…
At 24, she had no choice.
The marriage was arranged by her father and blessed by the church.
In the early years, she sincerely tried to be the perfect pastor’s wife.
She gave birth to Joshua a year after the wedding and Samantha 2 years later.
Both births were difficult, but Jeremiah insisted on God’s plan.
Be fruitful and multiply.
Every month, when her body showed that no new life had been conceived, he became colder and more distant.
Sister Adele Tama Holloway, her only real friend in town, waved from the other end of the church.
34year-old Tamika was the town’s gynecologist, the only one in all of Jainsville.
She was the one who had helped Adele get an abortion 3 weeks ago when she found out she was pregnant with her third child.
She was the one who had held Adele’s hand, and assured her that it was her body and her choice, that no one had the right to make such decisions for her, not even her husband or the pastor.
“How are you feeling?” Tamika whispered when they met in the side aisle.
Better,” Adele replied just as quietly.
“Physically at least.
” Tamika squeezed her hand.
No regrets.
Adele shook her head.
Strangely, she really didn’t feel guilty.
Only relief and a growing confidence that she had done the right thing.
Can we talk after the service? Sure, I’ll be at the clinic until 3:00.
Come by when you can.
The service began promptly at 9:00.
Jeremiah stepped up to the pulpit, towering over everyone like a prophet descending from a mountain.
His voice boomed through the church, causing the stained glass windows and the hearts of the congregation to tremble.
Brothers and sisters, today I speak of the sanctity of the family, of the sacred duty of every man and woman before our Lord, of the sin of rejecting the divine gift of childbearing.
Adele felt everything inside her grow cold.
His gaze, burning with righteous anger, lingered on her for a split second.
Joshua and Samantha sat on either side of her, and she instinctively placed her hands on their shoulders as if to protect them.
The Lord said to us, “Be fruitful and multiply.
Every child is a blessing.
Every new life is God’s will.
And those who reject this blessing commit a sin against creation itself.
” The sermon lasted almost an hour.
Adele sat motionless, her face maintaining an expression of reverent attention.
But inside she felt a growing anxiety.
Something had changed.
Something in Jeremiah’s eyes, in the tone of his voice, in his choice of words, was directed straight at her.
Did he know? Had he somehow found out? After the service, she smiled mechanically, exchanged greetings with the parishioners, and accepted compliments about her husband’s sermon.
Joshua and Samantha were nearby, sensing a shadow of unease hanging over their mother.
“Mom, is everything okay?” Joshua asked when they were relatively alone, while Jeremiah was talking to the deacons at the other end of the hall.
“Of course, dear,” she smiled, trying to make the smile reach her eyes.
“I’m just a little tired.
Dad was talking so loudly today,” Samantha remarked.
“And he was looking at you the whole time.
” The children had seen more than she wanted to admit.
Adele.
Jeremiah’s voice sounded close by, making her flinch.
I’ll be busy with the deacons until lunchtime.
You can take the children home.
This was her chance to talk to Tamika.
All right, dear.
Dinner will be ready at 2.
As soon as Jeremiah disappeared into his office, Adele quickly took the children to her neighbor, Mrs.
Bennett, who often looked after them, and hurried to Tamika’s clinic.
The clinic was a small one-story building on the outskirts of town.
Tama was the only practicing doctor in this backwater, and many women, especially those from religious families, trusted her with their most intimate problems.
I’ve been waiting for you, Tamika said, closing the door to her office.
“What’s wrong? You look worried.
” Adele sank into a chair, suddenly feeling the weight of the last few weeks.
“I think Jeremiah suspects something.
his sermon today.
It was as if he was talking directly to me.
Tamika frowned.
Are you sure? Maybe you’re just being overly sensitive because of the stress.
I’ve lived with him for 12 years.
Adele shook her head.
I know when he’s trying to send me a message.
Something’s changed.
He’s watching me.
I can feel it.
Tamika’s warm hand rested on her shoulder.
He can’t know for sure.
And even if he suspects, he has no proof.
It’s not about proof, Adele’s voice trembled.
It’s about belief.
If he convinces himself that I’ve broken God’s law, he won’t need proof.
His belief will be proof enough.
She didn’t say aloud what they were both thinking.
In a small town like this, where the church was the center of life, and the pastor was almost a conduit for God’s will, Jeremiah’s accusations could destroy her.
