Nico
I had done everything in my power to keep my distance from Alaric, just as he had asked.
In the beginning, I tried calling him, texting him, leaving voice notes—desperately trying to reach across the rift between us. But he refused to speak to me. Every single attempt was met with a wall of silence.
Eventually, I realized he was still trying to process everything I had dumped on him that night, so I stopped reaching out and gave him space.
I put on a mask and pretended everything was fine.
I skipped optional media briefings, minimized my time in the paddock, and did whatever it took to avoid a confrontation.
Yet, no matter how hard I tried to lock my feelings away, every night ended the exact same way—with me staring at my phone, endlessly scrolling through our private photos and checking the secret, hidden account we had created together just to document our relationship away from the world's eyes.
