Globetrotter Ingrid gets a fabulous fresh start when her job takes her to Melbourne, Australia. Here she meets wise and sweet Oliver, who makes her forget she doesn't have a heart.
This successful stability prompts Ingrid to accept an invitation to...
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September 1999
Kneeling on the ground under the priest's stole, Ingrid was wringing her hands as she racked her brain for how she could best phrase her sins. Father Mihail had draped the brocade vestment over her head after the confessional prayer and gently encouraged her to free her soul of its sinful burden.
Ingrid gulped. Her devout grandmother knew what the best days and times were to come to the church for a confession so that it wouldn't be too crowded. There were only three or four other people waiting behind Ingrid, her granny included, but it still clammed her up.
"Now, child," the priest spoke softly, "God is listening."
"Will He forgive me," she murmured, "if I tell you my sins?"
"You're not telling me, child, you're telling Him. If you repent, of course He will forgive you."
Ingrid balled her fists on her thighs, her eyes squeezed shut. The shameful images flashed through her mind. The words spilled as if from a cracked dam. So quickly and jumbled together that she couldn't recall them once uttered. Her body felt lighter, though. Relieved.
Father Mihail pulled the stole off her hair and helped her up. "You're a good, brave girl, Ingrid. Strong and smart." He patted her head. "You will do great things if you listen to your grandma and stick to your studies."
Ingrid beamed up at the bearded man she'd once likened to Father Christmas and skipped her way out of the church ahead of her grandma. God must have heard her prayers and approved of her repentance because after that day, her grandfather never got another chance to come anywhere close to her.
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September 2018
Her smartphone fell screen-down from Ingrid's limp hand. The torch tore through the darkness like a beacon. Twigs rustled nearby, startling her. She searched for the source of the sound, afraid not for her safety... but that someone had seen her push her grandfather to his death.
"Who's there?" she called out, straining to keep the panic from her voice.
"It's only me," came the response, and steps approached.