She could lose her children, her home, the last remnants of respect she had left.
“Would you like to leave him?” Tamika asked cautiously.
Adele looked up.
That question had never been spoken aloud between them before.
“I I don’t know.
Where would I go? How would I get the children? I have no money, no education, no job.
My father would disown me if I left Apia’s husband.
You could start a new life.
I’ll help you.
” Adele smiled bitterly.
In this town where everyone knows Pastor Washington and his family, where the church is the law.
Tamika squeezed her hand.
It doesn’t have to be here.
There’s more to the world than Jainsville, Oklahoma.
The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the phone.
Tamika apologized and answered.
Her face changed as she listened.
“That was Missy from the pharmacy,” she said, hanging up.
Jeremiah was there this morning asking her questions.
Adele pald about what? About prescriptions.
He asked if I’d written you any specific medications lately.
Adele closed her eyes so her fears weren’t unfounded.
He really did suspect something.
Missy didn’t say anything.
Tamika added quickly.
She knows about Dr. patient confidentiality, but the fact that he asked.
He’s spying on me.
Adele whispered.
Oh god, what’s going to happen now? The phone rang again and this time it was Mrs.
Bennett saying that Jeremiah had picked up the children and asked where Adele was.
Her heart sank.
She should have been home making dinner.
Now his suspicions would only grow.
I have to go, she said, jumping up.
Thank you, Tamika.
I’ll I’ll be careful.
Call me if you need anything.
Tamika hugged her friend tightly.
Anything anytime.
Adele almost ran through the streets of Jainsville, praying she would make it home before her husband.
But when she turned the corner of her street, her heart skipped a beat.
Jeremiah was standing on the porch of their house, his arms crossed over his chest, staring straight at her.
His expression was as if he already knew all her secrets.
Adele slowed her pace, forcing herself to keep going.
Every meter to the porch seemed like a mile.
She knew that her fate was being decided right now.
Where have you been? Jeremiah asked as she climbed the steps.
I I stopped by Tamika’s.
I had a migraine.
His gaze was hard, searching.
Tamikas? Sure.
His voice was quiet, but there was a coldness in it that Adele had never heard before.
Go inside.
The kids are in their room.
We need to talk.
He reached out and squeezed her elbow.
Not hard enough to leave a bruise, but enough for her to know that this wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.
As she opened the door to her house, Adele felt a chill of fear.
Perhaps her secret was no longer a secret.
And that meant that today her life would change forever.
The week after that Sunday was the most painful of Adele’s life.
Jeremiah turned into an icy statue, silent, frightening, unpredictable.
He barely spoke to her, but his gaze constantly followed her, fixed on her, dissecting her every move.
On the rare occasions when he did speak to her, his voice sounded like a strange mixture of disgust and restrained rage.
Joshua and Samantha sensed the change, though they didn’t understand the reason for it.
The children instinctively stayed closer to their mother and further away from their father, whose mood changed faster than the Oklahoma sky before a storm.
On Wednesday evening, as Adele was putting the children to bed, Joshua asked quietly, “Mom, is dad mad at us?” Adele sat down carefully on the edge of his bed, “No, sweetie.
Why do you think so?” “He looks at us strangely all the time, especially you, like you’ve done something wrong.
” She stroked his curly head, searching for the right words.
“Daddy is very busy with church matters right now.
Sometimes adults look angry when they are actually just thinking deeply about something.
He’s scary, Samantha whispered from her bed.
Yesterday I wanted to show him a picture I drew, but he looked at me like that, so I ran away.
Adele went over to her daughter and hugged her tightly, feeling her little heart beating fast in her chest.
Everything will be okay, sweetheart.
Sometimes adults just go through difficult times, but that doesn’t mean they stop loving you.
It was a white lie.
Adele saw how Jeremiah changed every day, turning into a stranger with an icy stare.
She tried to call Tamika several times, but each time she found that the phone was suddenly busy.
After the third attempt, she realized that Jeremiah was monitoring her calls.
The children finally fell asleep, and Adele went downstairs where Jeremiah was sitting at the table reading the Bible.
The yellow light from the desk lamp cast sinister shadows on his face.
He didn’t look up when she entered, just turned the page with a barely audible rustle.
