5. We’re leaving

CAMERON'S POV

Flashback

"You won't escape and you know it Lara" I could hear her laughter from a distance, and even though I'm fast, I don't know where she gets so much energy running. Maybe it's because she's used to the streets, but even so I wouldn't be able to beat the one who's running at this moment.

"As much as you want to fuck me, honey, it won't be that easy for you" She turns to the right and when I do it myself, I don't see her anywhere. I take a couple more steps to see if I can see any alleys she might have gone down, but I don't see anything, which makes me wonder if I stopped for so long to give her time to cross the entire street. "To beat me, you would first have to know the streets you walk on, darling."

When I hear Lara's voice, I turn around and see her with a smile on her face. I turn again to see where she had gone, but when I can't find the place, I turn again in her direction with the difference this time I already had her closer, so I quickly hug her by the waist and bring her closer to me. 

"Someday I will know them as well as you," she laughed. "I doubt it, but you don't lose anything by trying." I gave her a kiss and we stayed hugging for a while until we decided to go to the beach for a while.

End flashback

Six months later

I'm sitting in the chair on the balcony of our house looking at the horizon. I could understand why Lara comes here when she's stressed. Now I'm the one who spent most of my time here. I don't want to see anyone so as not to see their sad face.

In these last few months, I know I had made life impossible for my family, especially Lara, but I didn't like their looks of pity, and right now I hated everyone for the way they looked at me. "Cam, you have to take the pills."

"I'm not a little boy Lara, and I'll take them whenever I feel like it." I heard her sigh, "You should take them now and not when you have a bottle in hand." I took a swig from the bottle and continued looking towards the horizon. "Do you care what I do now?"

I didn't turn around to see her reaction, because I could get an idea of the face she had at that moment. "I always cared about what you do, even if you think I'm with you out of pity." She said a few steps closer. "Aren't you?"

"Of course not, I love you, and I always will, with two legs or one, it doesn't matter to me because I love you for being you." She said, and even though I hadn't turned to look at her, I could hear the pain in her voice, making it more and more clear to me she must be with someone she deserves.

"And that's why every time I look into your eyes, I see how sorry you are for me." I said, because practically since I had left the hospital, everyone is looking at me with pity, and the news about Lara's ruined career kept coming out everywhere, which made me angrier. A month and a half ago, Lara had announced she would be retiring temporarily to dedicate time to her family, and of course, everyone thought I asked her when all I really wanted was for her to follow her dream of being the best F1 driver, but I also know there will be no way to change her mind.

"Don't say stupid things, because it's not true." The pain was evident in her voice, and it hurt me to treat her like that, but it's the only way I could see for her to get away from me and continue her career. "OF COURSE, IT IS. I CAN SEE IT ALL OVER YOU." I said frustrated.

"That's just in your mind, Cam." Even though she told me calmly, it made me mad to be told this is on my mind, because it's evident to me the look is present in everyone, but especially Lara's.

"Oh right, and now I'm crazy and I see things." I grabbed the bottle next to me and took a couple of good swigs, it's the only thing that helped me focus on the important things. After that, I get up to go get another bottle and I fall. It doesn't take long for Lara to get to my side, but I move my arm away and end up getting up from the ground.

"Cam, I just want to help you." She said "WHAT PART DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND ABOUT I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP, LARA?" I shouted, turning in her direction and facing her. I could practically see the tears that would soon roll down her beautiful face. "But I would love to help you, Cam."

"I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP OR ANYONE'S HELP, WHAT PART OF THAT PHRASE DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND? I DON'T WANT ANYONE'S PITY." Anger is present in her eyes, and I know there would be practically nothing left for her to leave me and continue with her career, something I would love even though she would leave me behind, in the end, I'm the one who keeps her away of the circuits and her passion.

