My Formula 1 System-Chapter 655: The Last Of Summer. 2

Thankfully, the semester was finally coming to an end for Isabella Schaufer, a big relief because this meant she could spend the break with the only family she had—her father–and take her time to grapple with the stark, crushing fact that she was pregnant.

Pregnant at nineteen. Pregnant out of wedlock. It was exactly the kind of story that parents, teachers, and the elderly caution every child about until their ears hurt, yet Isabella couldn’t believe just how dumb she had been. Now, she felt like a total failure for not being more careful and keeping her legs closed.

More than ever, during the break, these thoughts would haunt her like a never-ending nightmare. But she still looked forward to it, because at least the massive school stress would be gone. Honestly, though, surviving until then was a steep climb. Isabella felt like she was being crushed between the heavy schoolwork and the crazy hormonal changes her body was forcing on her, driving her absolutely nuts.

Her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults during morning lectures, and the stuff she used to love now tasted like cardboard, making her crave random things that shouldn’t even go together. She also dealt with parosmia—a condition that made pleasant smells unpleasant—and urinary frequency, which was going to be a huge problem during her exams.

Isabella probably would have gone completely crazy if it weren’t for her loving best friend, Deborah. Deborah did everything a true BFF would. She would also sit with Isabella for hours, letting her cry or vent, and never once made the girl feel like a loser. Then there was Manuela, who acted like the older sister Isabella never had, giving her indispensable tips and big sister talks about how her life wasn’t over, even if it felt like it was.

But eventually, the stigma and the constant exhaustion started to make Isabella angry—specifically at Luca. She couldn’t stop thinking about how unfair it all was. How could he put her in this position when she was the one who had to suffer? She was the one dealing with the sickness and preparing for the worst nine months of her life, while he was off revelling in the glory of the world. He’d be driving at 200 miles per hour in another fancy F1 race in a couple of days, getting cheered on by millions, while she was stuck in her apartment feeling like she was going to barf.

This got her emotions all worked up, making her uncertain if she should love or hate the pregnancy. One minute, she felt protective, and the next, she felt trapped.

But as for Luca, she hated him—at least for now.

Isabella knew her feelings would probably change later, because they always did, but right now, she decided she wasn’t going to tell him.

She wanted Luca to figure it out himself. She wanted him to realize something was up and come to her on his own.

In her head, that was the only way she could know for sure that the father of her child would actually be there in life. If she had to chase him down, it didn’t count.

~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, in Germany, Laura had become way more driven and effective in everything she was doing lately while she secretly planned her next moves. Ever since she found out about Isabella’s pregnancy—which was a secret she was keeping very carefully since Isabella didn’t even know she knew—Laura realized she had to move fast. She had to make her mark right now, because this news could very well be the end of her life as she knew it. She felt like she was standing on thin ice!

Yes, she knew that Luca loved Martin, and she knew Luca cared for her and her boy, but she wasn’t a fool. Laura knew for a fact that no amount of care could beat the deep love a man would have for his own biological child. Once Luca heard that Isabella was having his baby, he’d basically treat Laura and Martin like leftovers stuck at the bottom of a cold fridge. It was obvious to her. Laura could only thank the heavens that Isabella hadn’t told him yet. The girl was probably just scared and confused, which gave Laura a tiny bit of breathing room to fix things before it was too late.

Because of this, Laura was working faster than her own shadow every single day. She felt like the clock was ticking down, and it was making her feel desperate. She had finally gotten a "yes" from Luca to join him on his trip to Baku for the race, which made her believe she was still in the game. Luca thought it was a great idea. He figured it would be a cool first flight for Martin and the first race the kid could actually attend, since he missed the German Grand Prix. Luca thought it would be awesome for the team and the garage to see the boy again, especially in a place with so much racing history, like Azerbaijan, where the streets were narrow and dangerous just as they were symbolic.

The house was full of the sound of bags being packed, Laura’s heels clicking on the hardwood floors, and room doors shutting as they got ready to leave.

Luca’s big house in the estate was actually going to be empty for a long while. Everything was moving toward the airport, but just as they were about to head out, Luca’s phone started ringing loudly on the kitchen counter.

Picking it up, he looked at the caller ID. His face went from relaxed to a neutral but grim expression in a split second.

The name on the screen said: Rodnick.

Luca had been expecting this call for a while, but that didn’t make the vibration of the phone in his hand feel any lighter. He stepped away from the luggage to take it, his mind already shifting from the travel back to the dark, complicated world of his career.