Elona’s POV
I could still feel the weight of the hospital bedsheets against my skin, even though I was no longer there. The pain had dulled into a background throb, like a low drumbeat I couldn’t silence, but I was out. Free, in a sense. And I was here, in Tristan’s house, cocooned in a silence that felt both safe and fragile.
He moved about the kitchen with quiet determination, his back to me, the muscles under his T-shirt flexing with each careful movement. The house smelled of toast and melted cheese, a comforting scent that almost made me forget how hollow my stomach felt. I hadn’t eaten properly in days.
“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble,” I murmured, shifting slightly on the bar stool by the kitchen counter, pulling my hoodie tighter around myself.
Tristan glanced over his shoulder. His gaze softened. “It’s not trouble. You need to eat.”
He returned with two sandwiches and a glass of water. He placed everything on the dining table and nodded for me to sit across from him. I moved, gingerly, and settled into the seat. My body ached in ways I couldn’t name. He handed me one of the sandwiches and watched me, his arms resting on the table, his expression unreadable.
“How’s the pain?” he asked quietly.
“Mild,” I replied, taking a small bite. “As long as I keep taking the medication and the birth control pills.”
He went still at that. His brow furrowed. “Were you taking it regularly before... the birth control? I mean... when you tried to please Delance?”
My lips pressed together. The sandwich suddenly felt like sand in my mouth. “I stopped,” I admitted, swallowing hard. “I wanted to lose the softness in my hips… and thighs. Delance made comments about it.”
His jaw clenched. I saw it, the way his entire posture shifted, like he had to physically restrain himself from reacting more.
“Elona…” he began, voice low.
“I know. I know it was stupid,” I said quickly. “But I was desperate. I thought… maybe if I looked perfect enough, she would stop criticizing me.”
He didn’t speak for a moment. Just stared at the tabletop as though it had personally offended him. Then, slowly, he raised his head.
“Were you on it… when I fucked you before you fainted in my study room?” His voice was tentative and raw.
I blinked. The question shouldn’t have shocked me, but it did. I looked down at the half-eaten sandwich in my hands. “No.”
He exhaled, sharp and pained. “Elona, you have to be careful,” he said. “I can’t… I can’t lose another baby. I won’t survive it. Not again.”
A lump formed in my throat. I stood up, suddenly restless. “It’s not like I can get pregnant again any time soon,” I said, my voice a touch too defensive.
He stood up as I walked past him, but he gently grabbed my wrist. I stopped in my tracks. He held my gaze, “Come with me,” he said. I wasn’t sure where he would take me, but I followed him, each step slow and deliberate. He never let go of my wrist, but he moved his hand to hold mine. He led me down the hallway and into the old lounge. White sheets still covered the furniture, but on the far wall… My breath hitched.
There they were... paintings. My mother’s paintings. They hung with care and precision. Her soft brush strokes, her warm palettes, her haunting depictions of love and sorrow. They were all here, displayed like something sacred, and my favorite dolphin painting.
“I wanted you to have a piece of her with you,” Tristan said, watching my reaction.
I turned to him. My chest ached. “They are beautiful over there,” I whispered. “Thank you. When did you get these? I thought they were sold,” I asked.
“On the Gallery night, I bought them. I knew how much these paintings meant to you, and I bought them. I just wrapped it up and saved it for a moment like this, but... I know it’s soon, but I do hope that you move in with me permanently. I don’t want to be alone here, and I want to make you mine...officially,” he held my gaze as I parted my lips. I was definitely caught off guard by this. “You can think about it, but don’t take too long because I don’t know how long I can wait, because I’ve waited for happiness, and now I have it. I don’t want to wait to start a life together with you... So think about it.”
“Okay,” is all that I managed to say.
We both sat down on the sheet-covered sofa. The fabric was cold beneath me, but I hardly noticed. I was still soaking in every detail of my mother’s artwork and what Tristan had just said. A silence stretched between us, gentle but heavy.
“What are you thinking?” he asked after a moment.
“My father... and Cris,” I said, almost choking on the words. “He left… while I’m still recovering. He barely said goodbye when he told me about him and Cris earlier.” I looked at him expecting him to ask me what I meant, but he shifted in his seat and his jaw clenched. “I don’t understand what I did wrong. Why does he keep running from me?” I looked down, my fingers knotting together in my lap.
Tristan’s jaw tensed again. I could see the flicker of anger flash behind his eyes. “He shouldn’t have left, especially not now.”
I shrugged, trying to feign indifference, but my chest burned. “He had been doing this gradually. It’s like he only loves me from far away now.”
Tristan stared ahead, as if weighing something in his mind. “I saw him,” he said suddenly, “Earlier with Cris. That was after he had to leave for his business meeting. I caught them in the hallway of this house, and seeing that just made me explode, but I’ve contained it, it’s not the relationship that I have an issue with it's... I told myself that if I found the person that Cris cheated on Spooky with, I would kill him...turns out it was your father, and I had to contain myself from that because I didn’t want things to escalate. However, Cris lied to me at the hospital, and then I saw what was going on in the hallway. She hurt you too, and I know you might’ve forgiven her for it, but she doesn’t care about us but more about what she wants in terms of our loss and what she sees as a family...remember with Maggie?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“I just don’t know what has gotten into her, but my heart goes out to Spooky. He is like a son I never had. He has been going through so much, and I don’t know what’s going on with your father either. I did have a word with him about being a father to you, but I don’t think he cares. It’s business trips and Cris,” he scoffed.
“I don’t care that they see each other either, but I never hurt her as we are finding out right now. All those words she threw into my face when we broke up were painful, especially after that I had to find out about the loss. It was difficult, but I managed, and Spooky really deserves better.”
He turned to me, his voice quieter. “I’ve made mistakes, Elona. I’m not proud of every decision. I just want Cris and David to be better than this, especially with what’s going on.”
I nodded, uncertain what to say. It felt like everything was unraveling. My father, Cris, VFS. It was all too much. “I can’t stop thinking about Spooky. He’s stuck in all of this, too.”
Tristan exhaled, his gaze softening. “He wants to see you. I told him he could come over tomorrow.”
A small smile tugged at my lips. “I would like that.” Just as the words left my mouth, a sharp cramp twisted in my abdomen. I winced, gripping my side.
“Elona?” he said, immediately alert. “What is it?”
“Endo pain,” I gasped. “I will be okay.”
“What can I do?” he asked, rising to his feet.
“My heating pad,” I said through clenched teeth. “It’s in my bag.”
He was gone in an instant, his footsteps echoing down the hallway. I sat curled into myself, riding the wave of pain. By the time he returned, he had the pad plugged in and ready. He knelt before me, gently pressing it against my abdomen and adjusting it until I was comfortable. I reached out, brushing his cheek. He leaned into my touch, his hand covering mine.
“Do you know what it feels like,” I whispered, “to realize the only people you have left in this world are your friend, and the man you fell in love with?” His lips parted, but he didn’t speak. His eyes told me everything. “I’m scared that if you ever leave, too, I won’t survive it.”
He moved closer, his forehead resting against mine. “I’m not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever.” He pulled inches away from me. “I did find the diet plan from VFS in your bag, just know I threw it away, you don’t ever need it, because you are perfect the way you are, and don’t let anyone else tell you any different.” I nodded.
He continued to kneel before me, his hands resting on my heating pad to keep it in place. The warmth of the heating pad seeping into my skin and his presence wrapping around me like armor. Whatever happened with VFS, with my father, with Cris, with the world, we would face it together. And maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t as alone as I thought.