17. That was not the reason

CAMERON'S POV

I don't have the slightest idea what time it is, but when I turn to Lara's side of the bed, I realize she's not there, and by the cold on sheets, I know she hasn't been in bed for a while, so I got up to go look for her, hopefully she didn't go out. I was about to start the stairs when the door to Eli and Bianca's room opened, letting me see the former with the phone to her ear.

"Lara, I'm already going after her, do you want to tell me what's happening?" My best friend asked in a worried tone with a frown, and the moment I heard my wife's name come out of her lips, I quickly tensed up. "Where's Lara?" I asked, making her jump in the air in shock, apparently, she hadn't even realized I was up. "I don't have the slightest idea. Have you seen Bianca?" Eli asked and denied "What do you need her for?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not the one who needs her, it's your wife" she informed and I frowned. "For what?" I asked and she shrugged her shoulders. "It's better for Lara to explain that to you."

I couldn't be more confused right now. What exactly did Lara need her sister for? Where's Bianca if she wasn't with Eli? I just hoped the latter wouldn't end up hurting my best friend again, but if she suspected something was wrong with her wife, she would be more nervous than she is right now. What did Lara have to explain to me?

When we arrived downstairs, we saw Bianca with a bottle of water coming out of the kitchen and she frowned the moment she saw us. "What are you doing standing at four-thirty in the morning?" She asked confused, and I could almost ask her the same thing, but right now what I cared about is knowing where Lara is and if she's okay. "Lara wants you to go to Silverstone" my best friend informed and my sister-in-law frowned.

"And why doesn't she tell me instead of you having to tell me?" Bianca asked, confused. "Será porque non tes o puto teléfono contigo (Will it be because you don't have the damn phone with you)" I heard Lara say from the other side of the line, which makes me focus my gaze on Eli's phone, which Bianca ended up taking out of her hand to bring it closer to her ear. "Podese saber onde estas e por qué queres que vaia a Silverstone? (May I know where you are and why you want me to go to Silverstone?)"

I don't know what Lara's answer was, but whatever it was, Bianca frowned even more. "It would be nice to know how you got into the circuit and why you want me... Yes, yes, I'll be there in no time" she said and took the phone away from her ear, looking at it for a few seconds until she handed it to her wife. "When did she leave the house?" Bianca asked, looking at me and I shrugged "I really have no idea. I just know when I woke up, she was already gone a long time."

"Well, I'm going to see what she wants. You can stay" she said, but I denied. The last thing I'm going to do is stay home without knowing how Lara was doing. It's not clear to me if she fell asleep at any point, and as far as I know, she didn't sleep on the flight. "Okay, whatever you want. We're leaving" she said. "First, let's get dressed," Eli pointed out, to which we nodded and went to our respective rooms and changed.

After a quarter of an hour we entered the circuit, telling the guard we were coming because Lara called us and not before confirming it with someone, we entered and headed to the garage my wife told her sister about. The moment we entered it, I couldn't help but stop dead in my tracks at the gate looking in the direction of the car I had the accident with, and I could see the surprise on Bianca's face, which is also shocked. She stopped next to me.

"Lara, como.... Que fas mirando ese coche? (Lara, how... What are you doing looking at this car?" my sister-in-law asked, probably stunned by what she's seeing. "Sign those papers and take a look at this" Lara said without answering the question that I could tell we all had in our minds. "What am I supposed to sign? What the fuck is going on?" Bianca asked a little frustrated. "Before you touch the car, I need you to sign those papers that say whatever you see in this you won't be able to use it on our team or disclose it to anyone" my wife informed without continuing to look away from my car.

A few seconds later, Bianca went in the direction Lara had pointed out her papers were, she signed them and approached where her sister was to see what was happening. Meanwhile, I was still standing at the gate trying to understand what's happening and why Lara is looking at my car.

"Eh, eh. Don't worry, you're not there." It seems that it's at that moment that Lara realizes I'm here, and after examining me from top to bottom, she leaves the papers she had in her hand and comes to my direction. Once she reaches me, she places one of her hands on my chest and the other on my face, making me focus my gaze on her and not on the car. "You're not in the car, Cam... Everything's okay" she whispered softly and I didn't look away from her, trying to understand why she's looking at my car.

"Bianca, take a look at the reports," my wife said without taking her eyes off me. She stared at me for a few more seconds and then, with our fingers intertwined, we go out and sat on the wall of information, me trying to understand what's happening, because at this moment I'm not understanding anything.