"E esperas que te crea? Todas as veces que intentas facer algo por ti mismo, doiche. Non podo ver como sigues facendote dano Cam, e sigo decindo que non nos das pena, solo queremos axudarche." (And you expect me to believe you? Every time you try to do something on your own, it hurts. I can't see you hurting yourself Cam, and I keep saying that we don't feel sorry for you, we just want to help you)

"If you can't see it, you can go and leave me alone." Before seeing the pain on her face, I turned around with the bottle I had taken and left to go to the terrace where I spent all my time.

LARA'S POV

The moment those words left Cameron's mouth, I let him go get his bottle of rum and I stood there struggling to get air into my lungs. Cameron and I have been married for almost two years and at first it was great, but since the accident, Cameron has changed and even though I want to help him, he always thinks I do it out of pity, which isn't true, but I'm also fed up with his attitude. I don't know what else to do to try to help him. In these two months I have tried everything to make him understand it's not out of pity we're with him, that I'm not with him out of pity.

I let Cameron do what he wanted and went to our room to start packing, because even though it hurts me more than anything to leave Cameron, I have to think about our child. The situation I am currently in isn't the best, and the doctor already warned me it's not the best for our child, so I'm going to go to another place where I could be calmer and right now, there's one person I can trust, so I picked up the phone and called her.

"Lara, is everything okay?" said the only person who could help me right now on the other end of the line. "I can't take it anymore, Eli… I try to do… do everything I can to help him, but… but he won't let me help him…"

Tears were streaming down my face, and I couldn't do anything to stop them from falling. Cam's words had hurt me more than I could bear and I couldn't go on like this. "Do you want us to leave like we talked about?" she asked me, practically whispering, but I heard her.

"It's the best… all this stresses me out… I can't be like this throughout the pregnancy…" Eli sighed on the other end of the line and I heard him doing something in the background. "I know. You pack your bags and go to your grandmother's house. I'll come get you in a moment." She said "I'm sorry to bother you with this…"

I felt bad for having to bother her and ask her to come with me to Santorini, but I think it could also help her get her mind off of Bianca a little. I knew my sister enough to know she would do whatever it took to get her wife back, but Eli needed to get away from her for a while to know what she needed and what she would do with Bianca.

"You don't bother me; Lara and you know it's good for me go for a while too. Now do me the favour of not worrying. Pack your bags and go to your grandmother's house, it won't take me more than an hour to get there, okay?" I nodded even though she couldn't see me so I ended up answering. "Thank you." I said, listening to the door to her apartment close. "You're welcome, I won't be long, I promise."

With that, Eli hung up and I started packing my bags. When I came downstairs, Cameron is nowhere I could see him, which is for the best, because I'm not sure I could bear to see him before I leave, but right now, it's the best thing for our family.

ELI'S POV

After Lara's call, I grabbed the keys to my apartment, the car keys, the suitcases and quickly went downstairs to go get Lara, but not before going to visit Cameron, because now, I'm going to be clear with him about how he's screwing up everything around him, but, above all, his marriage.

On the way to their house, I thought about telling Bianca, but decided against it because I'm more than sure she'll do whatever it takes to stop me, and even though I'd love to be with her, I can't help but think about the other guy she cheated on me.

When she told me, I couldn't believe it, and I really appreciate she told me, in fact, I still love her despite everything, but it hurts to think she was with someone else other than me. Even though she was drunk, that doesn't explain anything to me or make it hurt any less.

After she told me, she told me she would do whatever it took to get me to forgive her and get back to her, and I know that, but right now, I have to get used to it and heal myself after that and then I'll get back to Bianca to fix our relationship. Secondly, Lara needs me right now. She was with me from the moment she found out what her sister had done, in fact, she helped me and was with me more than she did with her own sister. Now is my time to return all the help I received from her in recent months.

Forty minutes later, I left the car in front of their house and once in front of the door, I didn't even bother to knock. I entered the house and started looking for him. When I find him, I see him with a bottle of rum, which makes me angrier if possible.

