Page 117 of For I Have Sinned

“Celine…”

“I know, I know,” she huffs, letting her arms fall to her side. “I should have kept my mouth shut.”

“Yes, you should have.” I rest my back against the door. “I was going to handle it.”

“He just pisses me off so much,” she says.

“I know, but you are trying to prove that you are ready to get out of here. What happened between you and him tonight probably set you back.”

“Isn’t it up to my parents if I get out of here?” She looks at me in confusion.

My head teeters. “Yes and no. If your parents see a change, they can request that you leave.”

“But?”

“But it is ultimately up to Father Keaton,” I tell her. “He can easily say that even though you are showing improvement, you need to stay a bit longer.”

“And my parents would listen to him,” her hand lifts to wipe away a tear. “I’m almost thirty years old, and my parents are still dictating my life. I need it to end, Alex.”

The desperation in her voice has me pushing off the door to go to her. My hand skates along the side of her neck until it wraps around the back and pull her into me.

“It will end, Celine. I promised you I’d get you out of here, and I’m not going to give up on that.” More tears brim in her eyes, and I pull back, staring down at her as I say, “Let’s get you back to your room.”

“If we must.”

Taking her hand in mine, I lead the way back to her bedroom. As we pass by Father Keaton’s room, we notice his light is still on. We make our way quietly down the halls, and when we get outside of her bedroom, I press a soft kiss to her lips and tell her goodnight.

I’m not sure how I’ll get any sleep tonight, knowing the conversation that will be taking place tomorrow with Father Keaton. I know I’ll stay up preparing myself for the lies he is going to throw my way. I won’t cave into his deceitfulness, that I know, but I need to try to remain calm.

As I enter the hall to my bedroom, my eyes slide to the bottom of Father Keaton’s door, which now has no light shining through. It makes me wonder if he had been waiting to go to sleep until he heard me take Celine back to her room.

With an annoyed shake of my head, I move towards my room and get ready for a sleepless night.

Chapter 37

Father Alexander

I stand outside Father Keaton’s office, staring at the wooden door. My eyes are burning with exhaustion, threatening to stay closed every time I blink. After I took Celine back to her room, the rest of the night consisted of two things: replaying how amazing the sex was with her and the anticipation of having this conversation with Father Keaton.

Once my brain couldn’t think anymore, I eventually dozed off, but then ten minutes later, my alarm rang. Now, as I wait outside Father Keaton’s office, I feel groggy and want nothing more than to go back to my room to try and sleep the day away. But I can’t push this conversation off. I lift my hand, my knuckles a paper width away from knocking, when I hear soft footsteps to my left.

When I turn my head to see who is walking down the hall, warmth spreads through my chest at the sight of Celine. Her bright eyes immediately find mine, and her smile grows to match my own. I lower my hand and take a step away from Father Keaton’s door to go to her, but then the sound of heels coming from behind makes me halt.

The light in Celine’s eyes vanishes as she spots who is walking down the hall. Looking over my shoulder, I see her mother, who seems a day late for her visit. Her eyes are glued to her phone, but she finishes typing out a text and shoves the device in her purse. When she focuses on the hall, her eyes meet mine.

“Hello, Father Alexander,” she beams.

“Hello, Suzanne. How are you?” I politely ask.

“Fantastic!” She smiles until her gaze wanders farther down the hall to where her daughter stands.

I don’t miss the way her mother’s smile fades a bit when she sees Celine, and the slight change makes me angry.

How can she not be happy when she sees her own daughter? Whenever I lay eyes on Celine, my entire mood brightens. But then again, maybe it’s because her mother doesn’t love her the way I do.

The sudden confession stills my body. Sure, I knew that I was obsessed with Celine, but to be in love with her?

I’ve never loved anyone besides my parents, but with Celine, it’s a different kind of love. When I’m not with her, my heart and body ache to be near her. My nerve endings feel like they are on fire when we are apart, making me want to jump out of my skin every second that passes that she’s not in my sight. That I can’t touch her.