It's You ✮ Charles Leclerc

Cɦɑpteɾ 25

♫ Maybe it's somethin' but let's not pretend
Or maybe it's nothin' and this is the end ♫

July 29th, 2022 - Hungarian Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc POV

I might be having the time of my life as I watch my son and Natalie enjoying the last weekend of the year. She had the weekend off, but since it was the last one before summer break started, she was here. She would be working next week in Italy, but she is coming back to Monaco in the second week of August, from what I gathered from Lucas's words. He speaks a bit more; he is not talkative, but he answers more and says way more words than I thought it was possible.

"There's someone asking for you outside," one of the staff members says as I am finishing breakfast with my brothers, and I am confused.

"And who is it?" I ask confusedly. They never bothered me unless it was friends or family, and my whole family was in my direct sight.

"Sylvie Allard," her words made me freeze on the spot. My eyes darted to my son, who was completely oblivious as he played with Natalie and her dad.

"Keep it between us. He doesn't know she is here, and neither does Mom," I warn them as I leave the table and leave hospitality. She gives a half-assed smile, and I try not to laugh.

"I just wanted to warn you that I'm here," she says casually and I nod.

"Good for you. Enjoy the weekend and stay away from my son," I respond in the same tone, and she smiles.

"I will, gladly. Keep him away from me, please," she says proudly, and I laugh.

"That will be easy," I comment before entering hospitality.

"What the fuck is she doing here?" Lorenzo whispers as I sit down. I was pissed off. She was as much of a bitch as she was back then; she didn't give a fuck about her own son because she didn't manage to trap me with him.

"She wanted to warn me she was in attendance for the weekend, she wants me to keep him away from her," I comment as I look at him as he laughs at something Anthoine said.

And then it hit me. He has everything he never had. He never had a grandfather; my dad died 2 months before he was born. He never got to hold his grandson, but he got to know about him, and I saw his smile once he saw the ultrasounds and how much he was growing.

Anthoine treats him like a grandson, he takes him out to football playdates, he plays chess with him and babysits him when no one else seems to be available.

He had my mom as a maternal figure, but with Natalie, it's different. I know she is not his mom, and I wouldn't impose the role on her, but she is the closest he ever had to a mother. The way he hugs her, the way he laughs and his little eyes shine when she is close or even mentioned. He loves her and she loves him. They both completed what he was missing.

"Ready?" I hear Carlos' voice and it takes away from my thoughts.

"Sure," I say as I stand up from my chair and he leaves first.

"We will keep him away from the garage," Arthur says but I shake my head.

"Just try to make sure he doesn't see her; he doesn't have to hide to avoid her. She is the one who doesn't belong. If he sees her, then I will deal with it; she can fuck off. He is having fun; if he wants to go to the garage, then he will," I tell them seriously, and I nod.

I went to the reunion we had scheduled and then followed to the garage, but what I encountered was shocking. My very quiet son was screaming and crying; he was throwing a tantrum for the first time in his life, and my family was surrounding him.

"We will buy you a new one, it's okay. It fell down," Lorenzo says as he is on his knees and tries to hug Lucas, who just shakes his head frantically.

"No! I need it! Now!" He demands in complete panic.

"Take mine," Arthur says as he gives him his phone, and I see Lucas' phone on the floor, shattered.

"I want mine!" He insisted, and my heart was breaking. He was visibly shaking and I was lost.

"Mon prince, what is happening? I can get you anything; just calm down, please," I ask him in desperation. His eyes lock on mine as I kneel to his height, and both my brothers give us space.

"It fell, and he broke it," he points to one of the staff members who just looked at the floor with guilt.

"Accidents happen; everything will be fine. I will buy you a new one when we leave the circuit, okay?" I say, but he starts crying again.

"That's too long," he mumbles between sobs, and I feel my eyes getting teary, too.

"Lorenzo will get another one now, okay?" I ask, and he looks around. His eyes stopped in the pit lane, and I saw some people were looking.

Sylvie was there, hand in hand, with an older guy, a kid holding her other hand. And Lucas was seeing it too. This wasn't an accident; he uses his phone to calm down. He saw her, and now he had no way of calming himself. I looked around, and there was no sign of Natalie. Anthoine just stared in surprise.

I look at Lucas and take his hand in mine, he was shaking badly again.

"I'm here," I tell him firmly, but he shakes his head.

"I want my mom! I want mom!" He yells repeatedly, and I signal them to try to get the people outside of the pitlane, which worked since the pit lane walk time was ending.

"I'm sorry! I am so so sorry, mon prince. I can't help with that," I tell him as I rapidly wipe out the tear that stubbornly fell down.

"I want mom!" He screams one last time as he heads to his broken phone in an attempt to turn it on and I try my best not to crumble down right there and then. How could anyone turn their back on their kid and make them suffer like this?

"I am here! I won't leave!" I tell him as I sit down and he comes in my direction with the broken phone.

"How do I know if she will come back now?" He asks sadly, his tone low. The garage was mostly empty, and I nodded.

"She won't but we don't need her. Do we?" I ask him, but he shakes his head.

"I need mom," he mumbles, lost in his thoughts. Now he was silently crying, and my attempt to hug him was ignored. This is my personal hell all over again.