Pole Position: Between Logic and Passion

Everyone except me

"I know." I exhaled, running a hand through my hair again. "That's not even the best part of the story," I said, my voice dripping with irony.

He raised an eyebrow, clearly bracing himself. "Oh yeah? What's worse than that?"

I let the words hang for a second, then dropped the bomb. "After that... she got pregnant."

His eyes went wide, disbelief written all over his face. "You mean... It's mine?"

I shook my head slowly. "That's what everyone thought for months. Anna made sure of that. She turned everything upside down. It was a nightmare."

He swallowed hard, voice low. "Fuck, I had no idea."

"We were both stuck in that mess, trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't. But even with all that chaos, we still tried. We wanted it to work."

He looked at me like I was crazy. "After all that? You really wanted us to keep going?"

I shrugged, biting my lip. "It wasn't easy. Far from it. Every day felt like walking on glass. We were both broken, unsure if we could trust anything anymore."

His hand tightened on my waist. "So what happened?"

I sighed, voice barely above a whisper. "Eventually, it just got too much. We ended things. Broke for good. Months passed without a word."

The silence stretched between us, heavy and raw. I could hear his breathing shift, could feel the weight of what I'd just unloaded sinking into him.

Charles dragged a hand over his face like he was trying to wipe the shock away. "I can't believe I forgot all of that," he said finally, voice low and rough.

My chest ached. "You didn't choose to forget."

"No, but it still feels like I failed you." His eyes met mine, glassy, overwhelmed.

I swallowed hard, my throat burning.

A beat of silence passed before I asked, softly, "What did she say?"

He blinked. "Anna?"

I nodded, pulse spiking.

He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and scrolled for a second before holding it out to me. "She said she wanted to talk. That she will be in Monaco for the next race" He paused. "I didn't answer."

I looked down at the message, at the name I hadn't seen in over a year. And suddenly, I wasn't just tired-I was furious.

Without thinking, I climbed off his lap. The shift was abrupt, and I knew he felt it. I stood up too fast, like I needed distance, like I needed air-because suddenly, I did.

My skin prickled with that too-familiar itch of anxiety. My heartbeat was in my throat, my thoughts spinning out faster than I could control them. I ran a hand through my hair again, pacing a few steps across the room like that would settle me.

Charles stood too, cautious. "Amy..."

"No, it's fine," I said too quickly, waving a hand. "It's nothing. I mean..." My voice cracked at the end, and I hated that it did.

He stepped closer, slow like I was some kind of startled animal. "Amy. I didn't answer her. I don't want to."

I nodded, arms crossed tightly over my chest. "I know. I know. It's just... I can't go through that again. I barely made it out the first time."

His expression shifted, like he wanted to reach for me but wasn't sure if he should.

I took a breath, bracing myself. If Anna was back in the picture-even for a second-there were things she could use.