Chapter 2 Prayers for Another Man

I climbed into a taxi and gave the driver an address.

Then, I pulled out my phone, scrolled through my contacts, and dialed a number I hadn't called in years.

"Three years ago, you invited me to join your team overseas. Is that offer still open?"

The answer came without hesitation.

I closed my eyes for a moment before speaking again. "Good. But I need you to help me with something. I need to fake my death."

As soon as I hung up, my phone started ringing nonstop. Elsie, Kian, and my family all tried calling, but I ignored every one.

Then the messages started coming in.

Kian asked, "Kellan, where the hell are you? Elsie's losing her mind trying to find you!"

A moment later, my sister sent me a video.

Upon playing it, my grip tightened.

Elsie appeared on the screen with a fresh scrape running down her arm. She was limping, and her clothes were covered in mud and dirt. She looked like she'd been through hell.

Jemma wrote, "Kellan, Elsie got hit by a car while she was looking for you! Mom and Dad freaked out when they heard about the accident! Where are you? Please stop scaring us!"

I stared at the screen for a long moment, my grip tightening before I finally forced myself to calm down.

After some hesitation, I sent them my location. Then, I turned off my phone and started climbing the long staircase in front of me.

Two months earlier, not long after I'd woken from my coma, Kian had shown me a video of Elsie climbing these very steps. She'd been making her way up to the chapel on her knees, stopping every so often to catch her breath before continuing.

Elsie had never been particularly religious. But during the three years I'd spent unconscious, she'd apparently made the climb countless times, praying for me to wake up.

After I regained consciousness, she barely left my side. Then, one day, she disappeared for an entire day.

When she finally returned, she looked exhausted. I asked where she'd been, and her face lit up.

"I went back to the chapel," she said with a smile. "I promised God that if you ever woke up, I'd come back to thank Him. I had to keep that promise."

I'd noticed her torn pants and the swollen red mark on her forehead, and my eyes had filled with tears. Overwhelmed by how much she seemed to love me, I'd pulled her into my arms and made a promise.

"Elsie, let's get married."

Back then, I'd been so happy and so certain of her love that I hadn't noticed her body stiffening for a split second when I mentioned marriage.

Now, remembering that moment, I finally understood.

It took me nearly an hour to climb the hundreds of steps to the top. By the time I got there, the leg I'd had surgery on after the accident was aching badly.

I stopped to catch my breath, bending forward with my hands on my knees. Once the pain eased a little, I made my way into the chapel and headed toward the small prayer alcove where Elsie had told me she'd lit a candle in memory of our unborn baby.

But when I reached the candle stand, I froze.

Beside the flickering candle was a small prayer card with a handwritten message dedicated to Jude.

I recognized the handwriting immediately. It was Elsie's.

For a moment, I could only stare at the card. My fingers curled into fists, and a sharp pain spread through my chest as I struggled to make sense of what I was seeing.

Three years ago, the accident hadn't just left me in a coma. Elsie had been pregnant with our child, and she had lost the baby because of the crash.

Jude was the reason our baby had never gotten the chance to be born.

Yet here, in the very chapel where Elsie had supposedly prayed for our child, she'd written his name instead.

All this time, I'd believed she'd been lighting candles for the baby we'd lost. Instead, she'd been praying for the man who'd taken our child from us, asking God to forgive him and grant him happiness.

My hand shook as I reached for the prayer card, ready to tear it apart.

Just as my fingers brushed its edge, hurried footsteps sounded behind me.

"Kellan!"

I turned to see Elsie rushing toward me. Before I could pull the card free, she pushed past me and snatched it from the stand.

"Don't tear that up!"

I stared at her in disbelief. "Why? You told me you lit that candle for our baby! So, why the hell is Jude's name on it?"

My voice cracked, and I could barely get the words out.

Elsie's expression faltered. She opened her mouth to explain, but didn't know what to say.

Before she could answer, another voice sounded from behind us.

"Don't blame Elsie. Your father and I were the ones who suggested it."