The children are asking if you’re angry with them, she began cautiously.
I’m not angry with the children, his voice was even emotionless.
Children are innocent.
Their sins are the sins of their parents who failed to raise them properly.
Adele swallowed the lump in her throat.
Jeremiah, whatever you think, whatever you suspect.
Leviticus 20:12, he interrupted without looking at her.
Whoever curses his father or mother shall be put to death.
A chill ran down Adele’s spine.
What does that have to do with anything? I didn’t speak ill.
Exodus 21:17, he continued as if he hadn’t heard her.
Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.
Jeremiah, you’re scaring me.
He finally looked up and Adele recoiled.
His eyes were empty, deep and dark, like an abandoned well.
The fifth commandment, Adele.
Honor your father and your mother.
And how did you honor the fruit of your womb? The fruit of our sacred union.
Her heart skipped a beat.
He knew.
Somehow he knew.
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Her voice betrayed her.
Jeremiah slowly closed the Bible and placed his hands on the table.
On Saturday evening, we’ll have a special dinner, just our family, and we’ll talk about what it means to be faithful to God’s word.
” Adele wanted to say something, but the words stuck in her throat.
She nodded silently and went upstairs, feeling his gaze on her back like the barrel of a gun.
Thursday and Friday passed in oppressive silence.
Jeremiah left early and came home late, spending all his time at church.
Adele tried several times to contact Tamika, but she seemed to have disappeared from the city.
On Friday afternoon, while the children were at school and Jeremiah was at church, Adele finally managed to get through to her friend.
Tama, thank God.
I’ve been trying to Adele.
Tamika’s voice sounded tense.
I don’t know what’s going on, but Jeremiah came to the clinic yesterday with the church elders.
They demanded to see your medical records.
Adele felt the ground slip away from under her feet.
You You didn’t? Of course not.
I told them about Dr. patient confidentiality, but Adele Luther threatened that they would get a warrant or find a way to shut down the clinic.
They know something or they suspect something.
Adele closed her eyes.
Jeremiah has planned a special family dinner for tomorrow.
He hardly speaks to me, but he keeps quoting passages from the Bible about punishment for sins.
Adele, that sounds scary.
Maybe you should leave, take the children, and where would I go? Adele smiled bitterly.
With no money, no job, and two children in a town where every other person is a member of Jeremiah’s church.
Then come to my place, at least until Sunday morning.
Tell them the children are sick.
Adele thought about it.
It was a way out.
temporary, but still a way out.
Thank you, Tamika.
I’ll think about it.
” She hung up and sat motionless for a long time, staring out the window at the quiet street of Jainsville.
The town seemed so peaceful, so normal.
No one suspected the storm brewing in the home of their respected pastor.
On that same day, a new man arrived in Jainsville, whose presence disrupted the usual routine of the sleepy town.
Detective Zean Crawford had come from Oklahoma City to investigate a series of shoplifting incidents on Main Street.
“Tall with a confident gate and a piercing gaze, he immediately attracted the attention of the locals.
“I heard the new detective is staying at the motel on the outskirts,” Mrs.
Bennett said as Adele picked up her children after school.
“They say he’ll be here for at least a week.
” Adele nodded absently, still mentally going over her escape options.
But suddenly, the idea of a police officer in town seemed strangely comforting.
Although, what could a detective do about a domestic dispute? That evening, Jeremiah came home earlier than usual.
He ate dinner in silence, barely glancing at the children, then locked himself in his study.
Adele heard him talking on the phone, quietly, tensely, as if giving orders.
On Saturday morning, Jeremiah unexpectedly announced that he was taking the children to church to prepare for Sunday service.
But today isn’t Sunday,” Adele said in surprise.
“It’s good for the children to spend more time in God’s house,” he said curtly.
“We’ll be back by 5, have dinner ready by 6:00.
” His tone broke no argument.
When Jeremiah took the children away, Adele felt panic rising in her throat.
She had to do something.
Anything.
In desperation, she decided to go into town to meet Tamika.
As she passed the only cafe in Jainsville, she saw an unfamiliar man sitting there.
Undoubtedly, the detective Mrs.
Bennett had mentioned.
Zion Crawford was sitting at a table by the window, looking through some papers.
Something about his calm confidence, the way he carried himself, a stranger among the locals, but completely unfazed by it, gave Adele a strange sense of hope.
