Tristan’s POV
I sat in the waiting area, the cold plastic chair beneath me offering no comfort. My hands were clasped tightly, my knuckles were white, as I stared blankly ahead, lost in thought. David had been allowed to see Elona first. I understood, he was her father, after all. But a part of me ached to be by her side, to reassure myself that she was truly okay.
Cris approached, her footsteps soft against the floor as she came from the bathroom. She sat beside me, her presence a balm to my frayed nerves. “Are you okay?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes,” she replied, looking ahead of her, “I’ve informed Spooky about her. He’s worried, and he’s worried about you.”
I nodded. There was a pause before I spoke. “Earlier, I saw you and David... you seemed close,” Cris broke Spooky’s heart, and I’m not sure if it’s because of this.
She looked at me, her eyebrows raised. “What do you mean?”
“In the waiting room. He cupped your face, and then you hugged. He placed a kiss on the top of your head. It looked... intimate.”
She chuckled softly, shaking her head. “Dad, he has been there for me since I was a kid. That hug was comfort, nothing more.” I hope that was all.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed,” But still... I wasn’t letting it go that easily, but I had to trust her words, right?
“It’s okay,” she said, placing a reassuring hand on my arm. “I know emotions are high right now,” she paused, then added, “Actually, I have an idea. I want to look into VFS, see what’s really going on there.”
I looked at her, intrigued. “What do you mean?”
“Something is not right. The way they push those girls, the lack of concern for their well-being. I want to investigate, maybe write an exposé.” Her eyes lit up as passionate as she was about her career.
“Like your mother used to?”
She nodded, a determined gleam in her eyes. “Exactly. She was a brilliant journalist. I read her articles and watched old footages of her, and she always fought for the truth. I want to make her proud. This way I can also help my best friend.”
I smiled, admiring her resolve. “Let me know how I can help.”
Just then, a nurse approached. “You can see Elona now.”
We both stood, following her down the hallway. When we got to the room, it was quiet, the only sound the soft beeping of monitors. David sat in the chair beside Elona’s bed. She was lying in the bed, pale but awake. Cris rushed to her side, tears streaming down her face. “You’re awake! Thank goodness.”
Elona managed a weak smile. “Hey.”
I approached slowly, taking her hand in mine. “You scared me,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry,” she replied, her voice hoarse.
I looked at her, determination hardening my features. “I’m going to have a word with whoever’s in charge at VFS. This can’t continue.”
Elona shook her head weakly. “Tristan, please. It’s not that simple.”
David, who had been sitting silently, spoke up. “No, Tristan’s right. They need to be held accountable.”
Elona looked between us, tears welling in her eyes. “I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
I squeezed her hand gently. “We will make sure of that.”
Elona’s hand trembled beneath mine, delicate and cold, her pulse fluttering weakly against my fingers. I didn’t let go. I couldn’t.
“I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt,” she said again, softer this time, as if she barely believed her own words.
I brought her hand up to my lips, brushing a kiss across her knuckles. “Then we stop it, right now. You’re not alone anymore.”
Cris, who stood on the other side of the bed, gently adjusted Elona’s IV line so it wouldn’t tug against her arm. “I’m going to look into them... VFS. I mean it. They had hurt enough girls. It’s time someone started asking the hard questions.”
Elona blinked slowly, her expression flickering between gratitude and fear. “If they find out... they will blacklist me. My entire future-”
“To hell with that,” David’s voice cut in from behind Cris. He stood up and stepped forward, firm and furious. “If this is what they have been doing to you, it’s not a future worth protecting.”
Elona’s lips parted as if to protest, but David raised a hand, stopping her. “You fainted. You’re covered in bruises. You haven’t eaten. Don’t make excuses for them.”
For a long moment, no one spoke. Elona’s eyes welled with tears, but she didn’t let them fall. I couldn’t stand seeing her like this. “I’m going to VFS. I’m going to speak to whomever is charge directly.”
“Tristan-” she started, but David interjected.
“He’s right. Someone needs to put pressure on them from the outside. They won’t listen to the girls. But a man with a name like his?” David pointed towards me, “They will listen.”
Elona looked between us, defeated and exhausted, and gave the smallest nod. “I’ll handle it,” I said, my voice low but steady. “You just focus on healing. Let me fight this battle for you and the other girls.”
Cris reached over and tucked a lock of Elona’s hair behind her ear, brushing it back from her damp forehead. “You don’t have to be strong all the time, you know. We’re here. We’ve got you.”
Elona gave a tearful smile, and I watched as her lashes fluttered, heavy with exhaustion. “I don’t deserve all this,” she whispered.
I leaned closer, cupping her cheek gently. “You deserve everything. You’re not alone anymore. Not now. Not ever again.” Her eyes slipped closed.
The nurse who had been checking her charts entered. “She needs rest. You can come back in a bit.”
We nodded, and I pressed one last kiss to Elona’s temple before letting go of her hand and stepping out with Cris and David into the hallway. The door closed behind us with a quiet snick, but the weight of what had just unfolded clung to me like smoke.
We walked in silence for a moment until Cris turned to me. “You’re going to VFS?”
“Yes. First thing tomorrow. I’ll go through the front gates if I have to.”
She bit her lip, then nodded. “Good. But… you have to be careful, too.”
I studied her for a moment, remembering the soft moment I had seen earlier in the waiting room between her and David.
There was a pause, and then she changed the subject abruptly. “I’m going to start looking into VFS when I get back to the apartment. I have contacts, archives I can dig through. I’ll do this right. Like my mom would’ve.”
I could still remember Estelle, her soft voice, sharp mind, a will like steel wrapped in silk. Cris was every bit her daughter. “You would make her proud,” I said sincerely.
“I hope so.”
We lingered outside the hospital room door for a long while, each of us carrying a different kind of burden. Mine was grief, tangled now with the slow-burning fury rising in my gut. This wasn’t just about loss anymore. It was about justice... for Elona, for all the girls whose voices had been silenced by the machine that was VFS.
And I would burn that machine to the ground if I had to.