𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒 | 𝐋𝐍𝟒

𝐈𝐕

21 November 2023 - Monaco

«Dépêche-toi, Milaine, ils vont bientôt arriver!» Lucie's voice echoed through the house as she carefully arranged the plates on the long, polished dining table, her blonde hair catching the soft light.

There was no response. Lucie's lips pressed into a thin line of frustration as she opened her mouth to yell again, but a gentle hand rested on her shoulder before she could.

«Honey, calm down, it's just dinner» Ralph said, his voice calm and reassuring. He stood by her side, his tall frame relaxed but attentive as he checked over the house for anything out of place, per Lucie's earlier requests.

«I know, but everything needs to be perfect» Lucie replied, her thick French accent becoming more pronounced with her rising nerves. She glanced around the room anxiously. «Where is Denis?»

Ralph shook his head, unsure. He was too busy straightening cushions and making sure the house looked just right to have noticed where their seven-year-old had wandered off to.

«Oh mon dieu, these kids are going to be the death of me» Lucie muttered as she adjusted the last glass on the table.

«Only one is a kid» Ralph teased, a playful smile on his lips.

«Yes, and the other one acts like one» Lucie huffed, finally satisfied with the table arrangement.

Suddenly, the sound of giggles and light footsteps echoed through the hallway. Ralph and Lucie turned toward the stairs, and just as they had suspected, Denis with laughter bubbling out of him. With Milaine, her blonde hair swaying as she hurried down the steps with her brother sat on her shoulders. They were coming down fast, perhaps a little too fast.

Ralph chuckled at the sight, finding it sweet. But when he glanced at Lucie, her face told a different story—one of exasperation more than amusement.

«Mais putain, Milaine! Put him down!» Lucie scolded, her voice sharp but filled with a mother's worry.

Milaine's smile faded slightly, and she carefully knelt so that Denis could slide off her shoulders and stand beside her. «We were just playing, Maman. I wasn't going to drop him.»

«Not with that shoulder» Lucie snapped as she turned on her heel and made her way toward the kitchen.

Milaine sighed, ruffling Denis's hair with a wink. «We'll do it again when she's busy» she whispered.

«Yes, Milly!» Denis whispered back excitedly, his eyes bright with mischief.

Milaine smiled softly before following her mother into the kitchen. The room smelled of freshly baked bread and roasted vegetables, with a pot of something savory bubbling on the stove. She found Lucie pulling extra plates from the pantry, her back still turned toward her daughter.

«My shoulder is fine, Maman» Milaine said gently, her voice softer now, trying to ease her mother's worry.

Lucie scoffed and shook her head, her frustration simmering just below the surface. «That's why you won so many titles this year»

Milaine's soft gaze hardened, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her dress as her stomach dropped at her mother's words. The shoulder injury from early 2022 had been more than just a setback—it had forced her to take the entire year off, robbing her of the momentum she'd worked so hard to build. And when she finally returned to the court in 2023, it was nothing short of disastrous. She hadn't made it to a single Grand Slam semifinal, let alone a final. Small tournaments slipped through her fingers as well. It was as if she had forgotten how to play the game she had once dominated.