Christmas with the Leclerc's

18

~Victim~
December 18

Charles pulls away from the kiss, both of us gasping for air the second our lips break apart. I bite down on my lip to suppress the wide smile lingering on my lips.

His warm hand against my cheek, Charles presses his forehead against mine, his eyes closed as he smiles.

"Fucking hell Carolina..." He mutters, pressing his lips together, forming a tight line. He takes in a deep breath, our chests still tightly pressed against each other.

I smile up at him, looking at the full lashes that decorate his closed eyes. Charles opens his eyes, the joy disappearing from his face as he catches my gaze.

His eyes twitch, as they slowly start glazing with tears he tries to blink away. "What's wrong?" I ask him, furrowing my brows at him. We're so close I can feel his breath on my face.

He swallows hard, his gaze falling down to the glistening snow. "I'm sorry," he begins, and the panic immediately rushes to my head.

No. Please no. Charles looks up at me suddenly, and I realize that in my panic, I'd accidentally said it out loud.

The color from Charles's face disappears, as he lifts his chin, his eyes constantly fighting the urge to look down at me.

"This was a mistake."

The words fall out of Charles's mouth hard and directly, but his face is in deep pain, as he fights back tears pushing in his eyes.

Shock hits me like a brick. Right in the fucking chest. "Wh...What?" I manage to get out, my voice already a shaking mess.

Charles avoids my eyes, his whole body slowly edging away from me. This can't be true. No. But Charles doesn't take his words back.

"Does this have something to do with Julius's mother?" The words fall out of me suddenly, a new anger rising inside me. If this is how it's going to go down, then I at least deserve the truth.

Charles finally looks down at me, caught off guard by my sudden question. He clenches his jaw, as he hesitates to answer.

"Yes." He finally responds, breaking the silence that felt like an eternity to me. I bite down on my lip, my breath trembling, as I shake my head in disbelief.
Of course it's that fucking woman.

"Who is she Charles? Is it because you're in love with her? The least you could do after all this is to tell me the truth!" I raise my voice at him, tears pushing in my eyes.

Charles locks his eyes with mine, and I hate the look in them. It's hurt, pain and sorrow coated in them. "It doesn't matter.." Charles quickly replies, his words trailing off. His gaze quickly snaps away from me, like it's hurting him to just look at me.

"Yes it does! I at least deserve an explanation. Fucking hell you were the one to kiss me Charles!" I shout, a painful ache hurting in my chest. I have so much love for him and for it all to be wasted because of some woman...

Charles briefly closes his eyes, taking in a deep breath, as if he's taking in courage to respond. "Her name is Lili. And no I'm not in love with her" Charles quietly responds, having to take a hard swallow before he can continue.

I wait patiently for him, every word hitting me right in the guts. Lili. I can't help but Imagine her. Beautiful, Monégasque, fancy, rich... Everything I'm not.

"We were only 19, when we found out she was pregnant" Charles explains, still refusing to look at me. "I was on my way to f1 and... I wasn't ready" Charles admits, fidgeting with the watch on his wrist. 19. He was barely an adult, still just a boy...