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“...I can’t accept this.”
The one muttering was Max Verstappen—one of the world's greatest racing drivers, the most doting father I’d ever met, a father of one since last year, and my husband. His pouty, pufferfish-like face swelled even more in displeasure as he sulked.
“What's wrong?”
I asked, though it was a bit of a hassle. Normally, he’d come home, beam with joy, hug our little one, and play with him—fussing over him constantly. But today, he was scowling, staring at his phone.
The baby was using Max's thigh as a road, racing his toy car. Judging by the awful look he was giving his phone, had someone set fire to social media again?
“Look at this.”
Max held out his phone.
The screen showed a gossip site notorious for spreading fake news. I read the article title.
[Who's the Real Father of George Russell's Baby? The Men Under Suspicion]
Huh? What's this?
I shot Max a suspicious look, and he just gave me a “just read it” look back. Max picked up the baby, who was now playing with his own feet, and started cuddling him.
Reading through the article, there were two-shot photos of my child (with their face blurred out) alongside some familiar-looking guys. Every single photo was fresh in my memory.
The first image showed Alex holding the baby with a dazzling smile. This must have been taken at the party when the baby was just three months old. While Alex swayed back and forth, doing that strange dance with the baby in his arms, our child absolutely adored it, smiling happily the entire time. I remember how after Alex left, Max tried to imitate the dance to soothe the baby, but it ended in complete failure. Recalling the baby's blank expression back then and Max's utterly bewildered face, I couldn't help but grin. My eyes then fell on the comment beneath the image:
‘See? Alex is the real father. The chemistry when he's next to George is just different.’
Well, we are childhood friends, so that makes sense. Right below that, there was a comment saying: ‘Alex wouldn't get George pregnant before getting engaged, right? 🙄’
Max and I didn't get pregnant without planning either—it just happened a bit earlier than expected, and we were already engaged, okay? ...But you're right about Alex being the type to plan everything meticulously. Not bad, netizens. As I read on, impressed, the pufferfish next to me shot me a hurt look.
Scrolling to the next article, an image appeared of Oscar nervously picking up the baby. He was smiling, but his face, covered in cold sweat, was downright hilarious. Behind him, Lando was laughing like an idiot at Oscar’s expense.
Before holding the baby, Oscar was terrified he might drop him, but he turned out to be surprisingly good at it, and the baby fell asleep in his arms. Now unsure what to do with the sleeping infant, Oscar panicked. Seeing him like this—more age-appropriate and adorable than his usual cool self—felt refreshingly new.
What do the comments say about this picture?
‘This new dad nervously holding his baby is just too cute!’
'The way George looks at Oscar is like he's looking at his beloved husband...👀'
Hmm, Oscar is definitely cute, and he's definitely a colleague I like, but I don't remember getting married to him. I prefer someone just a little older (about 4 months) than me.
Scrolling to see who's in the next picture... Wait, no way! Are you serious?! Are you out of your mind?!
The picture shows Kimi, Lewis, and George. Kimi is poking the cheek of the baby I’m holding, while Lewis strokes his head. It looks like a heartwarming, beautiful family photo—the Mercedes family.
But looking at this photo, do netizens really think these two are my husbands? That's a crazy delusion. They should get themselves checked into a hospital.
When I cautiously peeked at the comments section, it was full of remarks like “Uncle Lewis” and “eldest son Kimi.”
Thank goodness... The public perception of the Mercedes family wasn't wrong after all. I breathed a sigh of relief. ...Well, I don't remember giving birth to Kimi, though.
But the next photo was highly problematic.
This was taken at the home of Toto—my boss—during our child's half-birthday celebration. Toto was holding and soothing our baby with practiced ease. Perhaps because Toto was so relaxed, the baby was pinching his nose with a tiny hand. A heartwarming shot, for sure.
The problem was the comments section.
‘Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if this is actually Toto's kid...’ ‘Toto looks like he knows this is his own.’ 'Exactly! Otherwise, there's no way he would’ve allowed George to get pregnant in the first place.'
Are you kidding me?! How could that even be true?! Why did the photos with Lewis get him labeled as “Uncle Lewis,” but Toto isn't “Grandpa Toto”?!
“This is just too much...”
I muttered involuntarily, and Max erupted beside me. "It's not just this—none of it makes sense! I am this kid's father! It can't be anyone else!"
Max shouted, hugging our child who was smiling happily, completely unaware of the adults' fuss. Whether he found Max’s meltdown amusing or not, the baby was playing by hitting Max's head with a miniature car. Stop it, baby. If you hit Daddy's head any more, he'll lose it even more...
I leaned in close to poor Max and asked the most pressing question. “Of course you are! I know better than anyone that you're the father, Max... But why is everyone having these crazy delusions?”
Max's face shifted from sulky to utterly crushed. “...Do they think I'm unfit to be his father?”
That single sentence made my blood boil instantly. “Max! I won't forgive you for saying something like that—not even if it's you! You're this kid's one and only, the best dad in the whole world!”
