Chapter 45 - The Husband I Buried

Now

Rebecca

The lights dimmed for midday count, the corridor settling into a hush that will last only as long as is necessary to get the guards to move through quickly.

I sat on the edge of the bunk, hands folded neatly in my lap, listening.

Keys. Footsteps. A brief pause outside my door. When the footsteps passed, I smiled.

In the bunk above, someone shifted. A whisper flared then died. The air conditioner hummed to life. All the sounds merging to form a chaotic noise in my head.

I had left the bedlam behind, and I didn’t care for it now.

I lay back and eyed the bunk above, picturing the lobby. Glass and light, the soothing sound of a waterfall feature off to the side.

Mackenzie was probably right there now, seeing all of it. Wondering when she’d find out if her husband was alive, and why he lied to her.

People thought faith arrived all at once.

It didn’t.

It arrived in steps. In invitations. In the choice to keep going when turning back was still possible.

I closed my eyes as a guard passed through my cell block.

Choose, I thought

Across town, a door would open.

And the circle would tighten.