That did me in. Tears burned my eyes, and the day threatened to push me under like a tidal wave.
“He loves you, you know,” he added. “He didn’t say it. He didn’t have to.”
I looked away, blinking hard. “I love him, too. Even when I’m an idiot about it.”
Marco offered a faint smile. “Aren’t we all?” He paused, glancing toward the door. “You don’t have to stay. But if you want to… I’ll wait outside.”
I nodded. “Thank you, Marco.”
“You’re one of us now,” he said simply. “He’s not the only one who gives a shit.”
“Yeah,” I huffed. “I never thanked you for everything you did in Monaco.”
“You don’t need to. As far as I’m concerned, you tried to save us. That’s all the thanks I need.”
Oh.I turned away, unable to meet his gaze. My eyes fell on the empty room, the silence echoing louder than any party downstairs. Marco’s presence lingered for a moment longer before he sighed and stepped back.
“Get some rest, Aurélie,” he told me. “Austria’s coming up quick.”
I hated how exposed I felt under his gaze, as if he could see right through me. But he didn’t say another word, just flashed that damn cocksure smile before he walked away.
I stood there, staring into the void of Callum’s absence. The ache in my chest deepened, a cruel reminder of how close I’d come to losing him. And how much that thought terrified me.
After a few moments, I took a final deep breath and left the room. Marco was in the hallway, just as he’d said. He was texting, and because I was nosey, I glanced down to see it was Callum. My blood immediately boiled.
I hadn’t heard a single word from him. No texts. No call. No voice note. No DM on our private Instagram accounts. Not even a fucking meme.
I had already sent four messages.
Are you okay? Did you go to the hospital?
Please call me when you can. I’m worried about you.
I don’t care if you’re busy. Just let me know you’re going to be okay.
Je t’aime.
All read, all ignored. I assumed he was resting, yet Marco was actively messaging him, getting replies and smirking at whateverCallum had the time and clarity to texthim.So he could tell Marco to pass a message along to me but couldn’t take the time to tell me it himself?
We parted ways after he almost died and then he went off to defend me to the stewards. Aftereverything—all the ways he’d shown up for me, forced me out of my comfort zone and made me fall for him—and he suddenly wanted to shut me out?
Oh, hell no. He didn’tgetthat kind of space from me.
I loved this man with my entire soul, and that was why I would chase him to the ends of the earth. He would soon understand all it meant to love me.
We’d spent the last three weeks dancing around our PR teams’ plan to keep us apart. Our last night in Monaco, he’d kissed me like I wasgravityand he was finally done floating. His hands tangled in my hair, his breath in my mouth, his body pressed to mine like we weren’t on borrowed time. As if he’d already chosen me, and it was just a matter of saying it out loud to the world. He’d kissed me with a kind of hunger that didn’t ask for permission. Made love to me like he already knew every way I was going to hurt him, and chose it anyway. He’dlookedat me like I was a prayer and he was scared of what I meant to him.
All in front of that mirror while we were bathed in moonlight, as if it wasn’t the most romantic moment in my entire goddamn life.
I would not let our last memories together be that magical night and a nearly life-ending crash.
I blinked once. Twice. My nails dug into the palm of my hand. My heart twisted and hardened. I wasn’t naïve. I knew I’d let Callum in too far, too fast. Knew I’d built rooms inside myself just to house the things I wanted to say to him and didn’t always know how to. I’d given him pieces of me I hadn’t givenanyone. I had let himseeme, touch me, worship me in ways no one ever had.
Maybe something had gone wrong. Maybe it was worse than I thought, and he didn’t know how to tell me. The thought clawed at my insides—but even that didn’t explain the silence.
And now he was choosing silence?
No fucking way.
