جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 254

Chapter 1 I stayed on my knees at the front pew of St Agnes, my rosary beads cool between my fingers. Rain hammered the stained-glass windows like it was trying to break in and finally I whispered the final decade, my lips moving on autopilot after seven years of this life, but the words felt distant tonight, like they were floating somewhere above me instead of sinking into my heart.I rose slowly, smoothing my white habit down over my hips. The fabric always felt heavier at night, clinging to the curve of my breasts and the dip of my waist. The silver cross at my throat caught the candlelight as I turned toward the side door. Most of the congregation had already gone, leaving only the faint smell of incense and wet stone. I was almost through the narrow passageway when the main doors creaked open behind me.I knew it was him before I even looked. The air changed in an instant. Daniel stepped inside, shaking rain from his dark hair, droplets sliding down the sharp line of his ja

Chapter 3The words echo in the hollow space of my skull, Daniel's voice from the confessional booth painting pictures I can't unsee. My body still trembles on the narrow cot, the rough fabric of my habit bunched around my waist making me look like a joke. The scent of my release mingles with beeswax and damp stone in the huge garden. Outside, rain lashes against the stained-glass window, each drop sounds like it’s going to break the glass.I push myself up, the habit falling back into place as if trying to hide what I've done. But the dampness of my chemise clings to my skin like a physical reminder of how thoroughly I've betrayed everything I swore to protect. The crucifix on the wall seems to mock me, its wooden eyes knowing exactly where my thoughts have been, exactly where my hands have been.I try to leave my bare feet making no sound on the cold stone floor as I slip from my cell. The cloister is empty at this hour, the other nuns are praying or are on duty, none of them wou