Fragile Heart

80

Landos pov

I've already landed in Monaco while the meeting was still going on.

Before we left for London, I tried my best to beg Zak to cancel or reschedule the meeting, but he didn't budge. So I had to go, and of course, the meeting turned out to be some stupid shit about my performance. If I didn't improve, Pato would take my seat for a few races. It was so stupid that I ended up just walking out of the meeting.

And now I'm in Monaco, standing in front of Stella's apartment.

Coco isn't here, she still thinks I'm in London. The thing is, I have no fucking idea where Stella even is.

God, I don't deserve her. I'm such a horrible person. I should've never gone to the meeting. I should've just flown to Monaco with Coco. But Coco insisted I should attend the meeting because she apparently knew what she was doing. But I couldn't take it anymore.

So I walk inside the building, and immediately I spot a man carrying some papers, descending the stairs. It takes me a moment to notice who he is.

"Fuck," I mumble to myself, hastily hiding behind a wall. That was him, the fucker behind all of this.

I look back, but he's already descended the stairs. This is going to be a terrible idea. Maybe I should just wait for Coco.

Taking a deep breath, I prepare myself before following him. Each step is slow and cautious as we walk down the stairs until we reach a room. A laundromat? What the fuck?

He moves a washing machine to the side, revealing a door, and immediately, I hold my breath and close my eyes.

Stella is in there. Holy shit, there's no way she's not in there.

I duck down until I hear the door unlock and open. Muffled sounds emanate from the room, and that's when I get up and rush over.

But once I enter the room, my heart stops. I feel like I'm going to puke. This is horrid, fucking messed up. Stella, my poor girl.

"One last time, Stella, or you're fucking done. I'm so sick of this bullshit," Liam grumbles, his voice tinged with frustration. It dawns on me that he doesn't even know I'm standing behind him.

Stella doesn't notice, her head is hanging down. Seizing the moment, I take a deep breath before swinging at Liam's head.

Fuck, that self-defense training came in handy.

He puts his hand on his head and turns around, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he stares at me.

"What the fuc—" I don't let him finish before swinging at him again, right in his nose. He lets out a groan as he takes a step back, but I'm not finished. Next, I punch him in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain, clutching his stomach.

I don't even realize how much damage I've done until I see him sprawled on the floor, his nose bleeding and his face already swelling up.

Leaning down, I whisper in his ear, "Leave her the fuck alone. Once I'm out of here, the police will come for you, you sick bastard," I growl. He doesn't respond.

I turn to Stella and rush up to her. She doesn't even look up to see what happened—she probably still doesn't know I'm here.

"Stella, angel, it's me, Lando," I say, gently grabbing onto her face and lifting it to meet my gaze. Her eyes don't shine like they used to, it's like she hasn't slept in days.

Releasing her, I swiftly take off my hoodie and slide it onto her freezing cold body.

"Speak to me, Stella, please," I mumble softly as I caress her cheek. She licks her lips a little before her eyes meet mine.

"Is your job more important than my life, Lando?" she mumbles in a raspy voice, barely audible. I'm taken aback, unsure of how to respond.

"What do you mean?" I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper.

"You were in London, in a meeting even though you knew I was here. So, is your job more important than my life?" she says softly, a tear rolling down her cheek.

I don't respond; I just gaze into her eyes, feeling the weight of her words sinking in. "I thought you loved me?" she whispers, her voice barely audible. I swallow hard, feeling a lump form in my throat.

"I do, angel. More than anything," I say, my voice cracking slightly as I hold her cheeks gently and kiss her forehead.

"Then why weren't you here earlier?" she asks, her movements trying to push my hands away betraying the pain she's feeling.

"I'm sorry, Stella. Please, let's just get out of here, and then we can talk," I say, changing the topic. I don't want to talk right now; I just want to get her out of here. She nods slowly.

Before I can pick her up, she gets out of the chair she's in and drops to the floor, crawling to a corner of the room. She pulls out something hidden behind a piece of cardboard, and that's when I see my book.

She saw it.

I smile a little and walk over to her

And with that, I pick her up. She's so light.

"Did you eat at all?" I mumble as I walk through the door. She shakes her head. "He didn't give me anything," she whispers, and my chest tightens with pain for her.

I caress the back of her head as we walk up the stairs and out of the building. I place her gently in my car, and finally, I see a glimmer of light in her eyes.

She knows she's safe, but I know she's angry with me.

I'm doing my best to keep it together and not freak out because I don't want her to worry, but inside, I'm freaking out. I mean, I just saw the love of my life trapped in a room with open wounds and cuts all over her body.

I sit down next to her and pull out my phone, dialing the police.