Chapter 53: Adam Secret
Adam shut the side door behind him as he walked back inside the house. Long shadows were cast down the hallway by the gray light of dawn that filtered through the windows.
He discovered Sophia, a statue carved out of fear, still standing there. When he got close, she turned.
"What did you do?" she asked. Her voice was barely a whisper a fragile thread of sound. "With the bodies... what did you do?"
"You don’t need to know" Adam replied his voice low and steady. He did not want to give her any visual information. She did not need to think about a shallow grave.
Unable to look him in the eyes, Sophia placed her gaze to the ground. In a tiny defensive gesture, she put her arms around herself. He could see the self-blame and guilt she was carrying written all over her face. He was aware that she continued to blame her bullies for the morning’s assault.
He took a step toward her. He touched her shoulders tenderly. Unspoken fear made her body tense and sluggish
"Whatever you’re thinking it’s wrong" he said softly. "These men weren’t connected to the people who were bothering you. They have nothing to do with them."
His words were a silent confession. He was attempting to relieve her out of her guilt. Sophia’s head leaned upward. Her eyes were wide with a mix of confusion and a sense of hope as she gazed at him.
"But... how do you know that?" she asked.
Adam sighed long and quietly. It was the sound of a man with too many secrets and a lot of lives under his belt. He had to tell her the truth. It was the only way to break the mental glue she had formed.