Chapter 213: The Breaking Point
Alaric turned toward Cormac’s hospital room before looking back at Galatea. “Galatea, you stay here. I’m going to the police station.”
“Okay,” Galatea replied quietly. But as Alaric moved to leave, she hurriedly grabbed the sleeve of his coat, a silent plea in her eyes. “Alaric.”
He turned to her, sensing the worry in her voice. “I know,” he said softly, placing a gentle hand over hers. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
With that, he pulled away and strode out of the room, leaving Galatea standing there, her heart heavy with the weight of everything.
When Griffon first entered the prison, he had been brash and defiant. He acted as though everything that had happened was beyond his control, urging the authorities to finish their investigation quickly and release him. But when he learned that both Ravenna and Orion had died, his entire demeanor crumbled. Griffon, once so full of arrogance and pride, was now a broken man. His cries echoed through the cold walls of his cell as he begged for release, but with the investigation still ongoing, the police couldn’t let him go.
What had once been a hardened man, refusing to admit guilt, transformed into a man on the brink of insanity—lost, defeated, and desperate.
When Alaric arrived at the police station, he found Griffon in an utterly different state than he had ever imagined. The man who had once been a powerful figure in the Nash family was now a shell of himself, consumed by grief and regret.
“Alaric!” Griffon screamed upon seeing him, his voice laced with fury. No, it wasn’t just anger—it was a seething rage that made him want to tear Alaric apart. “Did you kill my daughter? Was the car accident your doing?”
Griffon’s words were like daggers, but they didn’t land as Alaric thought they might. He’d expected anger, but the way Griffon’s face twisted with sorrow and bitterness made him realize how far this man had fallen.
Griffon spat out the next words like venom. “I tampered with the DNA results back then, and I arranged Galatea’s car accident. Yes, it was all me. If you want revenge, come after me! But why did you harm my Orion? I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”
Two officers rushed forward, pinning Griffon to the table, handcuffing him so tightly that his hands were almost immobile.
Alaric’s gaze remained cold. “I’m not as despicable as you,” he said firmly. “Even if I wanted revenge, I wouldn’t resort to the dirty tricks you’ve used.”
Griffon’s rage only deepened at Alaric’s words. The final thread of his resistance seemed to snap. What had been a man fueled by hate and self-justification now gave way to an overwhelming sense of despair.
“Ravenna’s death. Orion’s death,” Alaric’s voice was sharp, cutting through the air. “They’re both on your hands. The person who deserves to die the most is you. But you caused their deaths. You can’t blame anyone else. This is your retribution.”
Griffon’s body trembled as he broke down, the weight of his own words crushing him. He sobbed, his voice barely a whisper, “My retribution? Yes… it’s my retribution. I shouldn’t have spoiled Orion… I shouldn’t have supported her when she insisted on marrying you. I should’ve never arranged the engagement. I killed her… and you killed her too!”
The venom in his words was unmistakable. Griffon’s eyes locked onto Alaric’s with pure hatred.
“Alaric, you bastard,” Griffon hissed, his voice raw with anguish. “Orion loved you so much. She waited for you for three years while you were in a coma. She knew Caspian wasn’t her child, but she was willing to raise him. She was willing to marry you, even when she knew she wasn’t your first choice. If you had cherished her, if you had treated her like she deserved, would she have ended up like this?”
Griffon’s eyes were wild now, filled with a combination of grief and fury. “We could have been happy, Alaric. We could have been a family. But you destroyed it. You destroyed the Nash family. It’s your fault! If you had just died back then, none of this would have happened. Why didn’t you die? Why did you survive?”
Alaric didn’t respond. His mind raced, but the words wouldn’t come. Why had things come to this point? The Knight family and the Nash family had once been allies, friends even, before all this destruction tore them apart.
Griffon continued to wail in agony, his face contorted with bitterness and grief. “You’re the reason she’s gone, Alaric. You destroyed everything. You destroyed the only good thing in my life. You’re the one who killed her!”
As Griffon’s cries filled the room, Alaric remained stoic, his face hard. He knew what had to be done. And yet, part of him wanted to end Griffon’s suffering right then and there. But as much as Griffon deserved to die, Alaric knew he couldn’t give him that mercy.
He couldn’t kill him. Not yet.
Alaric’s voice broke through the storm of Griffon’s accusations, loud and firm. “What about Cormac, Griffon? Have you even thought about him?”
Griffon laughed bitterly, the sound devoid of humor. “Cormac? Is Cormac my son? He’s a Knight, not a Nash. That fool has always followed you around like a shadow. I told him time and again to stay away from you, but he wouldn’t listen. Now look at what’s happened. The Nash family is gone. It’s all your fault, Alaric. All of it.”
Alaric’s eyes darkened, the weight of Griffon’s words hanging heavy in the air. “Is it really me who destroyed the Nash family? Or did you bring this upon yourself? You’re still lying to yourself, even now.”
Griffon’s face twisted in a grimace, his laughter bordering on madness. “Yes, I brought this on myself. I deserve to die, Alaric. I deserve it. Let the judge sentence me to death. Let me die. Please.”
Alaric stepped closer, his voice cold as ice. “I won’t let you die, even though you truly deserve it. I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life in prison. I’ll make sure you live a life worse than death.”
Griffon collapsed again, this time in uncontrollable sobs. “Just let me die… Please… I can’t bear it anymore…”
Alaric said nothing as he turned on his heel and walked away. He had no words left to offer this man. The world had already given Griffon his punishment. But for Alaric, there was one more thing that needed to be done.
He couldn’t end Griffon’s life, not yet. Keeping him alive, no matter how much he wanted to see him suffer, would be a necessary evil. For Cormac’s sake. Ravenna and Orion were already gone, but if Griffon died too, Cormac would have nothing left. The last piece of family, his last thread of hope, would be gone forever.
Alaric couldn’t let that happen.