"Why don't Papa and Mama just take me away from this world?"
Tristan bowed limply with a sad face right in front of Andrew and Gracia's tomb, which was located side by side. After the trial, instead of returning to the office, Tristan chose to visit his parents' graves.
He poured out and poured out all the sadness he was feeling at the same time. Whereas, before, Tristan had been so confident.
Although he didn't accept it immediately, he believed that Sophia would give him a chance to prove his seriousness so they could get back together. However, everything turned out not to be as expected. The woman he loved so much didn't listen to him or let him give evidence once.
"Why am I living if there is no meaning like this, Pa?" Tristan asked then. His hand reached out to stroke the grey gravestone. "Ah, almost forgot. I can still call papa 'papa', right?" he asked while giving a forced laugh.
Tristan used to act like this just a few days after Gracia's return to the creator. If he could sleep in a cemetery, he might have done that in the past. Almost every day for a whole month, he went back and forth to visit his parents' graves because he felt so lonely and had no one. Finally, Raphael came over. Reaching out, caring wholeheartedly until he succeeds as he is now.
"There's no point in mourning your fate like this all the time, Tristan," said Raphael at the time. "Why did God let you live? Because he knows your life will be very useful for many people. That's why you must take advantage of that gift. Instead of being sad or thinking about dying like now."
Tristan remembers Raphael's words very well. Today he thinks it turns out to be a mere consolation.
"So, I already feel useless living in this world. I have tried many ways to make my dreams come true. But why is it so difficult for me to live with Sophia? It seems God doesn't want to take sides this time." The man lowered his head. His eyes were closed because of the pain. "I was stupid, Pa. I was too reckless. Too evil and cruel. Now? Of course, there wasn't the slightest answer from the gravestone in front of Tristan. He deliberately did this to lighten the load while venting the tightness crushing his chest cavity. "Pa, Ma," Tristan called again. "Tell God to call me right away. I'd rather go with you than be lonely like now."
Tristan looked down again for a moment. Tears rolled down his cheeks again. Disappointment and guilt that did not go away really disturbed his mind. Because the day was getting dark, the man chose to get up. He walked without the slightest passion towards his car, parked outside the cemetery area.
Of course, not to go home. This time, Paradise Bar in the Hyde Park area became Tristan's destination for him to stop by. From seven to nine in the evening, the man sat alone, sipping many glasses of whiskey. Not long after, as always, Nicholas came after. With an annoyed face, the man pulled out a chair and sat in front of Tristan.
"What kind of trouble has this time come upon you, Tristan? Can't it be done well without getting drunk like now? So that you know, what you're doing is troublesome!"
It wouldn't be Nicholas if he weren't nagging. Edward even dubbed the man a stepmother because of his habit of getting angry and protesting whenever someone made a mistake.
"I just want to die, Nick," Tristan said casually. The man's hand was still a glass of whiskey he had not finished drinking. Instead of being worried about what his best friend said, Nicholas laughed. At that moment, he immediately got up. Carrying his feet walked towards the bartender's table. I don't know what he was doing for a while. Not long after, the man sat back down and thrust the penknife at Tristan, speaking with absolute certainty.
"That, a knife. Please take it. If you want to try to die, just now. Who knows, after that, the angel of death will come to pick you up and take you to go to hell immediately."
Tristan, who was still half drunk, immediately laughed. He knew that his friend must be so upset that he always wanted to hand him a penknife borrowed from the bartender.
"Are you sure you're going just to let me die?" Tristan inquired curiously.
Nicholas nodded without the slightest hesitation on his face. He snatched the whiskey glass from Tristan's hand. Then the man gulped down the remaining water in it until it was gone.
"If you want to die, die. At least one of my biggest rivals in the business world will be reduced," he joked innocently. It couldn't be helped. Tristan was the strongest rival he had yet to beat in the business world.
"Bastard!" Tristan cursed. "I'm serious, Nicholas Alistair. How come you're replying to me with your bullshit jokes all this time!"
"You think I'm not serious?" the brown-haired man debated.
"I'm sick of it, Tristan. Every time there's a problem you always drink like this. What exactly is going on? Is it because of Sophia's problems like before?" He guessed it for sure. Considering this isn't the first time Tristan is drunk, the cause is always the same. Truly, before marriage, the man had never acted as stupid as he is now. Why after marriage, instead of being smart, they often act childish.
"Sophia turned me down, Nick. Sophia doesn't want to be with me anymore," he said weakly with a sad look on his face. The look in his eyes that was originally normal now looks so sad, as if it has a very deep wound.
"It's good that Sophia turned you down," Nicholas said. "Why would she be with a useless guy like you?"
"What do you mean, Alistair Junior?" Tristan asked, displeased.
Luckily it was Nicholas who said that. Maybe he would have beaten it right then and there if it were someone else.
"I'm asking you, what have you done to convince yourself, Sophia?"
Tristan was silent. Rolling his eyes, he seemed to remember what he had done. "A lot, Nick."
"How much?" the man seemed to be chasing.
"Long before this, I've done various things without his knowledge. And yesterday, during the mediation process, I tried to persuade him directly. I even promised not to repeat the same act. He wants to come back with me."
"And that doesn't work?"
Tristan shook his head and then looked down.
"Geez Tristan, are you stupid or what? That woman doesn't like being pushed too hard. You should have given her some space to think and calm down first."
"But you want to arrive, when?" Tristan debate. "We don't have much time together, Nick. The divorce process is ongoing. If I wait for Sophia's mood to improve, we're really going to split up."
Nicholas sighed repeatedly. Come to think of it, this Tristan and Sophia problem wasn't that big of a deal. However, both the plaintiff and the defendant made it even more complicated.
