Page 86 of Day Break

“I didn’t know he was a thief. I’d foolishly believed, up until my first night in prison, that no one of faith could possibly be bad. That everything I’d gone through, up to that point, was my fault. I hadn’t been godly enough. I was a woman and therefore full of sin.” I thought about how many times I’d been told that.

I’d been blamed for things that weren’t my fault simply because I was born a woman.

“Tell me you don’t believe that any longer,” Lane said softly.

“No, of course not. Though it is hard. I’d been conditioned well,” I admitted. “Guilt still weighs me down daily. I think your family easily spotted my weakness and exploited it.”

“Yeah.” Lane started the car again. “I’m sick about it. Which is why I’m trying to keep them away.”

“Having time away from them is great. I know that George needed the reprieve as well.”

“I haven’t been around my family this much since before Sherry’s death,” Lane said as he pulled onto the highway.

I thought for a moment about losing someone close to me, about the possibility of never knowing who had killed them. Of them not getting justice like I knew Elliott’s victims would be getting in the coming days.

Malory had assured us that first thing the next morning, she was having a press conference to update the world about the case. Which meant I would likely be in the spotlight once more.

I hadn’t realized how big the case had been in the media last year. Or how much everyone hated me for what my husband had done. When I’d been locked up about two months, a newcomer to the block had approached me.

Her name was Beth Hudson. She was serving two months for what everyone called a white-collar crime. She’d written two hundred thousand dollars’ worth of bad checks. When she entered the dining room on the first day of her sentence, her hair and nails were perfect.

She marched in as if she was the queen instead of one of us. When her breakfast was served, she demanded a healthier choice, then threw her tray down and demanded to speak with someone in charge when she was denied anything different.

Shortly before lunch, she spotted me sitting in what was called the entertainment room. Basically, it was a library, television room, and a game room. I was reading a book when she marched over and jerked the book from my hands, glaring at me.

“You’re her, aren’t you?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Who?” I had asked, confused.

“That bitch that helped steal all my money. Sarah Myers. You’re the reason I’m in here.” She glared at me. “You played all innocent, like you were a victim, but everyone saw right through that act.” She tossed my book down and then leaned closer to me. “I’m going to make your life a living hell for the next two months.” She straightened and turned on her heels and stormed away.

For the entire time she was there, she interrupted any reading time I had. She dumped my tray of food more than a dozen times.

The petty games barely registered since I was dealing with Foxy and her gang threatening to cut off my fingers or stab me in the showers.

Whenever I would run into Beth Hudson, she would remind me of how many other people were suffering because of me and my husband. I never once stood up for myself. Never corrected her. Or even enlightened her as to my own suffering at my husband’s hands.

After all, I deserved everything I got because I was an unholy woman made for the sole purpose of pleasing my husband and having babies.

“You got quiet over there,” Lane said, breaking into my memories.

We were almost to the ferry. All the city lights had disappeared, leaving nothing but darkness outside the windows.

“How big of a deal will this be that this is going to be in the news again?” I asked.

Lane took a moment before answering. “Well, I don’t think we’ll be able to keep your identity from my family after tomorrow.”

“Right,” I agreed.

“I was impressed at how well you handled yourself,” Lane said as he pulled into the ferry parking lot. The ferry was gone, which meant we would have to wait a while.

“Thank you. Last time, I barely said two words.”

Lane shut off the car and turned to me. “You’ve changed so much just in the short time since I first saw you. I can only imagine how much you’ve grown in the past year.”

Smiling, I leaned over and accepted the kiss Lane gave me.

The sound of the ferry horn made me jump, and I laughed.