Page 105 of For I Have Sinned

“I’m glad.”

I force a smile. “How were things while I was gone?”

“Peaceful as always,” he says with a tight smile.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I know I should tell him what my mother and I talked about with my decision to leave the priesthood, but with the threats that were given while I was away, it makes my plan a bit more challenging. If I tell him I’ve decided to leave, I wouldn’t be here to help Celine. And I need to be. Especially after his threat to her that he would make sure she never leaves here.

I need to make sure there is an out for her before I tell him about me departing from the church. So for now, I go on pretending that there is nothing terrible happening under the convent roof.

“That is good to hear.”

Father Keaton takes a step into my office. “While you were away, however, I did come up with a more solid plan for our event. It will be in a week, on Halloween, which will give Sister Alice and me enough time to get everything in place.”

“Are there any important details I need to be made aware of?”

“No, I just need you to be there,” he states. “And I expect all of the women to participate, even Celine.”

The sound of her name leaving his mouth makes my body go rigid, but I keep my face neutral. “I will speak with her about it.”

He considers my words before he nods and dismisses the conversation. “It’s good to have you back.”

I offer him a smile as he leaves my office and heads into his own. As soon as he shuts his office door, I let out a long exhale and sink back into my chair.

Running a hand over my face, my brain tries to comprehend all of the shit that is going on. He just lied to me, which, given his extracurricular activities, doesn’t surprise me that he would be a good liar.

How does he hold all these secrets with a calm demeanor?

When I was holding in the secret of my feelings about Celine and his indiscretions, I felt like I was a ticking time bomb, waiting to blow.

I sigh again and push myself up from my chair. I won’t be getting any work done anyway, not with all this shit going on.

I leave my office and venture through the halls. A few women linger, others leaving the classrooms to go about their day, and when my eyes find her, my heart starts doing flips in my chest.

She walks out of the room, followed by Esther, and they both wear an annoyed expression. Celine slows down so Esther can walk beside her, and they continue talking about something, the annoyance on their faces never dulling.

Celine shakes her head at something Esther says to her, and then her eyes finally look up from the floor, and when she sees me, a faint smile plays on her lips. She says something to Esther, who looks down the hall at me, attempting to hide a knowing grin. My eyes stay on Esther for a moment while she mumbles to Celine.

I watch her disappear around a corner, no doubt going to the hallway she shouldn’t be in. When I peel my eyes away, I find Celine standing in front of me.

“Hey,” she says with a soft smile.

“Hey,” I respond, glancing behind her again.

Celine looks to see what I am staring at, but finds nothing. She turns back toward me with her brows dipped in confusion. “What is it?”

“Does Esther know?” I question.

“About?”

Keeping my voice low, I say, “Us.”

Her cheeks instantly go red, and I let out a sigh of disappointment. “She won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

“You’ve already broken two of your promises by using the phone and telling your friends about us.” I remind her.

“I know, and I’m sorry,” she pouts. “But I swear, Esther can be trusted. She won’t go blabbing about us to anyone.”

“I trust you, Celine. Her, not so much.”