Chapter 81

POV - (Point of View) Tristan Callahan

In a suit and sunglasses, I stepped out of the car alongside Xavier. In the blink of an eye, a swarm of reporters approached, frantically snapping photos and bombarding us with questions about the night of the awards ceremony. I ignored them all and entered the courthouse.

"We arrived just in the nick of time," Xavier said, glancing at his wristwatch. "Griffin and Luna are already here."

I removed my glasses, aware of my terrible condition. Dark circles had formed under my eyes, and my hair was falling over my lashes. The past two weeks had been tough, and taking care of my appearance seemed irrelevant.

A police officer led us into the courtroom where the trial would take place. I sat next to my brother, who was no better off. Griffin always had a tired look due to sleepless nights from work, but now his eyes were swollen and slightly red. You didn't need to be a genius to see that he had been crying.

On the other side of the room, Luna sat, dressed appropriately for the occasion in a blazer and a long skirt. Alex seemed nervous by her side.

The judge entered the room shortly after and took his seat in the central chair. Soon after, Magnus entered, handcuffed, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit. A police officer led him to the chair next to the judge.

I clenched my fist, consumed by hatred for having him just a few meters away.

"The purpose of this hearing is to decide the sentence for the crimes committed by Magnus Van Sprang," the judge declared. "I give the floor to the attorney."

A woman at Luna's table stood up and walked to the front of the room.

"Thank you, Your Honor," she began, stopping in front of Magnus. "Tell me, how and when did you and Mr. Tristan meet?"

"Last year. We were at a conference," Magnus replied.

"And what led to this mutual animosity?"

"I went through a major financial crisis, and because of him," he pointed in my direction with disdain, "my family's empire went bankrupt."

"Before the night of the awards ceremony, when was the last time you saw each other?"

"At a business dinner where he came out on top, as usual," Magnus said.

"So, you confess that you wanted to kill Mr. Tristan for revenge?"

"Death was too good for him. I wanted him to suffer, to know what it's like to lose everything..."

"Is that why you attempted to kill his older brother, Griffin Callahan?"

"My main target was Aurora; killing his brother would be a bonus," Magnus replied.

Griffin struggled to contain his anger in front of the judge and the jury.

"Aurora, the woman Mr. Tristan is in a romantic relationship with," the attorney continued, handing a file to the judge. "Your Honor, the young lady couldn't attend due to her psychological condition after the traumatic incident."

"I heard she survived," Magnus said. "And, frankly, attorney, I would have done it all over again, only this time, I wouldn't have missed the shot." He spoke these cruel words as if they were normal. Our gazes met, and he smiled wickedly. "But tell me, Tristan, is it true that she left you?"

The room was filled with murmurs. I remained silent, struggling to maintain control, but if I could, I would have already lunged at him and punched him in the face.

"Order in the court," the judge's authoritative voice echoed, silencing the room.

"Thank you, Your Excellency," the attorney said. "Continuing, Magnus didn't only target the two of them. Many innocent people were injured, some even killed, with no connection to this story. Or did they?"

"I shot anyone who got in my way," Magnus replied.

"So, are you saying Harry tried to stop you from carrying out your plan? Is that why you killed him?"

"I don't even know who he is," Magnus replied.

"He was my son!" a woman shouted from the back of the room. Her husband held her arm and calmly urged her to sit down.

"As I said, some tried to stop me, and I simply defended myself," Magnus declared.

"What about Adelaide?" the attorney continued. "She was on stage at that time, next to Griffin. She wasn't preventing you from doing anything."

"From a distance, she looked a bit like Aurora. Even her dress was identical. I simply got confused," Magnus explained, revealing the cruelty in his heart. His eyes met mine, and he smiled perversely.

As the judge called for a one-hour recess, Griffin was the first to leave the room. I followed him and caught up with him in the hallway.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah... I just need some time," he replied, sniffling and struggling against tears.

"I want to kill that bastard too," I commented, and he let out a joyless laugh.

"He'll likely get a life sentence."

"Do you really think so?"

"He confessed to all the crimes in front of the jury. Said he killed many without reason. There's no judge in the world who would set him free for that," Griffin explained.

