GORGEOUS

1. A glimpsed of the past

It's almost 3 years since Nicole and Lewis's relationship ended , but here he was standing on the same spot he last interact with her. Though there's no tears to cry, inside lewis felt like dying. He felt regretful of the choices he had made. He questioned if the pain was worth it, now that the thing that he choose to have over the love of his life is not enough to make him happy. He felt empty, he has everything he ever wanted except her.

Lewis stood in the living room of his London home , where it was once filled with warmth , laughter and love, it is now filled with deafening whispers of the past. For some reason Lewis suddenly remembered the past, the night where he forever lost his love.

The dim glow of evening filtered through the windows of their London apartment, casting long shadows on the walls. Nicole sat at the edge of the couch, her hands nervously twisting the ring she wore on her finger—one Lewis had given her years ago, though not the ring they had once talked about. Lewis stood by the window, his back to her, staring out at the city below, the weight of the conversation they had been avoiding for months pressing heavily on them both.

"We need to talk , Lewis," Nicole finally said, her voice soft but steady. There was no anger, just exhaustion—the kind that came from repeating the same conversation, over and over again.

Lewis didn't turn around. He closed his eyes, letting out a slow breath. "I know," he muttered, his voice barely audible above the hum of traffic outside.

Nicole took a deep breath, bracing herself. "I'm not asking you to leave racing. I would never ask that," she began. "I love you too much to ever make you choose between me and your career. I support you, Lewis. I always have."

Lewis turned then, his face conflicted, eyes filled with guilt. "I know you do, love. And I appreciate that more than you realize. But I just... I'm not ready. Not for marriage. Not right now."

Nicole's brow furrowed, her lips pressing into a thin line as she searched his face. "Why not? You're still at the top of your game, I get that. and I would never want to take that away from you. But why does marriage have to mean the end of everything else?"

"It's not about that," Lewis said, running a hand through his hair, the frustration bubbling beneath his calm exterior. "It's not about choosing between racing and you. I just—" He paused, looking for the right words, but they were elusive. "I'm not ready to take that step. I don't know when I will be."

Nicole nodded, though her heart ached with every word. "But we've been together for so long. We've talked about this before. We've been through this before. I thought... I thought after all these years, something would change ."

"I thought so too," Lewis admitted, his voice low. "But every time I think about settling down, about marriage, I feel like I'm not ready for that part of my life. I'm still focused on racing, on winning, on breaking records. It's not fair to you."

Nicole's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, but she held her ground. "But I'm not asking you to stop. I'm not asking for you to give up the sport you love. All I'm asking for is a commitment. That one day, we'll get married. We'll build our own family , we'll start that life we've talked about."

Lewis shook his head, his expression conflicted. "I don't want to make promises I can't keep. What if I never feel ready? What if I keep pushing it back because I'm always chasing something more in my career?"

The words hung heavy in the air, and Nicole felt a lump forming in her throat. She had always known Lewis was deeply committed to racing, but she had hoped—believed—that he could still find space for her, for them. Yet, here they were, having the same conversation they'd had countless times before.

"I'm not asking for all of you, Lewis," Nicole said, her voice trembling. "I've accepted that racing will always be a part of your life, maybe even the biggest part. But I need to know that there's a place for me in it too. That I'm not just someone you'll come home to between races, someone who'll wait forever for you to be 'ready.'"

Lewis's silence was deafening. He wanted to tell her that she was everything to him, that he loved her more than anything. But he couldn't bring himself to make the promises she needed to hear. Deep down, he was afraid—afraid of failing her, afraid of being tied down in a way that might pull his focus away from the sport that had been his entire life.

Nicole's shoulders slumped as she finally understood. They were stuck in the same cycle, and she couldn't stay in it anymore. She loved him, but love alone wasn't enough. Not when they were on two different paths.

"I can't keep waiting, Lewis," she said, her voice breaking. "I've supported you through everything—every race, every win, every loss. But I need to know that I matter too. That our future matters."

Lewis looked at her, his heart heavy, knowing what was coming but feeling powerless to stop it. "You do matter, Nicole. More than you know. But I can't give you what you want right now. And I don't know when I will."

Nicole wiped at her eyes, blinking away tears. "Then maybe it's time we stop pretending this is going to work."

Her words hit him like a punch to the gut. He wanted to argue, to beg her to stay, but he knew—he'd known for a while—that this moment was inevitable. They had been here before, and they had always found a way back to each other. But this time, it felt different. Final.

"I don't want to lose you," Lewis whispered, his voice hoarse.

Nicole gave him a sad, soft smile. "I know.I don't want to lose you too but this will not work ."

She stood up, grabbing her coat from the back of the chair, her movements slow and deliberate, as if she was trying to savor these last few moments with him. Lewis watched her, his chest tight, his heart breaking, knowing that he had brought them to this point.

"I'll always love you, Lewis," she said as she walked toward the door. "But I need more than this. And so do you."

With that, she opened the door and left, the soft click of the door closing behind her echoing in the silence that followed.

Lewis stood there for a long time, staring at the door, the weight of what had just happened sinking in. He had chosen racing—again—and this time, it had cost him everything.

He had imagined a future with nicole but racing held him back to fully commit to nicole. He hadn't expect that there's a possibility that he would lose everything he wanted and he'd dreamt of. Now the memories of them is echoing in head.

He did try to get nicole back after that night but nicole firmly denied his efforts, saying it will only get worse if they had stayed together but lewis is stubborn he still came crawling back to nicole despite the rejection. Two years after the break up he heard from a news that nicole was dating someone new,and that's the day lewis lost his light of hope and love in his life .