We’d been together for almost a year. Quietly, intentionally, in the spaces between flights, race weekends, podiums, and airports. With her, life felt... slower. Softer. Real.

But lately, the world had other plans.

Fake photos started circulating — me, supposedly with other women, in cities I hadn’t even set foot in. Edits. Lies. Headlines screaming for attention. And people? They believed them. Or worse — they wanted to.

She told me she trusted me. Said she knew who I really was. But love has a way of bruising when too many hands try to touch it.

Tonight, she showered alone.

That simple thing hit harder than it should’ve. We always shared that space — laughing under the water, her stealing all the hot spray, me pretending to care. Now, silence.

She came out wrapped in my shirt, said nothing, and lay beside me. Scrolling. Still close, but no longer reaching.

I opened my camera roll. Picture after picture of us: sunburnt smiles, early mornings, lazy nights, hands tangled in sheets, laughter I can still hear if I close my eyes. I chose ten. Posted them.

Caption: I don’t know who you are — the ones making the edits, the lies, the stories. But I know who she is. And I know who I am when I’m with her. We’ve spent nearly a year building something real. And I will not let strangers destroy that. I’ve worked my whole life for a lot of things. Wins. Records. Respect. But nothing means more to me than the peace I’ve found with her. She's my everything. She's my home. And I won’t let anyone take that away.

A few minutes passed.

Then, softly, from beside me: “Lando...”

“You’re the only thing in my life that feels real when everything else starts to blur. I won’t let people who don’t know a damn thing about us decide how our story goes. You're my end game.” I reached for her hand. Held it tight. Then I pulled her into me — not gently, but desperately. "I’ve spent months trying to protect you from the world. But I forgot that the only thing I really need to do… was remind you I’d never, ever hurt you."