"I know that right now you're not understanding anything, but I swear everything has an explanation" my wife began and I didn't say anything, because at this moment I don't have the slightest idea what I could say to make her calm down, it could almost be said that I'm in shock "First of all I need you to calm down. The last thing I want is for you to get sick" she said and I nodded.

"You always said that the car did something strange to you before you had the accident and Bianca always said she could see something was happening before the accident. I know that's one of the things that doesn't let you move forward... you watched that race thousands of times, I guess to find the reason why it made whatever it did weird, so I asked Serena to help me get them to let me see the car… I know this will help you improve…"

It is true that since the accident I haven't stopped watching that race and especially the part about the accident, but something told me she wasn't just doing it for me. Since the accident I know Lara hasn't had nightmares, or at least that I know or she told me, and I also know, if I ask her, she won't tell me she has them, so I would have no choice but to ask the people she spent the most time with in recent months. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I…" she started to apologize, but I put a finger on her lips. The last thing she needed to do is apologize to me for trying to make things better for me. "Don't apologize, it's not necessary. Thank you for doing all this for me, you don't know how much I appreciate it and no, the truth is that I couldn't have anyone better than you and your sister to understand what happened in that accident" I answered sincerely, because even though I hadn't said anything to her yet, I thought about asking them to investigate the accident again.

"Are you sure everything is, okay? It doesn't bother you?" She asked and I nodded, because that's how it is, it didn't bother me at all. "No, I was going to ask them to reopen the case, because that movement of the car wasn't normal. The reason they gave me doesn't fit at all with what really happened," I said, remembering what I had felt inside the car and what I could see in the replays. "Really?" She asked with a sparkle of curiosity in her eyes. "Yes, and I was going to ask you and your sister if you could help me with that, but I never asked you if everything is okay with you and what happened to me in the accident."

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" she asked, tilting her head to the side "I don't know, you are awake at this hour…" I said and she shook her head with a small smile on her face "Don't worry, I'm fine and the fact that I'm not sleeping has nothing to do with your accident." she assured "Are you sure everything is okay with you and the accident?" I insisted and she nodded. "I am, seriously" she responded, giving me a kiss and hugging me, making me leave my head on her belly.

We were silent for a few minutes, me bringing her closer to me and trying to hear or feel something from our child and her running her hand through my hair "I don't hear anything" I said after a while without saying anything "And what are you supposed to hear?" Lara asked, probably with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know, but I thought I would hear something by now or at least notice" I said honestly. "Cam, honey, I'm three months pregnant, not eight," my wife responded, laughing.

"When am I supposed to start noticing that our child is there other than your belly?" I asked, totally focused on that now. "I don't have the slightest idea, but we can ask the gynaecologist tomorrow," she answered calmly. "Mhm, I have thousands of questions to ask them" I said and Lara pulled me away from her, with a raised eyebrow. "What kind of questions?" She questioned and I couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, anything except something that has to do with sex, I have no intention of harming our child."

"Are you going to tell me you're not going to have sex with me for the next six months?" She asked, crossing her arms. "I can do anything you want except put my cock inside you" I informed her and she rolled her eyes. "Well, you don't have to ask that question, because I already asked it, and yes, we can have sex, you'll never be able to get to my uterus, I can assure you of that" she responded, rolling her eyes "Oh, no?" I asked, a little confused, but mostly curious. "No, Cam, you can't get there" she responded, and I could almost guarantee she's upset because I don't want to have sex while she's pregnant, which would make me laugh if it weren't for the murderous look that Lara is giving me.

"Okay, sex every day for the queen of the house" I responded with a big smile. "Why do I always have to hear you talk about sex?" asked my sister-in-law with a face that I couldn't describe. "Because I love sex and my husband wants to take it away from me for the next six months" Lara informed her sister. "No one would believe me if I said that before being with your husband you didn't have sex with anyone and now you want him all the time"

"Because no one can give it to me like my husband gives it to me," Lara answered in a cocky tone and Bianca simulated a retch, which made me laugh. "I don't care about your sex life, what I was coming to was that I already finished the reports and I would like to know what I have to see" she said and before doing anything, Lara turned in my direction, studying me to see if I was okay, so I took her hand and nodded "Come, I better show you" Lara responded, so I get up and accompany them back to the garage where the car is located. Once in front of the gate, Lara stops and turns in my direction, studying me again. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked and I nodded with a small smile on my face "I'll be fine, it was just the surprise, I promise" I assured you and she nodded "Anything you need, don't hesitate to tell me" she replied and I nodded, giving her a kiss and letting her go with her sister to show her whatever she thought.

