BOOK 2
SEQUEL TO LIGHTS OUT - SPOILERS - MAKE SURE YOU READ BOOK ONE FIRST
That day in Abu Dhabi changed everything. Her secrets may no longer be her own, but the real battles have only just begun. Having such a renowned and experienced teammate, th...
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thank you so much for sticking with me - hopefully this chapter will be worth the wait! i tried something a little different in this chapter just for fun so let me know your thoughts (it'll be pretty obvious lmao)
as always, please keep up your engagement with votes and comments throughout. i can't believe we reached 150+ comments on the previous chapter.
please read the a/n at the end and give your input on what i should do to celebrate 500k on the first book of this series (honestly thank you so much, my bad-maths brain can't comprehend a number that big. i've only ever seen it before on f1 one-shot books and not individually stories which makes it all that more special).
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I made the decision to switch my phone to 'Do Not Disturb' all bar a few select contacts - Toto Wolff, Riki Musconi, Lizzie Moore, and Dr. Lauren Davis. The fewer people that would bother me with questions and pity, the better. I don't know how many people would be aware of my current situation with Max, however everyone would've watched the gutting end to my British Grand Prix after leading for every lap, denying me my first Grand Chelem. It was one of, of not the, worst Sunday of my life. I just want to ignore the pain.
Unsurprisingly, Bella didn't have any protest when I asked if I could spend the night with her. If I hadn't committed myself to the therapy session Monday morning, you can bet that I would've been on the first plane out to Geneva so I can spend the few-day break before the Austrian Grand Prix away from everyone. I was grateful to have met her and have her in my life - my non-motorsport related constant. Bella, although curious as to why I didn't want to talk about Max, respected my wishes and didn't press me in the slightest. She gave the tightest hugs whenever my eyes started to get teary, and distracted me with alcohol and jokes to keep my mind from my dismal day.
My alarm the following morning was set for half nine, however it served no purpose as I barely got any sleep that night. My tired eyes just stared at the clock on the wall at the end of Bella's king-sized bed, waiting for the time I needed to get up to come. My twisting stomach and tight feeling in my throat was keeping me from drifting off for more than half an hour at a time. It was probably for the best; I didn't run the risk of needing to disturb the sleeping Bella beside me should I have a nightmare. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Zara's protruding stomach and Max's guilty face.
No amount of concealer seemed capable of covering the dark circles around my eyes, and after almost half an hour of my morning wasted dabbing my face with the sponge, I conceded to looking rough. A part of me wanted to appear as unbothered as possible when I face Max later on today, but in doing so would require a miracle.
Because my car was still parked in Max's driveway, I couldn't just drive myself to therapy. I decided to turn down Bella's offer of a lift in favour of an Uber; she had already done so much for me that I didn't want to burden her, even more so when she had only woken up ten minutes before I was due to leave. Luckily for me, I didn't drink much the night before and had no negative effects directly from the alcohol - just from the severe sleep depravation.
