I could feel it the moment she walked into the room—the distance. It wasn’t the kind of silence we sometimes shared, the comfortable kind. This one was sharp, cold, the kind that made me feel like I was already losing her before she even said a word.

She stood by the window, arms crossed, staring out into the night like the city lights could give her the courage she needed. When she finally turned to me, her eyes were heavy, tired in a way I hadn’t seen before.

“Lando,” she said softly, “I can’t keep doing this anymore.”

The words hit harder than any crash I’ve ever had. My stomach dropped, and for a second I thought maybe I hadn’t heard her right. But the way her voice broke at the end told me I had.

I wanted to argue, to tell her she was wrong, that we were fine, that we’d figure it out like we always did. But I couldn’t. Because deep down, I knew she wasn’t wrong.

“I know,” I whispered, my throat tight. “I know I make it impossible sometimes. I’m… I’m not easy to love. I get lost in my head, in racing, in everything that doesn’t matter as much as you. And I know I’ve pushed you away more times than I should have.”

She closed her eyes like she was bracing herself. I stepped forward, desperate, because I couldn’t let her slip away—not like this.

“But I need you to hear me,” I said, my voice shaking. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I can lose races, I can lose friends, I can lose everything else—but not you. You’re the only person who makes me feel like I’m more than the chaos inside me. Without you, none of this means anything.”

Her eyes filled, and for the first time, I felt the fear of truly losing her.

“I can’t promise I’ll be perfect,” I continued, my chest tightening. “I can’t promise I won’t screw up. But I can promise you that I’ll fight for us every single time. Because you’re it for me. You’ve always been it.”

I reached for her hand, my thumb brushing against her skin like it was the only thing keeping me grounded. And with everything in me, I whispered the only truth I had left:

“Please… don’t give up on me. Because I can’t live in a world where you’re not mine. Stay... with me.”