The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies - Unknown
"Do you miss them?" Dr. Sorenson asked, his circular glasses sitting on the edge of his nose.
"Huh?" Jericho flinched, grey eyes finally leaving the ring on his thumb, as he glanced at the doctor. "I'm sorry, I spaced out for second."
"It's alright Jericho." Dr.Sorenson chuckled. "I asked if you miss your family."
"I do." He did. Despite everyone in his family having their own busy lives, they still met up every Sunday for dinner. This Sunday was different though and Jericho looked minutes away from miserable.
"You know you have the option to call them or ask them to visit. We're not restricting you here." The doctor said, afterwards drinking some of his coffee, as he watched Jericho over the rim of his mug.
Jericho nodded. "I just ... I want to focus on getting better and my family adds a lot of stress, which I don't need at the moment."
"What type of stress? Emotional stress, career stress or just stress in general?"
Jericho thought about it for a minute, his sliver eyes downcast. "Mostly Emotional stress."
Dr. Sorenson nodded, understanding what Jericho meant. "Can you clarify?"
Jericho leaned back in the lounging chair, his long legs crossed and stretched out in front of him. Taking a deep breath Jericho began to recall his home life. "My father Linus is constantly hounding me and my sister, whether it be our personal lives or our business lives. Everything we do is never enough, even more so since ... since Tori's death."
"Why would you say since Tori's death? Why do you think your father's behavior intensified after her death?"
Unexpectedly Jericho's lips lifted up into a smile, but his eyes portrayed everything other than happiness. "I ruined Cooper's life. I made sure that my business partner Kiana Sinclair would put him behind bars for the rest of his life, which she managed. He murdered my girlfriend and he deserves hell and back." Jericho chuckled coldly, his normal charming demeanor changing completely. "My father had always favored Cooper over me and Alyssa. So when my father found out who was representing Tori's case he was furious, knowing that Cooper stood no chance. He eventually came to terms that his favorite son would never see daylight again, and that's when his behavior intensified. He tries controlling me and Alyssa to make up for what Cooper did. We can be nothing less than perfection after Cooper's imprisonment. My father doesn't care about anything else than the Maverick family name."
Dr.Sorenson listened carefully, he was treading on dangerous territory. But he needed to continue, press further. Jericho had been in Switzerland almost three weeks and he was finally opening up. "Your brother Cooper, do you still harbor resentment towards him? Do you think the lengths you went to put him behind bars had to a little with how you two grew up?"
Jericho's eyes were glossy, as he stared straight ahead, falling back into the past. "Cooper deserves hell for what he did. He's my brother, but he's a murderer and deserves the poor prison life. If you're implying that I sought a harsher outcome for his trial, than your wrong. I never cared that my father favored him over me. Cooper and I had a good relationship, but when it came to Tori, family was forgotten. Cooper had been Tori's best friend and their relationship often brought waves up in my and Tori's relationship as well as my and Cooper's relationship. Maybe because of that I strived for a harsher outcome for him, but he wouldn't be the first murderer to serve the rest of his life behind bars."
"Are you satisfied with the time that Cooper received?"
Jericho didn't have to think about his reply. "Yes. He got what he deserved."
Dr.Sorenson nodded his head, he had an idea forming in his head, but first he needed further information. "If you're satisfied with the outcome of his situation, why is Tori's case being renewed?"
"The Smiths, Tori's parents are striving for capital punishment."
Dr.Sorenson scratched his head, as he watched Jericho's emotionless behavior. Giving the billionaire a minute to gather himself, he continued. "Describe to me what happened that night, the emotions you were feeling."
Jericho closed his eyes, sighing quietly he began to recall the night that led up to Tori's death. "Our relationship had been crumbling the previous weeks before her death. We had been fighting a lot, more than usual, but we still managed to forgive each other. That night we were fighting over a silly trip Tori had booked. It was a vacation to Germany for two weeks. She was so excited to go, but I had big court dates coming up so I wouldn't have been able to go. We started fighting, her calling me out because I had been a workaholic back then. Obviously my career had just started and I loved it. We were yelling at this point. I had been so frustrated with her, because she just wouldn't stop about that stupid vacation."
