Broken Speed | Verstappen & Leclerc

epilogue

-|- Australia - April -|-

The first race in red, I had done it. While Charles had won the starter of this season, I had only managed a third place, which was more then good considering my one year break and the fact that this was a completely new car for me.

Exhausted I grabbed the last things from my drivers room. The weekend had been long and stressful, until now I had engineer meetings and conversations with the mechanics as everything was still quite new for me.

Charles just texted me that he and the kids were down stairs, waiting for me in the paddock before we would return to the hotel. Life together with him had been so much easier over the last weeks.

Over the winter break we had also found a house on the other end of Monaco, big enough for the four of us, and Leo. We also adopted two sweet cats, Jimmy and Sassy, who made our family even more perfect.

It made me smile, the thought of our family.

Jogging down the stairs I couldn't wait for the hot shower, the cozy bed where I would cuddle myself in as soon as we would enter the hotel room. Laying in Charles's arms while he was caressing my back had been one of my favorite activities lately.

But when I walked out of the hospitality, my jaw dropped and my heart started beating faster. Standing there was Charles, with a huge bunch of red roses in his arm.

"W... What's that?" I stuttered as I walked over, Luka and Lio only giggling next to us.

"For your first race, you did great my love." Charles breathed and pulled me close with his free arm, "You are so strong, you never give up and I'm so so proud of you."

A tear ran down my cheek as he said that and I instantly cuddled closer against him. My eyes fell down on the roses, beautiful flowers, my favorites.

"You really didn't have to." I mumbled, taking them from his hand, adding with a chuckle, "After all you're the winner so I should give you flowers."

"No mon amour, I drive the Ferrari for many years now, but you, you just did your first race in it and you came third. Also look at you one year back, you thought you would never race again."

I nodded my head, more tears streaming down my face. He was so right, so damn right. I had been at my worst a year ago. I didn't want to live anymore, I only fought for the kids, wanted to make them happy.

Then Charles came and rescued me, helped me, supported me. Without him I would be nowhere.

"I love you." I cried under my tears, seeing also some wet patches on his cheeks.

"I love you too, I love us." Charles returned, smiling, before he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my lips.

"We love you too, we are so proud." Luka and Lio cheered and hugged our hips.

-

-|- Monaco - October -|-

We just had came back from Singapore a few days ago. Luka and Lio had stayed with Pascale for that weekend as the trip to Asia was quite too stressful and also they had wanted to spend some time with their grandma.

Today was a special day though, the 16th, and therefore Charles's birthday.

"Have you painted what we agreed on?" I quietly asked Luka and Lio as I was in the kitchen making the birthday breakfast, Charles still asleep.

"Yes! Grandma helped us." the older one beamed, showing me his and Lio's paintings.

I smiled before I carefully took the papers, putting them in an envelope each. Then I laid them on top of another paper, stopping for a moment.