“What’s wrong?” he asked immediately, sitting up straighter.
It had been so long, I hadn’t heard from Josh since I left. Nothing, now this. Maybe he saw me on some magazine or online? I should have been more careful.
Alexander turned his attention to me, too, his brow furrowing in concern. “Luce?”
I held up my phone, my hand trembling slightly as I handed it to Matteo. “I got this text.”
Matteo read it, his jaw tightening with every word. By the time he finished, his expression was pure fury. “That son of a—” He stood abruptly, pacing the room. “He thinks he can threaten you? After everything?”
Alexander stayed seated, but his calm demeanor was deceiving. His eyes were stormy, his jaw clenched. “You’re sure it’s him?”
“Who else would it be?” I said quietly, wrapping my arms around myself.
Matteo stopped pacing, his hands fisted at his sides. “We’ll get extra security. I’ll make sure someone’s with you and Gia at all times.”
Alexander stood, crossing the room to stand in front of me. “Lucia,” he said gently, his voice low but firm. “If he ever shows his face, he’ll regret it. I’ll make sure of that.”
I looked between the two of them, overwhelmed by their protectiveness. “I don’t want to cause trouble. I just…I don’t want him anywhere near Gia.”
“He won’t get near her. Or you,” Matteo said firmly. “I’ll make some calls.”
Alexander reached out, brushing a hand over my arm in a reassuring gesture. “You’re not alone in this, Lucia. We’ll handle it.”
Their words were comforting, but the knot in my chest remained.
20
ALEXANDER
The race was in a few hours, and here I was, sitting in one of the side rooms, feeling like I couldn’t breathe. I had this strange tightness in my chest, like something was suffocating me from the inside out. I wasn’t sure how to describe it, but it felt…wrong. Like I was on the edge of a cliff, just waiting for everything to fall apart.
I wasn’t usually like this. I was Alexander Wright, five-time World Champion, the guy who could shake off a crash like it was nothing. But this…this was different. It was about Lucia, about Gianna, about the text from her ex, the ever present missing my dad. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong. I had called Dante right away, asked him to track the bastard and get a tail on him immediately. When Lucia had moved home, when she found out she was pregnant, I had gone into overdrive. Dante had sent someone to get the asshole to sign over full custody. The papers were delivered right to her family’s vineyard as soon as they could be. It was one small thing, one small thing I hadn’t told anyone I was involved in, but it was something I could do, something I could help with.
I felt like I needed to control everything today, but I couldn’t. The team was counting on me. Belen Racing was counting on me. What if I couldn’t pull it off?
I glanced at my hands, which were gripping the sides of the couch as though I could hold on to something, anything, that would steady me. I rubbed my face. I didn’t even know what I was feeling. Was it just stress, or was it something else entirely? Why wouldn’t my brain shut up and my heart calm down?
No one ever warned me that racing would involve this kind of mental gymnastics. Or that I’d care so damn much about someone other than myself. I mean, this thing with Lucia—it had started out as a fake-dating gig, right? Help her out, look good for the cameras, smooth over some of the media drama. But now? Now it felt like I was keeping her and her daughter in a safe bubble, and my head was spinning with the need to protect them. Especially from that bastard of an ex who thought he could mess with their lives again. I wasn’t going to let that happen.
But I couldn’t control everything. That much was clear.
The door to the room opened quietly, and I didn’t even look up at first. My hands were shaking now, my breath coming in shallow, uneven bursts. I could feel the haze creeping in, and I had no idea how to make it stop.
“Alex?”
I blinked, and there she was—Lucia. Her brow furrowed as she took a couple of quick steps toward me. Her eyes were sharp, assessing. She must’ve known something was wrong because the moment she saw me, her face shifted from concern to urgency.
“Hey, hey, what’s going on?” Her voice was calm, but I could hear the worry in it.
I tried to speak, to tell her that it was fine, that I was fine, but nothing came out. My mouth was dry, and my chest tightened even more.
“I can’t…” I stammered, running a hand through my hair, feeling a wave of dizziness. “I don’t know what’s wrong. I just…feel like I can’t breathe.”
“Okay,” she said softly but firmly, kneeling in front of me. “Just breathe, Alex. Focus on me. Let’s slow it down.”
I closed my eyes for a second, trying to focus on her voice, on her presence.
“Can you hear the hum of the lights above us?” she asked, gently placing her hand on my knee.
