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Chapter Thirty-four

Author's note: hey y'all 🌸 I hope you're all well since the last post. I just discovered some good news last night and i want to say that it's all thanks to you that this story is ranked in the history category. i can't tell you how happy this makes me and i guess its made me nervous to ask you all one question: should i seek out publishers? i assumed that a story had to be complete before you can approach publishers, but it seems a lot of them accept incomplete work. so please, leave a comment down below after this chapter to let me know what you all think of this next step. in my mind, I've accomplished my goal of firstly, writing a book, and second, publishing it on an online platform like Wattpad. and to be honest, i wouldn't have received a ranking if it weren't for Wattpad's platform and all of you for supporting my story. i thank you all once again, i'm so grateful! 

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Sitting in the visiting room, Henri waited anxiously to see his mother. hoping to God that nothing happened to her since she'd been assigned a cell. The women's jail was situated right next to The Old Fort and Number four, where both black and white inmates were housed together, most of them were common law prisoners. Whereas the other prisons housed political prisoners who served lengthy sentences. But that didn't mean the women's jail was less dangerous or feared.

He tried not to worry too much, instead he'd eavesdrop on the conversations happening on the other side of the dividing wall. It scared him to hear the young woman asking her sister how she was coping, only for the sister to scream, "stop seeing me! I don't know you." clearly her mind was deranged. He hoped his mother was still sane enough to remember who he was. 

"Muller!" The guard announced. A buzzer rang and the door opened and his mother appeared. her prison uniform swallowed her whole, making her look skinnier than the last time he saw her. it had been a month since she was arrested, and yet, so much changed about her. she sat opposite him, her eyes glossy with tears waiting to be shed, and he immediately grew weary. Her skin was paler and her eyes were sunken with dark shades around them; her bags more eminent. 

she showed a faint smile, a smile that was neither convincing nor reassuring and that made him want to hear her voice. he gestured to the phones and they both held on to their phones and brought them to their faces. His mother sighed deeply through the phone when she softly spoke, "Henri..." 

"Ma?" He replied, his voice a little nervous. "You look-"

"Don't,please." She sniffed with the wave of her frail hand. clearly she hadn't eaten much or well lately.

"...okay." He replied, ending the topic. "How are you?" He whispered, it seemed he couldn't find his voice to speak; his emotions taking over. 

"I'm in jail, Henri...what do you think?" Her croaky voice let out a harsh dry cough; and it hurt Henri to see his mother this way. She saw him frown and she shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry for being grumpy...its-"

"Jail?" He replied bluntly. His mother chuckled over the phone, and a smile followed. 

"I don't want you to worry about me." She said, her eyes begging him not to worry, but her son wasn't one to listen to her. he never did.

"You're my mother, of course i have to worry about you." He paused and sighed, looking at his hands and he swallowed a lump in his throat. "You know seeing you here in this...hell hole...I can't help but hate him more for putting you in here." 

immediately, his mother shook her head and said, "Henri, don't. don't live your life hating him, it won't change what happened-"

"But how could he do such a thing? i just feel like...I never knew him at all." Henri sniffed, wiping stray tears away. "We didn't get along very well, but i thought i knew him well enough to never hurt you...his wife..." He sighed, his head hanging low.