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She stops and folds her arms.

He comes around the desk and stands in front of the cabinet with his back to us. Calista lets out a quiet huff.

Frank glances over his shoulder. “Everything okay?”

Her eyebrows shoot up when she looks at me, silently asking if I want to be the one to tell him.

I shake my head slightly and focus on the floor. This isn’t something I’d like to discuss with Frank, no matter how good at his job he is.

“Everything is great.” Calista’s voice drips with sarcasm.

Frank turns to look at us. “I’m here if either of you ever wants to talk.” He has his counseling hat on now. “You know you can trust me to keep a secret if you’re worried about your mom knowing.”

Calista sighs. “I’m so tired of this place!”

Frank pauses his search for the papers.

I shift and step farther to the side. It seems I’ve wandered into a private family matter. Calista argues while Frank tries to appease her.

My eyes scan the desk to distract myself. It’s neatly arranged beneath the window with pens lined up and notepads stacked straight.

Next to the monitor is a framed photo of their family. Evelyn is in the middle, Frank to her right with his arm around her shoulders, Calista to her left forcing a smile.

A carved wooden cross hangs on the wall, with a certificate of ordination above it bearing the name S. Francis Bolton.

“Can I just take the stupid papers now?” Calista’s voice grows louder the more irritated she gets.

Frank sighs quietly and hands them over. “There you go.”

She snatches them and hurries out. He watches her leave, then turns his attention to me. With his attention on me, I straighten automatically.

“Anything you want to talk about, Zaiya?”

My thoughts go straight to Edwin. His mouth on me, his hands grabbing me, his cock inside me. And the way I no longer feel like a shell of a person.

“I’m okay.” I smile softly.

Then I hurry after Calista before she disappears again.

I push through the heavy front doors of the church, the hinges groaning like they resent my escape. Late afternoon light spills over the stone steps, and I race down them because Calista is already halfway across the parking lot, her shoes striking the pavement with purpose.

This can’t go on any longer.

“Calista, wait,” I call, hurrying after her. “Please talk to me.”

She turns abruptly.

“You fucked him.”

The words hit hard enough to make me recoil. I force my spine straight, make my face calm despite the heat in it.

“Let me explain,” I say quietly.

“Explain what?” Her laugh is sharp and humorless. “He came out of your bedroom in the middle of the night. You. Had. Sex. In my mom’s house.” She shakes her head. “If she finds out…”

“Please don’t tell her. It wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Her mouth twists. “So you admit it.”