Luna approached the two of us, alone. "Tristan, can I talk to you?"

Griffin left, realizing it was a private matter.

"I know you probably don't want to see me right now..." Luna began.

"So why are you here?"

"I just wanted to say that she arrived safely in London," Luna said. A wave of pain washed over me, but I tried not to show it in front of her. "And I also wanted you to understand that I did everything I did to help her..."

"Help?" I repeated bitterly. "You sent her across the Atlantic Ocean."

"It was her choice."

"She's just running away..."

"She's lost!" Luna exploded. "She's lost so much in such a short time and wanted to clear her mind somewhere else. You should at least try to understand her and wish for her happiness."

I grumbled and turned away.

Hours later, the courtroom was reopened. Everyone returned to their seats to hear the final decision.

"Magnus Van Sprang is sentenced to life imprisonment."

The sound of the gavel echoed through the room, followed by sighs of relief from those in attendance. Magnus didn't resist as the guards led him away. His eyes remained fixed on my face the entire time.

May he rot in prison.

***

My thoughts became incoherent as the hours passed, and I continued drinking, one shot after another, in some random bar. It was exactly what I wanted. To have my mind empty, my body on autopilot, just waving to the bartender to fill my glass once more.

I did this to forget her. To forget Aurora and the pain she had caused me. It worked at first, but later, the effect reversed. In fact, every day, I remembered her in random situations. Like yesterday, when I saw my reflection in the mirror and realized my hair was too long. I remembered the time Aurora climbed onto the bed with tweezers in hand, saying she was going to fix my eyebrows.

"Ouch!" I complained when she plucked a hair.

"Stop whining, Tristan! It doesn't hurt that much."

I huffed and furrowed my brow in pain.

"Why are you even doing this?"

"Because I'm a good girlfriend and I want to take care of you."

"And why did I agree to this?"

"Because maybe, later, I'll do a striptease for you."

"Maybe?"

"If I hear one more 'ouch,' I won't do anything anymore."

"You don't have to overdo it."

"I'm not overdoing it..." she could barely speak, holding back laughter.

"Argh," I complained when she plucked another hair. Aurora stopped and straightened up, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong? I didn't say 'ouch.'"

"I don't want to hear complaints."

"Calm down. Soon, all I'll hear are your moans." I put my hands on her waist and brushed against our intimacies.

As much as it hurt me inside, I hadn't given up. Part of me believed there would be a turnaround, and she would come back to me, or that the past few days had been just a nightmare, and at any moment, I would wake up in my bed, body numb, and realize Aurora was sleeping on top of me again. I would expect her to wake up and scold me. She would say I'm a Mr. Arrogant and annoying and that she wouldn't do it again, but in less than a week, she would, because she's stubborn, and she knows I kind of like it.

"You've gone too far!" Xavier complained, dragging me out of the bar. "What were you thinking? Did you want to drink yourself to death? Look at yourself. You look terrible!"

"Aurora..."

"Enough. Look at me." He held my shoulders and turned me to face him. "Face reality. You got dumped, get over it, man!"

"Aurora..." Strangely, in my mind, my friend's face transformed into the lovely face of the girl I used to see every morning.

"What are you doing?"

"I miss her..." I leaned in to kiss him, but he pushed me hard, and I fell onto a pile of trash bags.

"Ugh! Have you gone crazy?" He let out a long, dramatic sigh. "My God, what did I do to deserve this? I could be having sex right now..." he complained, looking up at the sky. "If it's so hard for you to accept, why don't you go after her and ask for another chance?"

"I've humiliated myself enough," I replied, not getting up despite the stench of the trash.

"That doesn't sound like you. The Tristan I know would go after that crazy girl at any cost."

It was true, but I was broken and exhausted.

"She's happy."

"Who said that? Luna?" He didn't need an answer to know it was her. "You should try to do the same. Start over. Get your life together. And cut that hair!"

The coherent part of my brain made me nod, because I knew Xavier was somewhat right. I was shattered. Disappointment had consumed me from the inside. Everything was broken, even the promises we made to each other seemed empty, words lost in the wind.

She said she would never leave me, and she did.

I said I would always go after her, but I didn't. And I won't.

Not this time.