Max had said something so stupid I almost lost my temper, but I held back from hitting him in front of the baby. Seeing how genuinely angry I was, Max looked even more dejected.
...Somehow, I started feeling genuinely sorry for him. He can probably shrug off criticism about himself, but having his bond with his own child questioned must be unbearable. If I were in his shoes, I'd surely feel just as frustrated and bitter.
"Hey, George, don't you think articles like this keep circulating because you stopped posting photos of the baby and me on social media? If you posted more pictures of us together, maybe fewer of these stupid articles would appear?"
“...That's...”
Maybe that's true, and I could do it if I wanted to. I could, but... I’d rather not. I have tons of photos—honestly, tons. I've taken so many that even though my child isn't even a year old yet, my iPhone storage is completely full of videos and photos. But... I don't want to show them to anyone.
In the photos with our child, Max always has this incredibly gentle, loving face. I could hide my child's face until they're an adult, but if I posted these, I couldn't hide Max's utterly blissful expression. His smile, radiating warmth like a patch of sunlight, and eyes that adore our child with every fiber of his being—it's a smile so precious it makes me forgive Max for any silly thing he says. My heart is too small to broadcast that to the whole world. I still want to keep that smile all to myself...
“...No, I don't want to post them. Seeing this is my privilege... I don't want anyone else to see it.”
Max felt a pang of irritation the moment George said “no,” but he immediately caved to George’s adorable stubbornness. Perhaps Max felt the same way—wanting to keep everything precious all to himself.
“But it's fine if you post pictures of me and the baby... only the ones I approve, though,” George added.
Max agreed to the compromise, and his smile returned. The baby happily tugged at his daddy's cheek, delighted to see him smiling again.
“...Alright, Schat. I'll aim to become a professional photographer just to get your approval.”
“...Just try your best, Maxie.”
George kissed Max, whose enthusiasm was admirable, and then kissed the baby's cheek too.
From then on, Max was constantly taking photos of his child and George, aiming for George's approval. He finally managed to get maybe one photo in ten that wasn't blurry and had both of them looking at the camera properly. He was still far from passing.
Then one day, a certain video became a hot topic on social media.
The person who posted it was their colleague and mutual friend, Lando. Lando's video showed George and the baby visiting his house. The two were sitting in front of the big TV in his living room, watching an interview of Max.
The baby was reaching out toward Max on the screen, cooing “Ahh~” and “Ooh~.” Holding the child, George asked with a sweet smile, “Do you know who this is?” When the baby pointed at Max and babbled “Daah~,” George's face lit up. “Yes! Daddy! That's your daddy,” he said happily, praising him.
In the video, after the baby said “Daah~,” George replied warmly, “That's right, Daddy.” After repeating this exchange several times, George noticed he was being filmed and asked Lando, “Hey, are you filming?!” The video ended there.
The heartwarming interaction between the baby and George, along with George affectionately calling Max “Daddy” multiple times, quickly went viral and eventually reached Max himself.
Max learned about the video during a break while filming a Red Bull social media clip. The PR person, hoping to catch an interesting reaction, kept the camera rolling even while Max watched the screen.
Watching George and the baby repeatedly call the Max on screen “Daddy,” Max couldn't help but shed a single tear. He then murmured, “Yeah, I'm your daddy,” with a soft smile.
Red Bull's PR team uploaded this video as well, and Max's deeply human side and his devotion to his child became a major talking point. Of course, the video reached George too.
The day these two videos were posted, George and Max met after returning home, both feeling a mix of awkwardness and embarrassment. It was like the feelings of middle schoolers who had just started dating. Yet the moment they looked into each other's eyes, they were filled with love for one another and their child.
George flashed a mischievous smile and asked Max,
“Did you really want our son to call you ‘Daddy’ that badly?”
“...Of course. I was also happy that my own child acknowledged me as his father.”
When Max honestly shared his feelings, George replied with a playful, exasperated sigh, “Silly. Who else could get me pregnant besides you?”
George stroked Max's stubble and rubbed his face against Max's neck like a cat. Unable to resist such an adorable gesture, Max pressed his lips to George's passionately and slipped his hand inside George’s shirt.
"Are you trying to make me pregnant again so soon?" George chuckled softly, amused.
“If you want, I'm all for it...”
Just as Max said this and reached out to embrace George, the hungry wail of their baby blared from the baby monitor in the nursery next door. The romantic mood vanished instantly, and as parents, they immediately headed to the room where their beloved child awaited.
“The second one will have to wait. Right now, I'd do anything for this little one,”
George murmured with a laugh.
Max smiled back and replied,
“I couldn't agree more.”
That evening, George secretly posted his favorite photo of Max and the baby.
It showed Max and the baby, both beaming, cheek to cheek, smiling at George as he held the camera.
George wrote this caption beneath the photo:
"To my one and only beloved husband, and my child's one and only beloved father. Our precious little treasure."
[End]