LOVE IN THE DARK | MAX VERSTAPPEN

Part 12

Max POV
I overstepped the mark with Noah, I realised that before it was too late. I should never have taken the teddy off him, his heartbroken little face is etched into my mind and the guilt is killing me. The moment I took it from his hands he went hysterical to the point that I couldn't get him to calm down. The only thing that consoled him and calmed him down, was being in the arms of his mum. Izzy looked absolutely furious and I don't blame her. If it was the other way around I would have done more than just storm out of the room.
I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me lately, I'm letting things slide that I usually wouldn't have done. Not so long ago I would have agreed with Izzy that if Noah said he doesn't want to go anywhere, he doesn't go. We don't force him. We have always agreed on that so why the fuck didn't I listen? Why did I do the complete fucking opposite? I'm doing the one thing that I said I would never do, I'm creating negative childhood memories for my son and I fucking hate myself for it. It stops now, Noah is my main priority in everything I do, like he should have been since the day he was born.
I've said many negative things about Izzy recently but the one thing I can't fault her on is her ability to be a good mum. She is the best mum to Noah, she nurtures him, cares for him, and she will fight to the death for what's best for him and I will always love her for that.
I knew that they would be gone by the time I got back home, I rang and rang her phone but she didn't answer me. Instead I got a text to say they'd gone back to Belgium and she will keep me informed about anything to do with Noah, apart from that she wants nothing to do with me. You'd have thought it should have been the other way around. She cheated on me, I didn't cheat on her.

My dad has been in a strange mood since Luka's birthday party, he's been trying to set me up with Kelly at any given chance he gets but I'm having none of it. That's not fucking happening. I'm still married, that may have meant fuck all to him in the past but it means something to me. He hates Kelly just like he hates Izzy so I don't understand what his motive is. Something has shifted in him but I can't put my finger on what that is.
Izzy however, has gone really quiet, like off the grid quiet and it's quite unnerving. I feel like something is happening but I don't know what it is. She's text me each day when I've asked about Noah but that's it, she cuts the conversation dead. I'm starting to feel like this is it. Our marriage is really over and she's accepted it but I haven't. I'm the one who was humiliated in front of everyone. I lost my wife and my best mate in the flick of a switch. I was angry and hurt and I wanted them both to suffer. I still do.

The race this weekend is in Imola, my dad is coming along of course, like he usually does. The car has been absolutely horrible to drive, it has too much oversteer and I have to fight like crazy to get it to just turn a fucking corner. I'm on my way to meet the media team to film content for social media. I want this to be over and done with as quickly as possible. I haven't got the time to be fucking about with shit like this.
I walk in to find Daniel sat waiting outside the same room I'm waiting for. Beautiful. Fucking beautiful. Whose bright idea was it to put us on this together? We stand in silence but I can feel Daniel's eyes burning into the side of my head.
"Mate can I help you? You have some nerve staring at me like that when you're the one that's been sleeping with my wife." He looks up at me and has the cheek to fucking laugh.
"I never slept with Izzy, we had plenty of opportunity to sleep together when you were still with Kelly mate but we didn't. Why the hell would we wait until you're married with a child? Noah means the world to me and I'm hurt that you'd think that I'd even dream of breaking up his family. When you realise how much you've fucked up and trust me you will, I hope you come crawling on your knees begging Izzy for forgiveness." Why does part of me believe what he's saying? I sit down on the seat beside him and put my head in my hands. My head is so messed up right now. "I don't know what to believe anymore Daniel, I've had lie after lie thrown at me by the people I thought I could trust the most. This is messed up." He nods his head just as the one of the media team comes out of the door. "Just know that we haven't done a thing wrong. I can be more lenient with you because I know how manipulative your dad is and you haven't done or said anything directly to me but you've destroyed Izzy." I find it incredibly difficult to focus for the remainder of the afternoon. My dad should have been here an hour ago but he is nowhere to be seen.

I head back towards the garage and check my phone to see I've had 15 missed calls from Vic. I'm about to call her back when Christian approaches me with my manager walking beside him. What the hell is going on?
"Max, we've been trying to get hold of you, it's your dad." I feel my heart drop.
"What is it? Is he alright? Where is he?" He shakes his head as he grabs my arm guiding me into my drivers room. My heart is beating out of my chest.
"He's been arrested Max, it's not known knowledge yet but we're expecting it to be." I look at my manager who's typing furiously away on his phone. Fuck this is bad.
"Arrested for what?" Christian looks at me and shakes his head "For defamation of character and for making threats to kill." No this isn't right, he wouldn't do that, he hasn't even mentioned anyone to me that's he's had problems with.
"No, this is wrong,  they've clearly got it wrong. Who has he made threats against?" Christian looks at my manager before shaking his head and looking at me with a woeful look on his face.
"It's Izzy Max. There's concrete evidence against him. I'm so sorry mate." I feel like the air has been knocked out of me. My legs have gone weak as my vision starts to blur. Christian grabs my arm guiding me backwards into the chair. What the fuck? This can't be real, I'm going to wake up in a minute and this is going to be some kind of sick and twisted nightmare.
"Max, I'm so sorry we had no idea." I run my hands through my hair as I take my phone out of my pocket. "I should have fucking known, I should have seen straight through his bullshit. Why couldn't I see it? She told me and yet again I didn't listen. This is on me. I'm so fucking useless I don't deserve anyone." Christian puts his hand on my arm as he looks at me "Max this isn't on you, this is on him. He is a narcissist. He's an abuser and he's made you believe every word he's said because he's your dad and he's used that against you. What you need to do now is get your head straight. You need to speak to Izzy." Izzy is not going to want anything to do with me. "Where have they taken him? Has he got bail? I want to know where he is. I'm going to fucking kill him. I'm going to torture the bastard. I'm going to make him pay for what he's done. Believe me he's going to wish he'd never crossed me and threatened my fucking wife."
How fucking stupid was I to believe my pathetic excuse of a father over my own wife? Mark my words I am going to make sure he gets what's coming to him. I'm going to grovel on my knees to my wife and my son and I won't stop until my last breath. She might never forgive me and I don't blame her but I won't give up. It was my job to protect her and Noah and I didn't. This is one thing I will never fuck up on again. Forget F1 that means nothing to me anymore. I'm going to get my family back if that's the last thing I do.

Can we just take a minute to appreciate Max today 🙌 P2 in that shit box of a car and then putting the FIA in their place by refusing questions and holding his own press conference outside 👑 🙌😂✌️