TRISTAN
1233 Words
I should've known.
The moment Anna's eyes met mine that day, wide and filled with tears, I knew I had messed up.
My head was still spinning from whatever the hell Clarisse had spilled into my drink, but no matter how much I tried to chase the fog away, Anna was already gone. I didn't even get the chance to explain. Just the slam of the front door and then nothing but the sound of my own ragged breathing.
"Anna!" I yelled after her, bolting out of the bed, my voice echoed through the halls like a desperate ghost.
I grabbed the home phone and dialed my head of security.
When he answered, I didn't answer any of his greetings. I only have an order.
“Anna just left the house. Don't let her leave.”
“And if she's gone?” He asked.
“Find her.” my voice cracked. “Bring her to me.”
“Yes, sir.” The call ended and I tossed the phone to the floor, raking my hand through my hair
I had f****d up.
Meanwhile, Clarisse just ate there on the bed, wearing nothing but my shirt and a smug smile.
“That was rather unfortunate.” she purred.
My vision turned red when I heard her and I snapped. “Get out!”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I said get the hell out of my house. Now! Don’t make me drag you out myself because I will!”
Clarisse took a step back, clearly startled. “Tristan, don't be dramatic. It was just a little —”
“Leave!” I thundered, slamming my fist into the wall beside her. “Before I do something you'll regret.”
Her expression twisted. “You're choosing her? The girl who probably used you for —”
“Out!”
She flinched, finally moving. As she stomped past, she muttered something under her breath, and I didn't catch it. She could curse me to hell for all I cared. The only thing that mattered was Anna.
I tore through my call history to reach her, only to realize her number was gone.
Her number, deleted. Her messages, gone.
Rage bubbled in my chest. “Clarisse!” but she was already gone.
I went to the phone company demanding every call log, every record only to be told everything had been erased, like we never existed. My fists clenched so hard, blood trickled from my palms.
Clarisse did this. That snake!
I drive through the city like a man possessed. One day turned into two. Two bled into three and still no sign of Anna, not a trace nor even a whisper. It was like she had disappeared.
For days, I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. Every second felt like I was drowning. I tried to explain it in my head. How that night had been a trap, how Clarisse had drugged me. But explanations meant nothing when the woman I needed to be what they were wasn't even around.
On the seventh night, I was slumped in my office, staring at the city lights, when Kara stepped in.
“You have a call, sir.”
“Not now, Kara.” I muttered.
“It's your grandmother.”
I straightened and took the call.
“Grandma,” I breathed.
“Tristan, my sweet boy,” she said warmly. “Is it true? Clarisse said you chased her out.”
I gritted my teeth. “She's a snake, grandma. If I see her again. I'll have her arrested.”
A pause. Then, “Even while she's pregnant?”
My blood turned to ice.
“She's not pregnant,” I said through gritted teeth. “It was one night. A mistake. A goddamn accident.”
“Accident or not, she says she's carrying your child.”
I stood, pushing away from the desk. “That baby isn't mine! Even if it were, I won't accept it! She is nothing to me!”
“I'm coming to see you. We need to talk.”
“Fine.”
I hung up and buried my face in my hands. The air felt suffocating.
I froze when I smelled something familiar. Sweet.
It was Anna's perfume.
I jerked my head up. The scent still drifted in the air. She was here.
I ran out of the office. “Anna?”
Nothing.
“Anna?”
No answer.
I fell to my knees. “f**k!”
My chest tightened. The pain was unbearable. I missed her. Damn it, I missed her.
The next day, grandma arrived. I ran to her like a child. Her arms were safe. She was the only one left in my family who didn't want me six feet under.
We talked for a while, her voice gentle, asking questions I barely answered when suddenly, Clarisse showed up uninvited.
“Granny,” she chirped, holding a box of macaroons. “I got you your favourite.”
I didn't miss the pleased look on grandma's face. She adored those damn macarons. Clarisse knew it.
All of a sudden I knew who told her granny was coming — Kara. I should fire her.
Dinner was awkward. Clarisse lied through her teeth, talking about how she slaved all day preparing the meal.
Bullshit. It was Kara's cooking.
Grandma seemed to enjoy it though. She smiled between bites and said. “Tristan, this food tastes amazing. You should consider marrying Clarisse. She'd make an excellent wife.”
I nearly choked on my wine. “What?”
“She's beautiful, kind, and loyal.”
Loyal, my ass.
I set my glass down. “Grandma, I can't."
She frowned. “Why not?”
“Because I'm in love with someone else.”
“That Anna girl?" Clarisse scoffed.
I turned to her. “That Anna girl is everything to me. I don't care about you. Anna's the one."
Grandma gasped. “Tristan!”
“I'll follow my heart, Grandma,” I said. “I'll find her. I don't care how long it'll take."
Just then, my bodyguard stepped in.
“Sir, We got the number from the diner she worked at.”
I shot to my feet. “Give it to me.”
He handed me the slip of paper and I stormed out of the dining room.
“Tristan!” Clarisse called out behind me but I ignored her.
I dialed the number with trembling fingers, my heart thudding like war drums in my chest.
It rang once, twice, three times; and then —
“Hello?” came her voice, soft and warm.
My throat closed. “Anna…”
Her tone suddenly turned guarded. “Why are you calling me, Tristan?”
“Anna, please. Let me explain. That day, Clarisse..."
The line went dead.
I stood frozen, the phone still to my ear.
Had I already lost her?
I turned to the window, jaw clenched and my heart pounding.
“Tristan.” Noona came up behind me.
“I'm going to get her back no matter what, Grandma.” I said, fisting my hands in the glass.
“Why run so far for someone who doesn't want you when Clarisse is right here?” She said softly.
I shook my head. “I'm getting Anna back.”
If Anna thought I was going to let her go then she didn't know me at all.
- Writer
