Caged By Him

Chapter 96

A few weeks later:

Tristan's POV:

"I've got eyes on them." Elijah says on the other end of the call as I nod to myself, tapping my finger against the wooden desk.

"Good." I sigh. "Let me know when it's done. Security's been disabled. You should be in an out in an hour. The jet's waiting for you. I sent the coordinates." I inform him.

"Got it, boss." He whispers before hanging up. I place my phone down and knit my brows. My part is done and all I can do is wait for confirmation that it's complete, that safety been assured.

I've been building up to this moment close to a year now and any missed detail would result in disaster. I have the most experience in this area so I spent every waking second working on the plan considering I won't be present.

This better be wrapped up and over with because my patience is wearing thin. I'm more than ready to put all of this behind me in order to focus on more pressing matters.

At that thought, my eyes drift over to the pictures of Aurora on my desk: One of her on our wedding day. Another on the yacht on our honeymoon in Greece. Then one where she is holding Eric up and smiling up at him. The last one was captured in the garden where she sits barefoot, visibly pregnant and surrounded by flowers with a faint smile on her lips as the sunlight emanating from behind her overwhelms her blue eyes.

I remember that day vividly. She was eight months pregnant with Eric and she'd been upset because of some comments some strangers made about her age: that she was too young to be pregnant. It had made her insecure and I found her sitting in the garden, keeping to herself.

The people who have made those comments have been tracked down and penalized accordingly just like anyone who upset her. I made sure of that and I couldn't care less about what their intentions were. They all suffered the same fate time after time.

I sigh to myself as my gaze lingers over her face. She's but a few feet away from me and I miss her. Though the feeling's much less severe compared to a few months back...

Flashback

I sat at the bar after a long day of work. It's been precisely 198 days since I've been gone. By now, everyone thinks I'm six feet under. Namely my family.

I watch apathetically as the waiter pours my fourth glass of the night. As mundane as it sounds, alcohol became an outlet to drown my sorrows in.

"Hello." A feminine voice asks besides me as I knock back my glass of whiskey. The waiter immediately refills it. "Do you mind if I take a seat here?" She asks, attempting to sound seductive but failing miserably.

"Not interested." I reply, not even bothering to spare her a glance. She eventually scurries off to the middle aged man on the other end of the bar.

My wedding ring burns a hole in my pocket, serving as a reminder of my vows to her. I promised her on that day that I'd protect her and that's what I'm doing. That's what I'll keep doing as long as I live.

Nevertheless, I can't help but imagine the look on her face when she heard the news. I'm constantly haunted by the sound of her cries and the strong possibility that she's miserable and alone.

Some days, I miss her so much I want to burn the entire word and bridge the distance between us. The only glimmer of hope I have is the faint possibility of seeing her again.

Not to mention, my son is experiencing countless milestones without my presence. I'm not there to tuck him at night or watch over him. She's bearing that burden all on her own.