Surprise update! I haven't had the time to proof read this so look our for some typos ☺️
Enjoy!
*****
January 25, 2028 - Monaco
I used to hate being surrounded by silence. It was a constant reminder that I was alone with no one to share a simple conversation with. Three years ago, I developed a habit of always having my headphones over my ears, listening to a playlist filled with music that would occupy me for hours. I mostly used it when I was at home since I couldn't bare the empty space.
Now though, I value the silence around me. It took a long way for me to get here and back then, I still found myself itching to listen to some music or turn on the television to have a low noise in the background. Even when I began seeing Charles, silence was still something I dreaded to experience.
Gabby wordlessly passed me a can of beer before moving to start the engine. She had stopped the boat a good distance from the port, leaving me be as I sat by the front and she stood behind the wheel.
"What's on your mind?" She asked when she sat beside me, opening a can of beer of her own. We were both wearing sunglasses over our eyes to fight the heat and brightness of the sun.
"A lot." I breathed out and she smiled at me, head leaning on my shoulder. "I don't know where I'll start when I tell him."
"Maybe start with his attitude so that he'd feel a bit of remorse."
"It's no different to how he is now, so I'm not sure if that'll do anything." I commented and she agreed with a nod.
"How do you think he'll react?" She asked, a look of apprehension on her face.
I set down my beer and lied down, closing my eyes because even with the sunglasses, the glare of the sun was still too much. "Regret." I answered, my voice filled with more worry than pain. I could already imagine the look on his face. He'r remember every little thing he did wrong ever since we got into this mess and he'd feel guilty for acting that way towards me.
I don't want him to feel guilty. I never held it against him, knowing that he had no idea what I've been through. I only hoped that he would be patient enough for me to muster up as much strength as I could. It's a characteristic of his that I always hated. He tended to feel quilty and blame himself for things he had no control of, eapecially in racing. I can't even count the amount of times a race has kept him down for days, specifically the ones where it wasn't even his fault.
Gabby and I spent the rest of the day in the water. She brought her camera with her and took some photos, some of which I'd surely see in her portfolio after a few months. The food she brought was more than enough for the two of us but I didn't have an appetite to eat as much as her. I ignored the look she gave me after seeing my plate only half full compared to hers but she didn't bring it up either.
When it was time to go back, I settled myself with Gabby by the wheel as we went back to the port. "We need to stop by the store before heading back." She raised an eyebrow at me in question. "We're not staying in Monaco. It's a good thing it's Friday because I need us to be free from any interruptions."
"Am I right in guessing that this weekend would involve a lot of alcohol?" She asked, remembering how I used to cope before. The memory made me cringe but I knew I would never drink excessively like that again.
"Not that much but I have a feeling he'd be consuming more than me. Plus a bit of ice cream for myself." I replied and she smirked, shaking her head at me.
We returned Max's boat to the port and hopped into the car she borrowed from him as well. When we left the apartment, Max let us ride with him to lend Gabby a car, knowing that I was in no state to drive. I didn't want to bring my car out as well because people would recognize it was me. It wasn't every day you'd see a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster.
"So, how are things with Max?" I asked Gabby as she drove to the store, wanting to focus on something else for a few minutes.
"Okay." She shortly replied, refusing to meet my eye.
"In other words?"
"Okay, meaning I'm staying over at his place and will most likely stay there until I know you're feeling better." I raised an eyebrow at her and she glared at me before letting out a sigh of defeat. "Sex is definitely on the table."
I laugh escaped my lips and Gabby joined me, biting her lip as she moved through the streets of Monaco. "You know he wants more than that, right?"
"I do." She gave me a smile and I could see she wanted the same thing as well. I've seen Gabby with a lot of guys since she always had a mantra of 'collect and select', but the glint in her eyes was something I'd only see with Max. "But I don't think I'm ready yet. The last serious relationship I had messed me up and it'll be a while before I'm ready for another one."
"Max is very patient." I cheekily said and Gabby smirked in return.
"Very generous, too." She winked at me and I rolled my eyes at her, shaking my head at the crudeness of her statement.
The run to the store was thankfully free of any customers recognizing me. While I was pushing the cart and going through the aisles, Gabby got me a pack of cookies, saying I needed to eat because I didn't have enough of the snacks she brought earlier. I didn't even realize I was starving until I grabbed another pack before we headed to the cashier to pay.
When we were nearing our apartment, I began feeling nervous and Gabby noticed this. "Are you sure you don't want us to come with you guys?" She asked, carefully driving around Monaco since it was already dark and a ton of cars were driving around to celebrate Friday nights.
I shook my head. "It needs to be just me and him. If you guys come, he's going to feel left out since he'd be the only one in the dark."
Gabby dropped me off in front of the apartment after giving me one last hug, saying she could easily make Max driver for her no matter what time it is. I reassured her that it wouldn't come to that and gave her one last goodbye before heading inside. Sir Henri wasn't in the lobby since he usually left the night shift to a receptionist he hired for the part-time work. She usually keeps to herself which is why I managed to walk to the elevator without any small talk.
The entire time the elevator made its trip to our floor, I was leaning against the railings with both of my hands tightly grasping the metal object, fingers tapping continuously. It was like the ding of the elevator woke me up as the doors opened and my feet moved on their own accord.
