Page 79 of Absolution

When Creed left the other night, I waited by the phone, hoping he’d call. Three days, twelve hours, and thirty-six minutes later, he still hasn’t. I didn’t even recognize his face; he was so hurt.

Creed thinks our stories are so different, little does he know, we share the same pain. My heart knows his because of the gut-wrenching agony we have both endured the last two years.

Reese touches my arm, my eyes flicker to hers as tears roll down my cheeks. “Did he hurt you?”

“No, he would never.” I sigh as slowly as my guilt dissipates. “This was me.”

“Since when have you ever caused anyone this much pain?”

“Three days, twelve hours, and forty minutes ago.” My stomach sinks.

“Down to the minute? Damn girl, I know I’m a good lawyer.” She side-eyes me, hoping I’ll laugh, knowing I won’t.

“You think that’s funny? Wait until you hear my answer.” I bite the inside of my cheek, praying I don’t start crying again. “I may need one before this is over.”

She gapes at me. “You’re scaring me! What in the hell is going on, Scar?”

“Not yet please. I may have hurt Creed, but I’m crushed. I’ve destroyed everything.” The fissure in my chest breaks a little more every time his face flashes in front of me. I’ve never seen pain like that in my life.

“Scarlet…” I look at Reese as she inclines her head toward the front of the car. He’s walking Doc, she slows, and we wait for him to go inside.

I latch onto her hand, squeezing it. “Please say a prayer, send good vibes, pin a four-leaf clover in my hair but whatever you do, give me the strength I need right now.”

“Tell your truth, the rest is up to the Good Lord above, babe.” She leans in, kissing my cheek. “And Mable, my baseball bat in the trunk.”

“After today, I think you should stay away from Emmie for a while or at least until you get some anger management.” I take a deep breath and step from the car.

“Anger management? Mable is my anger management!” She smiles at me coyishly. And this is my attorney, folks!

My heart skips a beat, stealing my breath. With every passing hour, I miss Creed more than the hour before. His light drives away the night; it holds my darkest secrets at bay and helps to guide me home.

The past few weeks have given me a reason to hope—something I haven’t had in such a long time. So many people think they know the real person after meeting someone for a few moments.

As I walk closer to Creed, I understand why many think it. They watch you in those minutes and only see what you allow them to glimpse. In this world, there are many types of love.

One for the lonely. A kind for the broken. Some for the abused. That of faith. The kind that frees you. And then there’s our love. One that spans across the ocean, which separates us.

A version so unusual, many think it’s impossible. No one in the world believes they’ll meet their soul mate and never part. The thing is the world fights against what it doesn’t understand.

And they don’t understand us.

My hand trembles as I raise it to knock on the door. A shiver washes over me as I face this demon that keeps trying to break us. Fear coils in my belly, filtering through my body, and feeding my doubt.

A quick rap with my knuckles, I step back and wait for all hell to break loose. The door opens slightly, through the crack I hear Creed talking to Doc.

“Hang on, I’ll let you check them out.” He turns, and his face falls, taking my heart and hopes with it. “No, Scarlet. I’m done.”

The door starts to close, so I jam my foot in the opening. “Yes, Creed. Because we’re not done, not yet. But after I say what I need to, then it’s whatever you want.”

“I said no.” His features are like stone, much like his cold words. I wince, as both chill me to the bone. Good thing, my heart is already broken, right?

“You need to hear me out, I have my own truth that has never been heard. I wanted you to be the first to learn them, and believe me, I have many issues with trust, because of you.” My chin quivers with each word. His jaw tightens, and my heart stops for a brief second as I wait for his response, He steps back, widening the opening for me.

“Make it quick, I’m packing.”

“I suppose I’m not surprised. You never really wanted to find your old life; this makes it easy to cut the ties from everyone.” I step in, shutting the door as I do. Doc runs over to greet me, I kneel, kissing her before continuing. “Hey, love. I miss you too.”

He walks to the other side of the room, crossing his arms and readying to fight. “Say what you came to, and leave. I don’t have time or patience for another ‘best of intentions’ speech from anyone.”