All Chapters of Desiree mixed genre collection : Chapter 51 - Chapter 52

Sophia's pov I haven't step foot in Grace Community Church for eleven months. Not since the funeral. Not since I buried my husband Marcus and our stillborn daughter on the same gray October afternoon.Today was Sunday. The bulletin said they hired a new choir director. Pastor Williams thought live music might bring back the congregation that had dwindled during the pandemic. I came because my sister Isabella wouldn't stop calling until I did.The sanctuary felt smaller than I remembered. Wooden pews that needed refinishing. Stained glass windows that let in too much light. Twenty people scattered across seats meant for two hundred.Isabella grabbed my arm when I walked in. "You came. I'm so glad you came.""Don't make a big deal out of it.""I won't." She pulled me to a pew near the front. "But I am glad."The organist started playing. People stood. I stood because everyone else did but my mouth stayed closed during the hymn. The words felt wrong in my throat. Empty.Then the choir d