Taking one last deep breathe, I pulled out my keys and opened the door leading to the apartment. No sound greeted me as I closed the door and didn't bother taking off my shoes since we'd be leaving in a few minutes. I haven't told Charles about my plans of getting out of Monaco but I knew he wouldn't resist if it meant he'd get to know everything.
The living room and kitchen were empty. I checked my office and the guest room where he was staying and found it empty as well. I opened the door to my bedroom–our bedroom– and saw him sitting down on the edge of the bed, both of his legs folded underneath him as he looked intently at the objects placed in front of him.
Three wooden squares told me that he was looking at our photos that I kept in my office. He rarely went in there anyway and I spent most of my time there whenever I was home lately, so I decided to move the pictures on my desk.
"Hey." He said when he noticed me by the doorway, fingers playing with the bracelets on his wrist.
"Hi." I said, walking a few steps forward so that we were only about three feet away from one another. "I have another condition before we head straight into it."
Charles gave me a curious look before standing up and stopping right in front of me. "What is it?"
"We need privacy." I blurted out and he gestured for me to explain further. "Monaco has been our life for the past three years. There are a lot of good memories but there have been bad ones as well and for me to tell you everything, I'd need a place where we won't be interrupted and things would be disconnected."
"Do you already have a place in mind?"
"Yes. We're going to Nice."
*****
January 25, 2028 - Nice
During our first year anniversary of being together, Charles and I spent a weekend in Nice, renting a small cottage that was settled by a cliff. The house was made out of weathered stones, white windows adorned with cerulean blue window panes. There was a wooden table outside with four matching blue chairs where we spent our meals, save for lunch when the sun was too hot. The interior held a low ceiling, living room giving a vibe of comfort with its warm colors.
Our time was usually spent inside the house, playing board games and reading the books from the mini library that came with the cottage whenever we weren't locking ourselves inside the bedroom. Breakfast would end with us clearing the table and going out for a walk, the spring weather making it perfect for a stroll down towards the beach. There were only a handful of houses other than the one we were staying in and they were all a great distance apart. No one would know who we are unless they went within a short distance of the cottage. We ended up buying the cottage last year when we were about to celebrate our first year anniversary as a married couple.
It was one of the most memorable parts of our relationship because we got the peace and quiet we never usually had.
Charles didn't press for more questions after I told him to pack for two nights away. I knew he only had one meeting on Monday which wouldn't happen until late in the afternoon and I made a request to Andrea to let him skip training for the next three days, promising that he could gain the time lost during the rest of the week.
I was the one who drove, thankful that the route we were using wasn't full of cars. The forty minute car ride was spent with no words exchanged between us, only the sound of the radio floating around in the car. I could feel his eyes on me sometimes as I drove, one hand on the steering wheel and the other cradling my head as I placed my elbow by the door on my side.
The tension was unnerving and I knew he was itching to ask the numerous questions swirling around his head. When I parked in front of the house and turned off the engine, leaving the headlights on which showed him the view of the cottage. I already knew we weren't getting any sleep tonight because I don't think either of us could go through until the morning without having the conversation I was deeply dreading to happen.
Without a word, I turned off the lights and headed over to the boot of the car to grab our things. I placed my duffel bag over my shoulder as Charles grabbed his and the groceries I bought from the store. He followed me silently as I unlocked the door and turned on the lights, giving him a full view of the inside of the cottage. His footsteps slowed down behind me as he looked around while I set my things down by the living room, opening a few more lights to brighten up the room.
He placed the groceries inside the kitchen and I set myself to placing them inside the refrigerator and cupboards. I left out two bottles of wine and his favorite brand of whiskey. I had three more bottles kept in the refrigerator in case that wasn't enough for the two of us. Charles must've placed his things in the living room as well because he came to the kitchen empty handed. I poured each of us a shot of whiskey in the regular glasses since we didn't have ones for shots. I immediately downed it before moving to grab some wine glasses.
"Wine or whiskey?" I asked, standing in front of the counter with both alcoholic drinks on either side of me. He was standing on the opposite side.
"What do I need?" Without any hesitation, I pushed the shot of whiskey towards him as I poured myself a glass of wine. He drank the shot, wincing slightly afterwards as he passed the glass back to me. I refilled it and slid the glass over to him as well. I saw him curiously glance at the wine glass I was drinking from. "Liquid courage." I said.
"Liquid courage." He repeated, nodding his head in agreement.
We spent about five more minutes in silence, with me avoiding his eye and him trying to catch mine. Knowing that delaying the inevitable wouldn't make me feel better, I took one last deep breath before I met his deep green eyes.
"Before I tell you about us," I began, already feeling the shakiness in my voice. "I need to tell you some things about myself." He didn't break eye contact the entire time I spoke and I knew he was going to do this the entire weekend. "The Nadia you know now is very different from the one you first met. I was still stubborn, yes, but I was broken as well." My eyes bore into his as I pushed myself to say the next words, never really accepting that what happened was my reality back in 2024. "That's what happens when you lose three of the most important people in your life."
*****
There's actually a reason as to why I'm not updating on a Sunday 🤣 I've been writing a lot lately and currently have four chapters ready to be published.
I wanted to know your opinions regarding mature content 👀 This story is very different from Lock Up and frankly, I've never written any mature content lol. It seems fitting to include it in the plot but I don't want it to be awkward at the same time.
So, thoughts?
Btw the next chapter would be the start of a very long time jump.
✧Reese✧