The Bull Prince | Max Verstappen

SEQUEL - Chapter 35

"What do you think, the sideboard in the bedroom would be a nice place for it?" Max pointed out, which caused Joanna to nod against his shoulder before moving up to kiss his lips again.

"Perfect." She whispered between two kisses.

"Miss Lauda." A voice suddenly called, causing Max and Joanna to break the kiss before looking over to the door where Emma was standing her back turned on them while she was ranting her apology for disturbing them like that.

"It's fine, Emma," Max said, while he stepped away from Joanna but not without giving her a wink, which the maid couldn't see while he moved back to his own set of boxes, full of trophies which would have to find a new place in the Lauda House as well. His, Joanna's and Niki's. They thought it would be nice to keep them all together in the Grand Hall with the cars and the helmet collection they had, but a few just had to stay in their living quarters.

"What is it?" Joanna asked polity which caused the young maid to walk over to the lady of the house, a rolled-up carpet in her arms.

"We found this one with the other furniture, but it seems like it was never cleaned after an accident. Do you happen to remember what it was?" The maid wanted to know which caused Joanna to bite her lips shorty. Yeah, she recalled.

"Red wine." She answered seemingly not very present which caused Max to look up. He was also very aware of which rug that was, even though he wasn't present as it happened and was never explicitly told how it happened, but he knew that it symbolised. 

"Great, makes things easier. Where do you want us to place it once it's cleaned." Emma spoke, the young girl already wanted to leave as Joanna spoke up again.

"Oh, there won't be any need for that. Place it as it is in my office, please." Joanna spoke which caused Emma to look at her surprised for a moment before she nodded and walked off to do as she was told, while Joanna stood over the box of framed pictures still, one of them in hand and a distant glance in her eyes.

"You're okay?" Max asked her from where he was standing which caused Joanna to free herself from her frozen state after a long moment before she started to nod.

"Yeah, I just forget sometimes what a train wreck of a person I am." She muttered while sitting down on the couch. Her partner fast to abandon his boxes in favour of sitting by Joanna's side, his hand finding her belly easily by now, before brushing his nose against Joanna's temple.

"You're not," Max told her honestly which caused Joanna to snort.

"Do you know what I thought as I was laying on the living room floor, so high on painkillers and sleeping pills that I couldn't move?" She asked Max, which caused him to give her a look to go on, while his hands had moved to hold onto her. "I'm only one overdose away from joining Jules."

"You are clean." Max pointed out. There were many moments of temptation, but she never fell for it, she always fought against it and Max was so fucking proud of her for doing that. "You're not like that anymore. And as long as I'm here, it will never happen again, I promise you I'm taking care of you, and I know that you will and are doing the same. We're taking care of each other, for better or worse."

Joanna had listened to him, and she was thankful for all he said, but she couldn't accept it, not at that moment. A memory, maybe a memory of one of her lowest points in life had come back to haunt her one more time.

"You were so badly hurt back then, and I wasn't there. You would have needed me, and I wasn't by your side. I couldn't be there for you, why do we think I can be better for him when everything is pointing against it?" She asked, the fat tears running down her cheeks.