Figured we'd all need this today.
First, congratulations to Max! It was a well deserved win from how he performed this season and it was just a matter of time before he got the title. I only wish that the circumstances would've been better so that he had greater moment of knowing he won the championship than how he did today.
Second, it was worrying to see Carlos during the beginning of the race with those kind of conditions. Things would've been worse but thankfully, they're not. I'm glad that he and the other drivers are safe.
Third, Charles fought well and I'm not just talking about the Japanese grand prix. His full potential really came out this season and he proved he has what it takes to become a world champion. Hopefully, we'll get the chance to hear those words after his name next year (Ferrari, I pray to God, don't fucking mess up again.)
Lastly, today was an absolute shit show. I don't want to dive into the delayed start even more because this wasn't the first time it happened this season. That recovery car should've WAITED before going out on the track. Of all the places this could've happened, it had to be Suzuka. It was disrespectful to Jules' family and to all the drivers (not just Pierre) who put their lives at risk every time they go onto the track. The FIA seriously need to learn to be accountable. Instead, they chose to blame Pierre who could've died out there if the recovery car/he wasn't in the right place. We do not need another accident like Jules' and the FIA need to get their shit together. To think that they've already discussed the issue back in Singapore but it still happened here.
Also, it's nice for them to decide a 5-second penalty for Charles minutes after the race when it took them longer back in Singapore. Huh.
This is part 1 of a double update :) Enjoy!
*****
January 24, 2028 - Monaco
I don't know how I managed to avoid seeing Rose for so long. When almost two weeks had passed and she never became a topic of discussion between Charles and I apart from brief mentions of her whenever I shared another story, I figured it was all behind us.
Color me surprised when I was walking through our apartment lobby and she was speaking to the owner of the apartment who always sat behind the counter, Sir Henri. He was about sixty years old, having managed the apartment for the past fifteen years. Sir Henri was also the owner so he makes sure that everything was spotless and all of the tenants were happy with their spaces.
"Ah, Mrs. Leclerc!" He cheered when I walked through the doors and beckoned me over.
"Sir Henri, everything okay?" I asked as I walked to where he was, not knowing the person talking to him at first since they had their back towards me.
"How many times have I told you to just call me Henri, mademoiselle?" He frowned and I shook my head at him when I reached the counter.
"I'll call you Henri when you start calling me Nadia." I replied and he playfully rolled his eyes at me before moving his eyes to my left.
"You arrived just in time. Ms. Marchetti has a delivery for you." I raised an eyebrow before glancing to my left where Rose was standing and holding a box of what looked like cake.
She smiled at me and I returned one which was reserved for people who I wasn't really close to. It was respectful but didn't hold the same kind of joy I'd usually wear around the people I loved.
"Hey, Nadia." She greeted and even stepped forward to give me a short hug. It felt extremely awkward as I lightly patted her back before she moved away. "Charles ordered a cake and I thought I could personally deliver it to you guys." She said and I fought to hide my grimace as a soft smile formed on her face after saying Charles' name.
I don't know what came over me as I smiled back and glanced at the cake. "Would you like to go up for some coffee?" I asked and it seemed like I caught her off guard as well. Rose's eyes widened as she glanced at Sir Henri who was looking at his phone but obviously eavesdropping on our conversation. He knew who Rose was in Charles' life, having seen the Monegasque numerous times when the two were still dating.
"I wouldn't want to intrude." She said, glancing at Sir Henri as if she was asking for his help but the man quickly averted his eyes. By the small lift of his lips, I already knew he pretended not to notice for me.
"It's okay." I waved a hand and I could see the conflict in her eyes before she hesitantly nodded. The elevator ride was spent in silence and the awkwardness was shooting through the roof. I thought about opening a topic but figured I wouldn't have anything to ask her once we get to the apartment.
Things weren't always this awkward with me and Rose. Before, our topics would usually revolve around our careers and some of the races since she watches Formula One as well, long before she began dating Charles.
I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as I entered the apartment and set my bag by the dining table along with the folders I brought home with me. The place was empty since Charles was at the gym with Andrea today, getting ready for another round on the sim next week in Brackley.
"Where should I put this?" She asked, raising the box of cake and I beckoned for her to follow me to the kitchen.