Maybe not all men were like Jeremiah and the church elders.
The detective looked up and their eyes met for a moment.
He nodded politely and Adele quickly turned away, continuing on her way to Tamika’s clinic, but the clinic was closed.
A sign hung on the door, closed for technical reasons.
Adele felt her last hope fade away.
Something had happened to Tamika.
Something connected to Jeremiah’s visit and the elders.
The clock ticked relentlessly toward 5:00.
Adele returned home and began preparing dinner as she had been instructed.
With each passing minute, her anxiety grew, turning into an almost physical pain in her chest.
At exactly 5:00, Jeremiah returned with the children.
Joshua and Samantha looked quiet as if frightened.
They silently went up to their rooms without even looking at their mother.
Although they usually rushed to embrace her.
“What did you tell them?” Adele demanded when the children had disappeared upstairs.
Jeremiah took off his jacket and hung it neatly on the back of a chair.
The truth, he replied calmly, that their mother committed a terrible sin.
That today the Lord will give her a chance to repent and atone for that sin.
The blood drained from Adele’s face.
You told them about about the abortion.
I told them that their mother killed their brother or sister in her womb, he said, his voice cold.
that she rejected God’s blessing because of her pride and selfishness.
Adele staggered, leaning against the kitchen table.
How could you? They’re just children.
They need to know the truth about sin, especially the sin of their own mother.
She was overcome with rage.
Pure burning rage.
You had no right.
It’s my body, my decision.
Jeremiah smiled, a terrible, empty smile.
You are mistaken, wife.
Your body belongs to me just as your soul belongs to the Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:4.
The wife has no authority over her own body, but the husband does.
He moved closer, and Adele instinctively stepped back.
Tonight at dinner, you will repent before your children and before God, and then we will atone for your sin.
Right there at the table, I will take what is rightfully mine given to me by the Lord.
Adele froze, realizing the meaning of his words.
You, you can’t be serious.
In front of the children, they will see how new life is created, how God’s will is done.
She felt nauseous.
The man standing before her was not the man she had married.
He had turned into a monster obsessed with a twisted interpretation of scripture.
Adele turned to the oven, pretending to check the roast, feverishly, trying to figure out what to do.
Run, but where? Tamika was gone.
Her father would surely take Jeremiah’s side.
There was no one in town who could help her against the pastor’s word.
Dinner was ready at 6:00, just as Jeremiah had demanded.
Adele set the table, her hands shaking as she placed the plates.
In the center of the table, she placed a large knife for cutting meat pie sharp with a wooden handle.
For some reason, the knife caught her attention.
She couldn’t take her eyes off it.
Jeremiah called the children and they came downstairs quiet, frightened, not themselves.
Joshua glanced at his mother from under his eyelashes, his eyes filled with confusion and incomprehension.
Samantha just stared at the floor, clutching her teddy bear.
Sit down, Jeremiah commanded.
Tonight is a special evening, an evening of repentance and atonement.
They sat down at the table, a picture perfect family dinner, except for the tension hanging in the air like a storm cloud.
Let’s say grace before we eat, Jeremiah announced, taking the children’s hands.
Adele mechanically took the children’s hands in hers, closing the circle.
Samantha’s palms were ice cold.
Almighty God, Jeremiah began closing his eyes.
We thank you for the food you have given us.
We thank you for the life you have given us, and we ask you to forgive those who reject your gifts, who rebel against your will, who kill the innocent souls you have given us.
” The icy lump in Adele’s chest grew with every word.
She felt Joshua tense, squeezing her hand tighter.
“We ask you, Lord, to give us the strength to correct these sins.
Give us the wisdom to lead the lost sheep back to the true path.
Amen.
Amen.
The children echoed, but Adele remained silent.
Jeremiah opened his eyes and looked at her.
It’s your turn, wife.
Tell the children what you have done wrong.
Adele swallowed, looking at the children.
Joshua stared at her with wide eyes.
Samantha began to cry softly.
I She began and stopped.
Jeremiah, don’t do this.
Not now.
not in front of the children.
Tell them.
His voice rose to a shout.
Tell them that you killed their brother.
That you went to that sinner Tamika and let her take the child from your womb.
Samantha cried out loud.
And Joshua jumped up from his chair.
