Either way. HOW?
I turned my head slightly, just enough to see his lopsided grin. “I can’t believe how sore I am. My physio is gonna think I fought a damn tiger.”
His grin widened, the smugness unmistakable. “You’re welcome.”
I groaned, burying my face in the pillow to hide my smile. “Don’t let it go to your head, Fraser.”
“Too late for that,” he teased, nuzzling into my hair.
For a moment, it was easy to pretend that thiswas normal, that waking up in Callum’s arms didn’t mean anything more than comfort and warmth. But the illusion shattered when he sighed heavily, the sound pulling me back to reality.
“What?” I asked, my voice hesitant.
“I’ve got an early flight to Monaco,” he admitted.
The words hit like a bucket of cold water, dousing the hazy warmth that had cocooned us. Of course, he had to leave. This wasn’t some fairytale where we could stay wrapped up in bed indefinitely. The world was waiting, and reality was worming its way back in.
“Right,” I said, sitting up and reaching for my phone. The glow of the screen illuminated the room as I unlocked it, my heart sinking when the notifications flooded in. Tweets, news alerts, articles—all speculating on Luminis interviewing other drivers.
My stomach twisted as I scrolled, catching snippets of commentary:
Luminis GP considering driver changes for next season?
Dubois’ DNF raises questions about her future in F1
Can Luminis afford to keep a rookie liability?
One DNF.One. After placing in the points every other race this season. And yet, here they were, doubting me. Doubting my worth. Silly season or not, for them to not even have a conversation with me about this first soured my mood.
You’ll never be enough.
The voice cut through my thoughts like a knife, the ghost of my ex sneering in my mind.A distraction. No one can know.
Panic surged, and I climbed out of bed, ignoring the stiffness in my legs as I stumbled toward the bathroom. I grabbed the toothbrush in the holder without asking, brushing furiously as if the minty taste could wash away the acidic taste of bile.
I’d done so well at keeping my emotions at bay, building a wall toprotect myself. And yet one night with Callum had it all unraveling, as though all my hard work meant nothing.
“Auri?” Callum’s voice was closer now, soft but laced with concern. “What just happened? Talk to me.”
I spat into the sink, rinsing quickly before turning to face him. He stood in the doorway, shirtless but wearing a pair of joggers now, his hair mussed from sleep, and I hated how effortlessly perfect he looked. I looked like a drowned sewer rat with how my hair dried unbrushed after the shower mere hours ago.
“It’s nothing,” I lied, grabbing my clothes from the counter. My torn shirt was a useless pile of fabric in the trash. Frustrated, I shoved past him to grab his discarded shirt from the night before off the ground.
“That doesn’t look like nothing,” he said, stepping closer. “Auri, come on.”
I waved my phone at him, the articles and posts glaring back at me.
Dubois couldn’t handle the pressure. What’s next for her?
Whore-mula 1: What happens when you sleep your way to the top?
That last onewas particularly cutting as my eyes snagged on the comment someone left on a posted article.
“You’re flying off to Monaco, and I’m waking up to headlines about Luminis shopping the fucking grid for my seat.”
He frowned, taking the phone from my hand to scan the headlines. “This is ridiculous. There’s no way they’re cutting you next season.”
“I’m a rookie, Callum. A liability. A woman in a man’s world.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them, my voice cracking under the weight of my insecurities. Everythinghehad said to me was rising to the surface. “It makes sense. Why would they keep me?”
