Fragile Heart

68

Landos pov

Fuck, double fuck.

Realizing I failed her, betrayed her, and caused her pain, I understand the depth of her suffering.

I stayed in the same place, the very spot where I poured my heart out to her, only for her to question its authenticity and my intentions.

Admitting my love for her in that moment might not have been the best timing, but it was genuine, and slipped out.

As tears trickle down my cheek, I realize that everyone in the paddock witnessed the chaotic scene. They heard her accusations, her screams about me kissing another woman. But the truth is, she kissed me.

I watch Aaron walk out of the hospitality, fucking Aaron.

In no time, I stormed up to him, gripping his collar firmly and pinning him against the wall.

"You fucking bastard," I seethe, moving closer to his face. "Mate, she kissed me!" he defends himself, but I look away, feeling defeated, and release my grip on him.

There's no denying it, she did kiss him right in front of me, and just hearing him say it hurts like hell.

And when she said those words, "you don't have the right to pull me away from anyone anymore," it felt like a dagger to the chest because deep down, I know she's right.

It's like I don't even need to hear the words "we need to break up" because deep down, I already know it's over between us. There's no point in fighting it. Stella's heart is fragile, and once it's broken, it's broken forever. There's no fixing it.

I glance at Aaron once more before I hurry back to the McLaren hospitality and rush up to my driver's room. Once inside, I find Coco lounging on the couch, absorbed in her phone.

"What the fuck were you thinking!" I yell, slamming the door behind me as I stride into the room. She looks up from her phone and shrugs.

"I kissed you because I like you," she says, putting her phone away. I raise my eyebrows, anger brewing inside me.

"I was in a perfectly happy, healthy relationship, and then you come along and wreck everything. You made me lose the love of my life, Coco! How do you think Zak would react if he found out about this!? I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when he does!" I yell, jabbing my finger in her direction.

Her face pales at the mention of Zak, and I can see the fear creeping into her eyes. She clearly didn't anticipate this consequence.

"I fucking loved her, Coco," I say, my voice thick with emotion. She bites her lip, avoiding my gaze and staring at the floor as if searching for the right words.

"I-" she mumbles, but the words seem stuck in her throat.

"It's over between us because you forced yourself on me," I continue, moving closer to her, my tone firm and resolute.

"I lost her because of you!" I scream, my anger boiling over as I confront her face to face. She looks scared, her eyes wide with fear.

"Fuck," I mumble, taking a step back and looking away, feeling the tears welling up. "You're gone after this race is over. I mean it. Just because you're Zak's daughter doesn't mean you can stay forever," I say, turning to the door and opening it, needing to escape the suffocating tension in the room.

"Never. I mean it. Never touch me again," I assert firmly before storming out of my driver's room. Leaving the hospitality, I head back to Ferrari's area, hoping somehow I can salvage this mess.

It takes about five minutes just to navigate through the crowd outside McLaren's hospitality, with people bombarding me with questions about what just happened. I ignore every single one of them and finally make my way into Ferrari's hospitality.

I spot Charles pacing around, engrossed in his phone, but Stella is nowhere to be seen.

He looks up and his expression changes to one of surprise and irritation as he sees me.

"Get the fuck out of here!" he yells, his voice cutting through the air like a knife.

"Charles, please, where is she?" I plead, but he shakes his head and begins to walk away.

"If you love her, you would leave her alone, so just go!" he screams, and I halt.

It's officially over...