"Just cancel the court dates!" Tori was angered, her face beet red. "We've had this vacation planned for months."
"I can't fucking cancel! Do you not understand?!" Jericho yelled, slamming his fist on the counter top.
"Then I'm going without you." Tori crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at Jericho from across the room.
Jericho spun around, his silver eyes blazing with furry as he pointed at Tori. "The hell you're going to Germany alone! Just shut up, Tori."
The girl had tears in her eyes, but she wasn't backing down. "You're being a dick, Jericho. If you won't go then I'm going with Cooper, at least he makes an effort."
"Go to fucking hell, Tori." Jericho pushed passed her, storming out the loft.
"I was so mad that night and her comment about Cooper had added the fuel to the already burning fire. I had spent the night in some bar getting totally wasted. But somewhere deep down I had realized how selfish I was being. I regretted yelling at her. I loved her and I never meant for her to feel like I didn't put any effort into our relationship. So I went back to the loft to apologize." Jericho had tears in his eyes, a saddened smile on his face.
"I walked into the loft, the sound of my brothers voice appeared loud in the quiet apartment. I had been confused at that point, not understanding why he was there, nor could I understand what he was saying. I made my way into the master bedroom, to find Cooper holding Tori's lifeless body in his arms ... H-her skin was so pale, and her arms were limp."
"I rushed over to them, pulling Tori into my own arms, her cold skin completely loss of any color. I was crying as I began to perform CPR, not believing that she was gone. Cooper just sat on the bed, crying into his hands as he kept on repeating that it was his fault and that he was so sorry. I had yelled for him to help her. Cooper was an ER doctor ... he ... - he could have helped her. "
"T-the next few minutes had flown by quickly. I called an ambulance and the police because I was such a mess. I knew that Tori was already gone when I got to the apartment, but I was so bent on apologizing that I refused to accept her passing. When the EMT's had arrived they declared her dead within minutes .... Cooper had this guilty look on his face the whole time and when the police questioned him he had admitted to the crime. I'll never forget the look on his face. I was so mad that I tackled him right there, and he let me, only muttering that he was so sorry."
"He never said why he did it ... The autopsy ruled her death as an overdose. They found multiple drugs in her system. Cooper had poisoned her glass of wine ... The drugs that killed her were from the hospital he worked at. They had been missing, in large amounts too. He had caused her death and he should rot in hell."
Jericho pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, his breathing heavy. "C-can we take a break?"
Dr. Sorenson stopped the tape recorder. "Of course. You did so well today Jericho. "
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"He went to Switzerland." Daisy said quietly, wringing her hands as she did so.
"It sounds like he needs a break from everything." Daisy's mother replied, smiling softly at her daughter. "You should give him that. We don't always make the best choices, but we should try to correct our mistakes. Give him time. He sounds like he has a lot going on and you can't expect his world to revolve around you, honey."
"I know, it's just hard because .... I miss him so much, despite the things that have happened between us." Daisy confessed, blushing so much that her mother chuckled.
"Oh Daisy, I'm sure the two of you will work things out. You are a smart girl so I know you'll figure it out. I'm so proud of you already for not letting the gossip get to you, you know. You could have ended things when the rumors started, but you trusted your feelings. And even if dating him seems so impossible now, it might look totally different when he comes back."
Daisy hugged her mother, smiling softly she said. "I hope you're right."
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This story feels really personal. It's weird but comforting at the same time. I hope you liked this chapter after a really long wait, but it's hard to write when you were in the hospital.
Tori's death?
Why do you think cooper did it?
Where do you think this story is headed?
Execution - Your thoughts on the subject?
COMMENT, VOTE AND TELL ME IF YOU LIKE THE COVER!!!