Chapter 41

The maid responded promptly, "Mr. Tristan is not at home at the moment."

Griffin, in front of his brother's mansion, inquired, "Can you tell me where he went?"

She replied, "No, sir, but I advise you to ask Mr. Xavier."

Griffin asked, "Why? Did they leave together?"

The maid explained, "No, but Mr. Xavier came here a few hours ago looking for him. By now, he must have found him."

Thanking for the information, Griffin smiled before turning and getting into the car.

Dialing his phone, Griffin called Xavier's number, who answered immediately.

Xavier, relieved, said, "I'm glad you called!"

Curious, Griffin asked, "Why? Are you in trouble?" Music could be heard in the background.

Xavier replied, "I need your help... I mean, Tristan does!"

Worried, Griffin started the car as soon as Xavier provided the meeting address. It was a bit far, causing him to accelerate more than usual, but without exceeding safety limits.

Upon arriving at the parking lot of a nightclub in Manhattan, where his brother supposedly was, Griffin had to pay a high cover charge. Upon entering the venue, he felt a bit disoriented by the colorful lights and loud music, as he didn't usually frequent such places, but for his family, he was willing to make any sacrifice.

At the nightclub bar, Tristan was getting wasted as if there was no tomorrow.

"Another!" he lifted the empty glass.

Xavier, beside him, sighed in frustration, "Tristan, you have to stop drinking! You've been in this situation for days!"

But he didn't listen and continued drinking without stopping.

Before leaving, Aurora asked if he wanted to read her note, in which she declared that she was leaving. Hearing that in front of him signified different destinies. The answer was no; anyway, she was going to leave because she had already made up her mind. And he wouldn't go after her because, at first, he thought it wouldn't make much of a difference. He thought everything would return to normal, but during the days he was without her company, he could think better and came to the conclusion that he would rather listen to her. He wanted to at least look at her one last time.

"Go away, Xavier. Leave me alone," his tone was low.

"I'm only leaving here with you!" Xavier stood up, tired of seeing him go down the drain.

"I'm not leaving now."

"Yes, you are, even if I have to drag you by the hair!"

"I already told you to leave me alone!" he exclaimed, getting up and walking in a random direction.

He walked aimlessly through the nightclub. Some women dared to greet him with ulterior motives, but he didn't respond and walked past them. Everything seemed hazy and meaningless. All because of her?

His shoulders were grabbed by someone, forcing him to stop walking. It took a while to emerge from the fog of his thoughts and identify the person in front of him.

"Brother... let's go home."

This time, Tristan nodded without hesitation.

As time passed, he began to feel a tightness in his chest, something he had felt many times when he was younger. It was the feeling of emptiness.

The empty space left by Aurora was proving difficult for time to erase. Tristan couldn't forget any fragmented moment. The memories were slowly killing him. He had lost her, forever, and he wasn't coping well with it. Alcohol was his refuge.

Griffin and Xavier entered the mansion, providing support for Tristan. He was very drunk and too weak to do anything.

"Let's take him to his room," suggested Griffin, and Xavier nodded. The two of them headed to Tristan's room and laid him on his bed. "You need a shower!"

"You give him a shower! There's no way I'm doing that!" Xavier replied.

Tristan rolled his eyes and with some difficulty, he got up from the bed. "I can do that myself."

"Wait, Tristan, there's a box in my car that belongs to you," Griffin said.

"Take it and leave it wherever you want," Tristan replied before disappearing into the bathroom. His head throbbed so much that he didn't pay attention to Griffin's words or even question it.

"What's in the box?" Xavier asked curiously.

"I don't know, Aurora asked me to give it to him. I think it's his stuff or gifts she wanted to return."

"Or some poisonous animal," Xavier joked. "And how's the Hobbit doing?"

"Who?" Griffin asked confused.

"The short one," Xavier continued. "Aurora!"

"She's slowly recovering," Griffin answered, crossing his arms worriedly. "What exactly happened between them?"

"I think she just got tired, tired of loving him and not being reciprocated," Xavier explained.

The doctor sighed heavily. "My brother is so proud!"

"But we don't know if he feels anything for her," Xavier said.

"And you still have doubts? He's shattered," Griffin asserted.

"Or maybe it's just wounded pride," shrugged Xavier, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I once asked him if he was in love with her."

"And what did he say?"

"Told me to shut up and stop talking nonsense," Xavier recounted. "I asked the same question multiple times; instead of telling me to shut up, he just ignored me."

Griffin ran his hand through his hair and lay down next to Xavier. He didn't confirm that he's in love, Griffin thought, but he also didn't deny it.

Meanwhile, under the shower, the cold water fell on Tristan's toned body and slightly tanned skin, giving him small shivers. He closed his eyes, imagined the image of the feisty young woman. He could only think of her and that the blame was his, because he didn't hold onto her and didn't ask her to stay.

For him, the words he couldn't say at the end were sinking deep:

"Stay."