The Temptations for the Wallflower |Book 1 Complete; Book 2 In Progress|

Part 14: A Man Without Love

23, May

The bright morning flittered through the white curtains, rousing the sleeping body awake. Never being a morning person, a low groan escaped before covering closed eyes from any unwanted light. 

There was a pleasure being in darkness. 

But, as the universe would have it, the light pushed through the darkness, forcing the disgruntled man to wake from peaceful slumber. Rubbing his eyes, the former priest pushed himself up with his elbows, squinting dark eyes open before his vision adjusted. 

As with every other morning, Stephen Foley endured for the past 36 years, he was alone. The right side of his king-sized bed was neat and empty, waiting for a warm body to fill the space. When he was younger, the notion of being alone never bothered him too much. He understood that the pathway he'd chosen at that time led to a life of loneliness. He was ready to face the world without the worries of others around him. 

What a naive fool he was back then. 

As each year began to pass after 30, an empty hole in his heart started to grow. 

And it never helped that Tabitha was always on his mind since they first met. Stephen thought saying some quick prayers and Hail Marys would alleviate some of his desires, but that was never the case. 

Not having seen her since the Christmas Party for a brief moment, Stephen could not forget her big brown eyes looking at him with scrutiny. Seething anger flowed through his veins, wondering how she had any right to judge him. 

Stephen did not enjoy the peaceful morning as his thoughts wandered toward the past. His gums were roughly scratched as his toothbrush gave rough strokes of frustration. All his actions were committed with brazen movements, focusing his emotions on the memories of a haughty Tabitha irking his psyche. 

He remembered the night she rejected him clear as day. The storm they faced was one of the worst by far, and foolhardy Stephen was sure he would win at the end of the day. 

He never expected her to refuse him with how dire her circumstances were (after she had agreed to marry him) and to find herself an unlikely escape through the kindness of a stranger. 

Stephen never felt so lost as he did that day. He wanted to wallow and cry over the loss of his child and love, but he did not want to appear weak. The former priest had walked out of that country club with his head held high, instead driving to the hospital to see if Sonya was alright. 

Tabitha would have to figure out that she had abandoned her frail grandmother another day. Stephen needed all the favor he could get from his friend if he wanted to see the young girl again, but that was proven harder than he anticipated. 

For several days Stephen took care of Sonya, with no sound of Tabitha in sight. Little action was taken to prove it if she had known of her grandmother's whereabouts. The older woman made no efforts to show forgiveness, and when she was released from the hospital, she spoke up against the heinous man. ("All friendships have their eventual end. I never expected one of this nature. I especially never thought you were capable of this. While I can not say I can forgive you for hurting my precious grandchild, I will show some mercy and not speak of this. It is not my place, and Tabitha has made up her mind about the situation. I no longer need her to suffer by bringing this to light. I hope you suffer loss and defeat you've never known before. I pray you to suffer for all the hurt you brought upon my precious child. I never want to hear you have a happy day in your life. You knew better yet succumbed to your carnal nature. You deserve nothing, and I hope you rot for this evil you've committed.") 

Stephen never felt raw bitterness from another person as he did at that moment. There wasn't a day passed in the last five years when Sonya's final words did not haunt him. Of course, she wanted to protect her grandchild, but Stephen thought it was foolish for the older woman to ignore Tabitha's fault in the situation. Maybe if she had heard his side of the matter, she would've agreed that Tabitha would be best with him, creating a healthy family unit for little Issac.