"Lara, I told you I want to be alone." He said drinking one gulp and not looking in my direction. "And believe me, you will be." The moment he hears my voice, he turns and looks at me for a couple of minutes, but soon he turns around and takes a swig from the bottle.

"I don't need your grief today, Eli." Apparently, he continued with the pity thing, when none of us really felt sorry for him, I don't know where that came from and I don't understand what happened to Cam from the hospital who was fine and happy to be alive.

"And you won't have it. I just wanted to tell you Lara is leaving, and if you continue with this shitty attitude, you will lose her." I said "Like I care." I knew the same old Cam was out there, I just had to find out what had happened to him to make him turn like that, but in all this time, I still didn't know what had happened to him, and he didn't say anything.

"Oh, of course you would, because you will end up losing the woman you love simply for being an asshole, and I assure you, without her, you will lose the rest of us." I said angrily. I'm tired of all this, and even though I had been the one to tell Lara it's better for her to get away from him for a while so she could think clearly about her and their child, I hoped it would open Cameron's eyes somehow and change.

"It's what I want, so that's great." I took a deep breath so I wouldn't go up to him and break his face for the stupid thing he's saying. He had fought so hard for Lara and now throwing everything away for whatever is on his mind.

"You know? Right now, I would love it if Lara didn't love you the way she does, because all you do is hurt her. I just hope she finds someone better than you and gets a divorce, because right now, you don't deserve her."

"You think I don't know. I know I don't deserve her. I'm not even a shadow of the man she fell in love with and married." Cameron began, closing her eyes for a moment, and if it had been any other time, I would have comforted him because I'm more than clear something is bothering him a lot, but I was too angry about whatever he said to Lara to who wants to leave.

"You're not because you don't want to." I seriously responded, "I WOULD LOVE TO BE THAT MAN, BUT I REMIND YOU I CAN'T WALK WITHOUT ANYONE'S DAMN HELP." He screamed and that made me angrier, because almost a month ago he had stopped doing the physio that is good for him for the simple fact he's angry with life in general and whatever is bothering him.

"BUT YOU DON'T LET ANYONE HELP YOU, FUCK. WE ALL WISH WE COULD HELP YOU, BUT NOT OUT OF PITY, CAMERON, WE DO IT BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU, LARA THE MOST AND YOU'RE LOSING THE WOMAN OF YOUR DREAMS BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE IDEA, WE'RE DOING IT OUT OF PITY." I screamed, tired of repeating it to him I don't know how many times, "I don't want to ruin her life by being with me."

"You disappoint me, Cameron. I just hope you react before it's too late." I said, turning to leave the house. "Isn't it yet?" he asked, I don't know if ironically or what "Luckily for you, it's not. I just hope you think of your family before yourself."

"And what am I supposed to do?" He said, exasperated by the discussion, I suppose, but the truth is I don't have the slightest idea. "Anything except worrying about your family you will have in a short time. I assure you the longer you continue like this, you won't have the opportunity to meet the family you two wanted during these years."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, turning in my direction with a frown. "Nothing. Now you will have all the time in the world to think, you will be alone, just like you wanted." I said, resuming my walk towards the exit. "Lara will be back tonight." He said convinced, but I denied, because she won't do it. "You're wrong if you think she'll come back. Right now, I'm going to take her to go to the airport."

"Airport?" He asked confused and I could hear how he got up from the chair and started to follow me, so I turned around to see the look on his face the moment I told him what Lara was going to do. "Yes, Lara and I are leaving I just came to see if I could make you think about what you're doing, but I see I can't."

"Where are you going?" He asked with concern invading his gaze. "That's something you don't care about. Now I'm leaving, I don't have to waste any more time with you." I said, resuming to leave the house again "Eli…" he started, but I'm sick of everything and him at this point "Eli shit, Cameron. I'm not going to tell you where we're going, I just hope you think about what I've told you and change your attitude before it's too late and you lose Lara and your child forever."