Sin and Redemption

by Cora Reilly

“Fuck, happy the baby’s dead?” He closed his eyes and slammed his fists on the steering wheel, ...

I watched mutely as his rage slowly took form on his face and the...

“Fuck...

He shoved the door open, then slammed it shut so the truck rattled. Outside, he let out a roar, then punched the side of the truck with both fists. Passersby ...

I swallowed. I shouldn’t have asked.

“I shouldn’t have lost it like that,” he gritted out, not even looking at my face.

“But your question…fuck, Sara.” He met my gaze. “Of course, I’m not happy.”

“Does what help with what?” “Does the pain make you feel better?”

“You are not like me, Sara. I don’t want you to cause yourself pain. If you need to unleash anger, unleash it on me.”

I barely slept at night, so I heard Sara right away when she called my name.

A small bloodstain was visible on the linen behind her, and blood also dampened her white silk pajama pants.

“What can I do?” I asked the moment I hung up.

“I don’t want to flush it down the toilet. I can’t.”

“Don’t. We can bury it.”

“I can’t see it. I just can’t.”

The lock turned.

“It’s me!” Liliana called.

“Bedroom,” I call...

She rushed in, then briefly froze when she saw Sara on the bed before she hurried over to ...

Romero briefly glanced in, but then he retreated with a hear...

I stayed where I was, only watched as Liliana helped Sara...

Sara huddled in the shower with her mother by her side as water spilled down on both of them. Sara’s eyes were closed, and her head leaned back.

The water made it hard to see her tears, but the pain on her face was like a punch in the gut. Blood and water mingled on the marble surface of the shower.

waited silently for two hours, bearing witness to Sara’s pain, physically and mentally, and wondered if this was my punishment. I fucking deserved it, b...

I took gauze from the bathroom cabinet and carefully picked up the remains of our baby, wrapping them up.

briefly closed my eyes because they burned. The warm fog probably triggered my eyes.

I got up and carried the gauze into my bedroom, where I kept a beautiful antique ivory jewelry box with intricate flower carvings...

I hadn’t understood when she’d given it to me a couple of days ago, but now I did. I opened it and put the gauze inside, then closed it. I stared at the beautiful box, glad it...

A knock sounded, and Liliana poked her head in. “Sara would like to bury… bury the baby now.” Her face was tearstained too. She glanced from my face down to the box in my hands.

“Is it in there?” I nodded. “It’s beautiful.”

“Where does Sara want to bury it?” “She ...

He held the jewelry box in his lap.

When we arrived, the sun rose over the treetops, lighting up the spot where I planned to bury the box.

She took a step toward the hole and almost broke down. I grabbed her arm to steady her and helped her the rest of the way. She fell to her knees in front of the hole and slowly lowered the box into it. She

Sara gave her a look that made it clear she had half a mind to lie down beside the grave and not get up.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. I gave a terse nod. “I think Sara will spend the night with us,” Liliana said.

“You can have our spare car,” Mom said. “The keys are in the ignition. It’s the red truck.”

I stayed beside the grave, supporting my weight on the handle of the shovel. The cold had penetrated my body.

I couldn’t even feel my fingers or toes anymore, but I didn’t want to leave yet. It was utterly silent around us—no chirping birds, no barking, and no sounds from the nearby road.

It was as if life had ground to a halt at that moment, and it ...

Dad pried the shovel from my cold fingers.

“I should head back home. I have to work in two hours. The ride will be excruciatingly long in rush hour.”

“You won’t go to work today. Luca wil...

I laughed bitterly. “I’m an Enforcer, Mom. Do you think a bit of flesh and blood wi...

“I birthed and raised you. I held you when you cried when you were little. Don’t think I don’t see when you’re breaking inside. If this was how you just described it, you wouldn’t have buried it the way you did. Lie to yourself if it helps you, but I can see the truth!”

Bacon pressed up beside me, wagging his tail gently, not his usual boisterous self.

“You deserve happiness. End of story.”

I let out a hiss and jerked back as searing pain shot through my fingers. Mom immediately grabbed my hands and put them under cold water.

“You need to use pot holders!”

The door flung open, and Dad, Flavio, and Maximus entered the kitche...