Dad, stop.
You’re scaring Samantha.
Sit down, Jeremiah barked.
And Joshua, accustomed to unquestioning obedience, slowly sank back into his chair, his eyes filled with fear and confusion.
Yes, Adele said suddenly, her voice sounding surprisingly calm.
Yes, I had an abortion, and I don’t regret it.
There was silence.
Even Samantha stopped crying and looked at her mother in surprise.
“I didn’t want another child,” Adele continued, her voice growing more confident with each word.
“Two children are enough.
I love Joshua and Samantha more than anything in the world.
But I’m not a babymaking machine, Jeremiah.
I’m a human being, a woman with the right to decide what happens to my body.
Jeremiah’s face contorted with rage.
You You dare? He was choking with anger.
In front of the children? In front of the children? Adele confirmed.
Because you dragged them into this.
You wanted to humiliate me in front of them to break me.
But I’m not afraid of you anymore, Jeremiah, and I’m not ashamed of my decision.
His hand shot across the table and grabbed her by the throat.
The devil speaks through your mouth,” Joshua screamed, and Samantha pressed herself against the back of her chair in terror.
Adele tried to pull her husband’s hand away from her throat, but his grip was iron.
“I will drive the devil out of you,” Jeremiah hissed, releasing her throat, but immediately grabbing her by the shoulders.
“I will fill you with the grace of God right now.
” He stood up abruptly, knocking over the chair, and pulled Adele toward him.
With superhuman strength, he pushed her onto the dining room table, knocking over plates and glasses.
With one movement, he lifted her skirt, holding her by the neck with one hand.
“Look, children,” his voice changed, becoming deeper, as if someone else were speaking.
“Look how God’s will is being done.
How a new life is being created that your mother cannot kill.
” Joshua rushed at his father, trying to pull him away, but Jeremiah knocked the boy down with one blow, and he fell to the floor, crying.
Samantha screamed, covering her ears with her hands.
“Jeremiah, stop!” Adele begged, trying to break free.
“The children, for the sake of the children, you will give birth until you have atoned for your sin,” he whispered, pressing her harder against the table.
“You will give birth until I say enough.
” In desperation, Adele groped around the table, trying to find something to defend herself with.
Then her fingers found something cold and hard.
A pie knife.
She grabbed it and without thinking plunged it into Jeremiah’s neck with such force that the handle hit his skin.
Jeremiah’s eyes widened in surprise and pain.
He let go of her, staggered back, clutching the knife handle sticking out of his neck.
Blood gushed between his fingers, flooding the pastor’s snow white shirt.
He tried to say something, but only a gurgling wheeze came out of his mouth.
Jeremiah took one uncertain step back, then another, and collapsed to the floor.
The children screamed.
Adele stared at her husband’s body, unable to believe what had just happened.
There was blood on her hands.
Her skirt was still hiked up.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she didn’t feel them.
Mom.
Joshua ran up to her and hugged her.
Mom, are you okay? Samantha sat in the corner, curled up in a ball, whimpering quietly.
Adele slowly lowered her skirt, her eyes fixed on Jeremiah’s body.
She had to do something.
Call the police.
Run? She didn’t know.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
Loud and confident.
Mrs.
Washington, this is Detective Crawford.
Is everything all right? Your neighbors reported hearing screams.
Adele looked at the door, then at her husband’s body, then at her children.
Her life, as she knew it, had just ended, but maybe a new one was finally beginning.
The knock came again, more insistent.
Mrs.
Washington, please open the door.
Adele took a deep breath, took her children by the hand, and went to open the door.
When Adele opened the door, Detective Zean Crawford immediately knew that something irreparable had happened.
The woman stood before him in blood spattered clothes, hugging her two children who were trembling with fear.
Her eyes were wide open, but her gaze seemed distant, as if she were looking through him.
“Mrs.
Washington?” Crawford asked cautiously.
“What happened?” Adele blinked, returning to reality.
“My husband.
” Her voice was quiet, almost colorless.
“He’s dead.
” The detective cautiously entered the house, unholstering his gun with a practiced motion.
From behind Adele, he saw the body on the living room floor.
A man in a blood soaked white shirt with a knife in his neck, a dark pool spreading around him.
“Kids, step back,” Crawford ordered.
But Joshua only clung tighter to his mother.
