F1 Champion's Perfect Crash: When Love Takes The Final Turn novel Chapter 3

I found Adrian Chase half-dead in a ditch off Alpine Road, his designer racing suit torn and bloody.

The wreckage of his custom Ferrari was scattered across the mountainside - a deliberate hit, I'd later learn.

When he finally opened his eyes three days later, they held no recognition, just raw fear and confusion.

But he latched onto me like I was his only anchor in a storm.

My mother's death and father's remarriage had left me exiled to our old family cottage.

Loneliness had been my only companion until Rain - the name I gave him - came into my life.

He was endearingly helpless with everyday tasks, burning toast and shrinking sweaters.

But something changed whenever he was near cars. His hands would instinctively caress their curves, his eyes lighting up at the sound of engines. I thought nothing of it - most guys knew their way around cars, right?

Rain was gentle in a way that made my heart ache. He'd spend hours teaching me constellations, making up stories about each star.

When he tattooed my name across his collarbone - "Riley" in elegant script - I gave him everything.

That night, tangled in sheets and whispered promises, I finally understood what it meant to belong somewhere.

For six perfect months, we lived in our bubble of morning kisses and lazy Sunday drives.