Book 2: Beginning Again -Carlos Sainz

Chapter 36

As Carlos came to, the first thing he felt was the cold floor underneath him. He felt like his body weighed a thousand pounds as he rolled over, coming to terms with the fact that he just passed out.

"The lack of food, water, and excess of alcohol may have something to do with that," he thought as he sat upright. He got dizzy again, so he sat against his bed for a moment. He tucked his knees up to his chest for a moment, waiting until he felt good enough to reach over and grab his phone. He reeled back in shock at the sheer amount of missed calls. Immediately he started to panic, wondering what had ensued while he was otherwise occupied in his sorrows. He scrolled quickly, not quite sure who took the most importance to call back. He sent texts replies first, choosing to ignore the voicemails. By the time that wrapped up, Carlos was ready to try to stand up and get into the shower. He stumbled into the bathroom, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He did a double take, seeing the stubble starting to grow out and the dark circles under his eyes. His hair was a mess, and not in the sexy, windswept way that he could pull off. It was matted down and, quite frankly, dirty from the club and the sweating he did the night before. He took a long look at himself, even raising a hand to touch the rough stubble on his chin. He quickly ordered himself a large amount of food before stepping into the shower, letting his thoughts drift.

"I really fucked up, then and last night. I've been such a mess since the start of break. It feels like I can't do anything right. Clearly, sleeping with someone else didn't help. I just really need to talk to her. I need to see her. I can always get her back if I want."

**

It was a few days later when Carlos had finally started to feel like himself again. He was just finishing a morning run when he started getting a lot of messages. It was early in the morning in Monaco, and the crisp morning air made Carlos feel like he could be okay again. Like he could fix himself, fix things with Marie, and be happy again. Carlos pulled out his phone as he slowed to a walk, seeing that they were all sending him the same link. He clicked on it, seeing the headline. He stopped in his tracks, scrolling to see the grainy photos of him and Caroline, most of which her back was turned to the camera. He read quickly, feeling his adrenaline rush more than it just had on his run. He looked up as he stepped to his house, staring at it. Thinking about how it was supposed to be their house someday. He bought it with her in mind, picturing her throughout it as he toured it. And now, she would never see the house. His mind started to run, thinking about any possible way he could fix even more things with her.

"I just have to tell her the truth. As weak and stupid as it is, that I messed up and that I miss her. And that yes, I slept with someone else but that I still can't stop thinking about her," he thought, still staring at his house. Carlos tried to fake the confidence, even in his brain, but he knew that there was no coming back from that. She had to see those photos and know what he did. Somewhere, deep down, he feared that he had lost her for good, but that was something he chose to stay in denial about. It wasn't until he saw the call from his publicist roll in that Carlos stepped into his house to take it.

**

Marie had to throw her bodyweight into her suitcase, but it finally zipped up. She sat on the floor, looking around at her room in her apartment. It would be a while before she was back there, but soon it would be a more permanent home. Soon, it would be a place where she could find a sense of stability again. Where she could take over her junior management position that was waiting for her at the end of October. The informal discussions were done, Mark has agreed to take Marie's place for the end of 2023 into 2024 season and work on the ground gathering content. Marie would still participate in a few meetings for that branch, but she was more focused on proving to the board of directors why she should be the next CEO-in-training.