Chapter 17

"It's over now," said Xavier Oakden, an old friend of Tristan's. He patted Tristan on the shoulder and added, "Chelsea has been locked up. I can't imagine how hard this must be for you." Tristan's face was pale. He quietly shook his head. He still couldn't speak, as his neck was wrapped in thick bandages. He looked utterly exhausted and lost. This was the most vulnerable he'd been. Xavier felt a pang of sorrow seeing Tristan in this state. He tried to comfort him, "I know you loved Leticia deeply, but you've got to let go of her now. She wouldn't want to see you like this." Tristan typed on his phone: "I'll lay her to rest. I just… I can't bear to let her go." Xavier sighed and patted his shoulder again. "I'll get my contacts to work toward a life sentence for Chelsea. Try to move on, alright?" Tristan nodded. As Xavier was busy handling the legal matters, he gave Tristan a few more words of encouragement before leaving. Once the room fell silent, Tristan turned his gaze toward