Yesterday was horrible. Lando found me bawling my eyes out, and I lied, saying I was just feeling fucking emotional.

I know I should tell him, but how do I even start. We're just fake, so how do I tell my fake boyfriend about my psycho ex who fucking strangled me.

I pull the covers away, get out of bed, and walk to the bathroom.

I grab my toothbrush and the complimentary toothpaste, then start brushing.

Glancing in the mirror, I can't help but notice the huge bruise on my neck. Fuck me.

I'm used to getting bruises from Liam, but one this big? No, I haven't had one like this before.

Liam did this to me. He's hurt me again. I thought I had escaped from that, but I guess not. It happened again.

Thank goodness Lando is gone, I'll at least have time to cover it.

"Stella?" I hear Lando yell from outside the bathroom door. I thought he had left for the paddock already!

Oh gosh, no no no.

I quickly put my toothbrush back and turn away as Lando opens the door.

"Stella?" he repeats, but I choose to ignore him.

I stand there with my hand on my neck, covering the bruise, while facing away from Lando. How am I supposed to explain this?

My makeup is in my suitcase, and there's no way I can cover it while Lando is here.

"Don't ignore me again," he says, his irritation showing. I've been acting strangely lately, and while I'm relieved I haven't had to explain myself yet, I'm not sure if I can keep avoiding it.

"I'm sorry," I say, turning around with my hand still on my neck. The best way to avoid this is just leaving.

I brush my arm past him and walk out of the bathroom, but of course, Lando is quick to follow, his footsteps echoing behind me.

"What the fuck is happening, Stella?" he says, frustration evident in his tone as he throws his hands in the air. I come to a halt, taking a moment to collect my thoughts. There's no escaping this conversation. Maybe I'll say I slept wrang.

I remove my hand from my neck and quickly play with my hair, swiftly moving it to cover the bruise. Then, I turn around and face Lando for the first time today.

"It's nothing."

"Fuck off," he scoffs, shaking his head, then locking eyes with me.

"I told you, I'm fine," I try to laugh it off, but as I do, I accidentally move my hair behind my ear, revealing the bruise.

When I notice what I just did, I quickly move my hair back and force a smile at Lando. However, his expression remains grim, and the tension between us thickens.

He quickly rushes up to me and grips onto my jaw, moving it to the side and pushing my hair out of the way.

"What the fuck," he says, as I feel him trail his fingers down the bruise, which hurts like a bitch..

"Ow," I mumble, trying my best to endure the pain, but it hurts so much.

"Who the fuck did this to you?" he demands, staring intensely into my eyes. I'm not even sure myself, but I swear I see flames flicker in his eyes.

I quickly move away and fix my hair back in its place, shrugging nonchalantly. "I must have slept wrong," I murmur, avoiding eye contact as I stare down at the floor.

"Stop lying to me, Stella!" he yells, his frustration evident as he grabs my face and lifts it up, forcing me to stare at him. "You don't get a bruise on your neck like that by sleeping wrong. Please, just talk to me!"

Tears begin to fall down my cheeks as I look at him.

This whole situation is just horrible. All I want is my mom. I want to cuddle her like I used to as a kid, I want her to give me kisses and hugs while we watch movies and talk for hours. I don't want this. I don't want to feel this pain.

"Don't cry, angel. Please, just talk to me. Who did this to you?" His voice softens.

"I can't..." I whisper, Lando gently wipes his thumb across my cheek, brushing away the tears that have fallen.

"I swear, Stella, tell me right now," he demands, his tone firm and determined. "I don't care if you can't. You're telling me, and I'm not going to let you walk around with a bruise on your neck."

I take a deep breath in and close my eyes. There's no point in hiding this anymore.

"Liam," I say quietly, meeting Lando's gaze as he now has a look of confusion on his face.

"Who the fuck is Liam?" Lando furrows his brows, clearly puzzled. I look back down at the floor, and start to play with my hands.

"My ex..." I admit, looking back up at Lando. His expression now shocked, but I can tell he knows exactly who I'm referring to. I had talked about Liam before on our first date, but I'm surprised he still remembers.

"I'm making it clear, you're not leaving my side once we step foot in that paddock. And you better start talking. I want to know every single thing about this asshole,"

|~~~~~|

A.N- the iconic 'who did this to you'😛😛