"How do you take your coffee?" I asked as I brought out two cups and Rose set down the box by the counter, taking a seat on one of the stools. My eyes briefly glanced at the cake she brought and I couldn't help but stop for a few seconds as Rose looked around the apartment. It was one of her bestsellers and I've had a taste of it before. I knew that the inside was made of layers of red velvet and cream cheese, the outside coated in white buttercream frosting. Usually, the top part of the cake would be adorned with white and red roses but this time, the white roses were replaced with orange frosting.
Mix that with the red roses, the cake's design screamed love, passion, and desire.
"With cream and two teaspoons of sugar." She answered and I turned around to brew the coffee. I'm tempted to switch the sugar into salt but knew doing that wouldn't end in anything good. "I hear you went back to work."
Translation: Charles told her I went back to work.
"Yeah." I smiled, placing one of the coffee cups underneath the coffee machine. "It may sound weird, but it feels great to be drowning in paperwork again."
A stiff laugh came from her lips as I made her coffee and set it down in front of her, turning to make mine next. "I don't know how you do it. My mind could barely finish a book in three days, let alone the ones you read in hours." She cocked her head to the direction of the living room where I had left my folders.
"How's the bakery going?" I questioned after shrugging my shoulders. I turned off the coffee machine after a few more minutes and took a sip of my black coffee, thankful for the familiar drink.
"Good." Rose's eyes brightened at the mention of her business. I may not know her closely, but it was obvious that the girl knew how to run a business. No matter the occasion, or the lack of, her bakery would always be packed, especially during the weekend. "Valentine's day is coming up and we already have a lot of orders for the fourteenth." She explained and my eyes momentarily widened at the mention of the date, my mind moving back to three years ago. "Any plans?"
My eyes met hers and I could see the interest after asking the question. To be honest, Charles and I haven't made any plans at all. I forgot about it because of everything that's happened. We've continued sharing a story every night but our interactions were still limited. I felt like I've had more meaningful conversations with Gabby and Max the past few days compared to the last two weeks with him.
"We're probably just going to stay in with everything that's happened." I said, giving a small smile. I didn't miss the way her shoulders sagged in what looked like relief. Silence wrapped around us again and I was wracking my brain for another topic when my phone began ringing. "Would you mind if I?" I asked, gesturing to the phone and she shook her head.
Lorenzo's name was flashing on my phone and when I picked up the call, Callie's voice greeted me. "Nadi!"
My lips immediately stretched into a smile as I set my coffee down on the counter and moved a few feet away from Rose. "Hi, there."
"Papa's teaching me to call." She giggled and I couldn't help but let out a small laugh when I heard Lorenzo's voice in the background.
"I'm glad you called me." I said since it's been a while since I last saw her. I took care of her and Marcus for Lorenzo a few days after the dinner when he had to head to France for work and Alice wasn't available as well. Callie rambled on for a few minutes about her day until Lorenzo told her she needed to end the call since I was probably busy.
"I love you, Nadi!" She cheered and I could see her bright blue eyes in my head even though this was just an audio call.
"I love you too, melek." I replied, completely in love with the little girl, wishing that I'd have the same relationship with my kids in the future. I heard some rustling from the kitchen and I saw Rose emerge, holding her bag with one hand and a pained look on her face. "You okay?" I asked, covering the phone so that Callie wouldn't hear me.
"Yes, uhm– I just remembered I had to take care of some things for the bakery." She hurriedly said in one breath, fingers tightly wrapped around the strap of her bag. "Thank you for the coffee."
"No proble–" I said, but I didn't get to finish my sentence since Rose had already walked out of the door.
I heard the dial tone from my phone and figured Callie must've hung up when I was talking to Rose. I glanced back at the door, remembering the look she had on her face. The confused feeling I got was answered when I went back to the kitchen and saw a piece of paper on the counter in between the two cups.
It was a handwritten note from Charles that he left me a few days ago. I was sleeping in and he bought some breakfast for the two of us, leaving a note on the fridge since he had to leave for a meeting with George and Toto.