"My advice, before the second trial takes place, you should try again to meet Sophia. Have a heart-to-heart talk with her without anyone bothering you both. Remember! Just the two of you. No parents, no lawyer, not to mention Edward."
"If the method you suggested still doesn't work, what should I do?" Nicholas chuckled again. Leaning his face. Staring intently at Tristan, the man asked to shake hands and whispered.
"Congratulations, you have to accept your new status as a widower. Please find a new wife."
Tristan growled in annoyance. After listening to it seriously, it turned out his best friend was mocking him. Ignoring Nicholas' words, Tristan reached for the drink again.
Pour the rest of the whiskey into the bottle and gulp it down. Hell, if after this he was unconscious or even to death. That's what he wants.
***
"Gosh! What happened, Nicholas? Did Tristan drink again?" asked Aurora as Nicholas again drove Tristan drunk. Before answering, the man first chose to support his best friend's body in the room. After making sure Tristan was lying on the bed, he came out and told what really happened to Aurora.
"I don't know, Aurora. But, if you hear what she has to say, it looks like Tristan is stressed about his divorce case with Sophia."
"Huh? What did you say? Tristan was stressed about getting a divorce from Sophia? Seriously!"
"Yes, Aurora," Nicholas nodded confidently. He deliberately conveyed this openly without the slightest cover-up. "At the bar, Tristan was acting like a lunatic. It seems he really doesn't want to have to part with Sophia in the end."
Aurora pursed her lips tightly. The woman's hands were even clenched into fists. Holding the turbulent emotions from exploding right then and there in front of Nicholas. She thought, damn, Tristan to lament his divorce process with Sophia. Hadn't he already sworn to himself that he wouldn't fall in love in the slightest? Then, why are you licking your saliva now?
"Tristan said that to you?" asked Aurora. The woman pulled Nicholas to sit on the sofa in the television room. She thought digging up a little information about what happened earlier would be a good idea. Nicholas, who just obeyed when asked to sit down, immediately nodded and continued to speak.
"From when I arrived until I left. Even when I was in the car, he kept mentioning Sophia's name, Aurora. I feel sorry. But how can it be, hasn't Sophia refused Tristan to return to a household relationship? Because of this rejection, he is stressed and doing crazy things. Tristan keeps saying he wants to die to keep up with his parents."
"Oh, Lord," Aurora shouted. Not out of pity. But it's more of an annoyance. In his mind, Tristan had gone too far. The case of wanting to get back with Sophia alone to the point of doing many things that harm themselves and others.
"Luckily you were there, Nick. Otherwise, Tristan would have done some reckless things. I don't know what else to do to get the guy to come to his senses and not keep acting stupid!" annoyed Aurora.
Nicholas laughed until he saw how the woman spoke while expressing annoyance. "Gradually, Tristan will return to his original state," Nicholas said. "The important thing is that we, the closest people, always support and never leave him at all."
Aurora nodded in agreement. Tristan needs support and assistance in times of unstable feelings and thoughts like this. Who knows, by always being by his side, the man's heart could turn from Sophia to him.
"Again, thank you very much for your help, Nick. After this, I'll take care of Tristan."
Nicholas chose to get up, feeling there was nothing more to talk about. Since it was getting late, he decided to leave immediately.
"Then I'll go home first. If something bad happens to Tristan, just let me know as soon as possible. I'll come right away."
"Of course," said Aurora. The woman then escorted Nicholas to the front of the house. Making sure the man came home, he came back in and immediately took a big step towards Tristan's room. Once she arrived, she saw how drunk Tristan was trying to sleep. Slowly Aurora approached. Taking a sitting position right next to the man lying down.
"Tristan, change your clothes first. After that, you can sleep," the woman said as she tried to pull Tristan back down and leaned his body against the mattress's headboard. When the man had reclined well, then slowly, Aurora returned to help undress, intending to replace him with sleeping pyjamas.
"For God's sake, Arsene Quartararo, what's so great about Sophia that you act so stupid like this?"
Aurora muttered as she unbuttoned the black shirt Tristan was wearing one by one.
"Is there only one woman in this world? To the extent that your eyes only look at Sophia? Damn it!"
After successfully removing the shirt attached to Tristan's body, Aurora was surprised by the behaviour of the man in front of her, who suddenly cupped his cheeks. Pulled then, without warning, immediately landed a kiss. Aurora, of course, did not refuse when Tristan showered his lips with kisses.
But before he had time to reply, the man casually let go of their lips while saying such striking words.
"You're not Sophia. I know these aren't Sophia's lips."
Aurora immediately sighed in disgust. For the umpteenth time, Tristan humiliated her. How could the man know by heart that the lips he was biting were not the lips of the woman he liked.
What's the difference? While chuckling, annoyed, Aurora immediately got up. Without saying much, the woman came out and briskly walked toward her room. Picked up something there that he immediately brought back to Tristan.
"If I can't get you smoothly and nicely, why can't I just try forceful means?" muttered Aurora, standing not far from the nightstand. She reached for Tristan's drinking glass and carefully put medicine in it. Seconds later, she heard the woman speak again.
"It's useless if I buy this medicine for a long time if it's not used. And we'll see, Tristan. After drinking it, can you still tell the difference between Sophia and me?" she said with a sly smile and stirred the drink until the medicine she put was dissolved.
"If you sleep, you can avoid it later. What if I get pregnant? Do you still have the heart to dump me?"
Lifting the corners of her lips, Aurora smiled meaningfully. Calmly she stepped closer to Tristan. She sat back down, intending to offer her the glass of drinking water she had prepared. Hoping that what was planned would go as she wished.