While I stared at them loading the car, Eli appears next to me looking in the same direction as me. "So, you had no idea what your wife was doing?" she asked and I denied, because it wasn't something I suspected. "You knew, right?" she asked, because of the three of them, she's the only one who didn't seem surprised Lara had the car. "I knew she wanted to know what happened to your car, but I didn't know she already had it" she replied calmly. "Is everything okay with you?" my best friend asked and I nodded, because I am. "I am, I just didn't expect to see the car, that's all."

"I suppose it's not easy," she said, and I denied, because the truth is I don't mind seeing the car in the slightest. "It is, I don't feel bad about seeing the car, I'm alive and that's the most important thing. I don't care about the accident," I informed her and she turned in my direction with a raised eyebrow. "So, what's worrying you about the car?" She asked and I let out all the air I had in my lungs. "Lara's reaction" I finally answered and my best friend frowned.

"Why?" she asked "Something tells me that everything isn't okay with her and the accident" I said and she nodded "And it's not, I think she has nightmares. Didn't you know that?" she asked and now it was my turn to frown. "Nightmares?" I asked, confused for a moment, because I don't remember her having nightmares at any time after the accident. "Yes, some nights she would wake up screaming and call someone. Are you going to tell me you had no idea she had nightmares?" she asked and I denied, because she never woke up screaming after my accident.

"She never woke up like this when she was at home" I muttered and she frowned "It's weird... Maybe it's because she felt you next to her and that's why she didn't have the nightmares" she answered and I kept thinking, because maybe it's a possibility, but I guess it's something that could really tell me "Did she never talk to you about what was happening to her at that moment?" I asked and Eli nodded. "She always tells me she doesn't remember what woke her up but that she doesn't like the feeling she wakes up with... that she feels distressed and wants to cry. That she feels the need to call your mother." She informed me and I nodded, trying to find an explanation.

"Do you think she's telling you the truth when she says she doesn't remember whatever woke her up?" I asked and she nodded "I don't think she has the slightest idea she has nightmares related to your accident. From what I talked to your mother, the first time Lara asked her about you, until she sent her a photo of you, Lara didn't stay calm, so from then on, whenever Lara called her at night, she told her everything was fine with you and I sent her a photo"

Now everything made a little more sense, and even though I think Lara knows she has nightmares that have to do with my accident, she didn't want to worry anyone, "What if the nightmares are a reproduction of my accident?" I asked and Eli quickly denied "Impossible" she said completely convinced "Why?" I questioned curiously, "Because your wife never saw the accident" my best friend informed me and I frowned, because that didn't make any sense, it was all over the news after my accident. "That's impossible, it was everywhere" I pointed out and Eli nodded "I know, and that's why she wasn't on social media or watching the news, just like you never saw her reaction when the accident happened."

That was true, or at least until Lara left. That's the only time I saw Lara's reaction and what helped me understand she hadn't had a good time after the accident either and what helped me improve in my recovery "I saw it once, but I swear I don't need to see it more times. It breaks my heart to see her that way," I muttered and Eli nodded. "I know, and I assure you, you wouldn't have liked to be with her at all at that moment" she said, and even though I'm completely sure it would break my heart, that was what I would have liked to do, comfort her in some way.

"Fillos de puta! (Son of a bitch!)" we suddenly hear, which makes us focus on our girls again and approach "What's wrong?" Eli asks with curiosity and his gaze focused on his wife. "The flat bottom is not worn out" Bianca muttered and both I and Eli frowned trying to understand what they were referring to, because it's impossible for the flat bottom not to be worn out, it had run further mid-career, and had fire on the car.

I looked at Lara to see if she could tell me something more than her sister, but she only had a smile on her face, which confused me more. "Bianca, I don't understand, explain it for fools" my best friend asked, making Bianca focus her attention. She looks at the two of us, but before I could say anything, my wife turns around and focuses her gaze on me. "What Bianca means is they have changed this flat bottom... It's not the one the car had at the time of the accident." she reported and both I and Eli took a breath.

"What does that mean?" Eli asked since at this moment I couldn't find the words to say what was going through my head. "It means that something has happened here and no one wants us to know about it" my wife informed with a big smile on her face that I could understand better the reason "We can reopen the case" I muttered and Lara nodded "We can reopen the case. It is likely the reason they gave you for the cause of the accident wasn't the real cause."