There's some breakfast in the fridge and three iced coffees. One is for me and the other two are yours. Please don't drink them both in one sitting :)
Charles x
I remember smiling when I walked into the kitchen, sleep still in my eyes. The 'x' was new since he never really used it whenever we messaged one another but I didn't bring it up for fear that he'd stop using it.
I left the note on the fridge and Rose must've seen it. It wasn't my intention for her to see the note, but deep inside, I felt a sense of arrogance knowing she was aware that Charles was my husband, not hers.
I disposed of her coffee and picked up mine to bring to the dining room. For a change of scenery, I decided to work here since doing so in my home office was probably just going to make me regret leaving the office early.
A few minutes later, I was about to move on to the second page of the report I was holding when the door opened and slammed shut.
My head whipped in the direction of the front door as I heard keys being dropped on the table. I stood up to see Charles throwing his gym bag to the floor and frustratingly running a hand through his hair.
"Charles?" I called out and his eyes met mine. I was caught by surprise at the anger in them and I tentatively stepped back when he glared at me.
"What did you tell her?" My eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as he stood a few feet in front of me, hands on his hips with a dark look on his face. When I didn't answer, he repeated the question with a lower voice.
"What are you talking about?" I asked when I regained my composure and my back straightened in defense of what looked like was going to be a verbal attack from him.
"Rose. I ran into her downstairs and she looked like a mess."
"I didn't do anything."
"That's bullshit, Nadia." He argued and a bitter chuckle escaped his lips. "We both know how you feel about her so why did you invite her up?"
I ignored his question and crossed my arms over my chest. "I don't know what she told you, but I didn't do anything." I knew I was glaring at him now as well, not liking the accusing tone he used. I could feel the temperature in the room growing colder and it felt like the walls were closing in on me as the tension continued to rise. "I was talking to Callie on the phone and then she suddenly had to leave."
"And the note?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
"I forgot it was still on the fridge."
"You really have an answer to everything, don't you?"
I wanted to tell him that wasn't true. I didn't have an answer as to why he still cared about Rose like this. I certainly didn't have an answer as to why he was choosing to believe her instead of me.
"I'm a lawyer. What do you think?" I argued back and I rolled my eyes at him. Knowing he wasn't going to back down, I turned around to return to the dining room. Maybe I should've just stayed at the office longer so that I could avoid this entire mess.
"She thought I said I loved you."
I froze, feet skidding to halt. I didn't turn around but I could feel his eyes on the back of my head. I clenched my fists and closed my eyes to keep myself from falling apart, a common occurrence that I seem to have developed ever since his accident. It wasn't the way he said it or the fact that he used the word loved instead of love.
It was how he made it look like the idea of loving me was something that would never happen.
When I turned around to face him, I was expecting to see regret in his eyes but all I saw was the anger he arrived with. "And is that so hard to believe?" I voiced out, my tone softer than earlier and I saw his eyes flicker before the dark look returned.
"You know my reasons." He said and it broke my heart that those words were the ones to come out of his mouth.
"Don't you dare use your accident as an excuse. I've never used that against you when it comes to how you feel for me, but don't expect me to do the same when it's about Rose."
"It's not something I can control, Nadia. Before you, all I knew was her." I could feel the pain in his voice and I wanted nothing but to comfort him.
Not when it comes to this, though.
"But now, you have me! How do you think it feels to see my husband, to live with him under the same roof, knowing that he's thinking of someone else? Just because you don't see me falling apart doesn't mean I don't." Tears were forming in my eyes but I held my ground and willed myself not to let them fall.
"Then let me in."
"It's not that easy."
"For fuck's sake!" He frustratingly yelled, kicking his duffle bag in anger. "We both know it's not easy, Nadia. Nothing in this life of ours is easy." I didn't answer as he breathed in and out deeply, biting his lip as his eyes darted around the room.
"Charles–"
"I can't." He said, shaking his head, and I dropped my hand that I lifted when I said his name. "The past two weeks have been good, but I need more. Would you be able to give me that?" His eyes looked hopeful but with every second of silence that passed between us, I could see it wavering.
I knew the answer was no. I wasn't ready to air everything out in the open yet, but I couldn't open my mouth to speak.
Without another word, he turned around and walked out of the door.
*****
Dun dun dun dunnn
✧Reese✧