“I’m not leaving, Mom,” the boy said firmly, and the detective noticed a bruise forming on his cheekbone.
Crawford quickly examined the body, making sure that Pastor Washington was indeed dead, then called for backup.
The tiny town of Jainsville didn’t have its own homicide department, and Crawford, who had come to investigate a series of thefts, now had a much more serious case on his hands.
“Mrs.
Washington, I need you to tell me what happened,” he said, returning to Adele and the children, who were now sitting on the sofa in the corner of the room.
But first, let’s find a more suitable place for the children.
No, Joshua exclaimed.
We saw everything.
Daddy wanted to hurt Mommy.
He yelled and hit her and he hit me.
Joshua, please, Adele said, placing her hand on her son’s shoulder.
The detective is right.
You and Samantha shouldn’t be here.
Maybe a neighbor, Crawford suggested.
Someone you trust.
Adele shook her head.
only Tamika.
But she she’s gone.
“I’ll stay with them in the other room,” said Patrolman Donovan, who had just arrived at the scene.
“We’ll play cards and tell stories while you talk.
” The patrolman was a young black man with kind eyes and a gentle smile.
The children reluctantly agreed to go upstairs with him.
“Now tell me everything,” Crawford said when they were alone.
Adele took a deep breath and began to speak.
Her voice was monotonous, as if she were reading instructions rather than recounting the events that had changed her life forever.
She told him about her forced marriage, her children, the abortion, how Jeremiah found out about it, and finally she told him what had happened at dinner.
He grabbed me by the throat.
Her hand involuntarily rose to her neck where bruises from her husband’s fingers were already visible.
He wanted to rape me right there on the table in front of the children.
He said I would give birth until he said enough.
I didn’t know what to do.
I just found a knife.
Crawford wrote down her statement, his face remaining impassive, but his eyes showed sympathy.
You know this is a serious charge, Mrs.
Washington.
Murder.
I know, she replied quietly.
But what else could I do? He wouldn’t have stopped.
Never.
Your husband was a respected man in this town, a pastor.
Yes.
Adele smiled bitterly.
To everyone else, he was a pious man of God.
But at home, at home, he was different.
At that moment, the door flew open and Deacon Luther Devo burst into the room.
His wrinkled face contorted with rage when he saw Jeremiah’s body.
“Murderer!” he shouted, pointing at Adele.
“She killed a man of God.
She should burn in hell for this.
” Crawford stepped between them.
“Sir, this is a crime scene.
You can’t be here.
I have every right to be here.
The deacon’s eyes flashed with anger.
I was Pastor Washington’s right-hand man for over 15 years.
This woman deceived him, sinned against God’s will, and now she’s killed him.
Mr. Devo, I’m asking you to leave, Crawford said firmly.
This is a police investigation.
There’s nothing to investigate.
Luther wouldn’t let up.
She killed him.
She stabbed him in cold blood.
Ask her ask her why she went to that sinful doctor.
What were they doing together? She got rid of the child God sent her and now she’s gotten rid of her husband.
Adele sat motionless, staring at the floor.
She seemed not to hear the accusations hurled at her.
Mr. Deo Crawford’s voice grew harsher.
If you don’t leave the house immediately, I’ll arrest you for obstruction of justice.
Justice? Justice? The deacon laughed.
What justice can there be for the murderer of a servant of God? She should be judged by the laws of the Lord.
At that moment, Joshua came out of the kitchen, followed by the alarmed patrolman, Donovan.
He was shouting and I heard him, Joshua explained, turning to Crawford.
Deacon Luther is lying.
Dad wanted to hurt mom.
He was beating her and he hit me when I tried to protect her.
Luther turned to the boy.
Joshua, my son, you don’t understand grown-up things.
Your father was a righteous man.
He was doing God’s will.
God’s will is to beat children? Joshua asked, his voice filled with a bitterness that was not childlike.
Daddy pushed me so hard that I fell down.
And before that, he said terrible things to my mother.
“What things, Joshua?” Crawford asked, dropping to one knee to be at the boy’s eye level.
“That she’ll,” he hesitated, searching for the right words.
“That she’ll have children until he says so.
That she has no right to decide.
that her body belongs to him.
Luther’s face turned red.
She turned the children against their father.
She poisoned their minds with her feminist ideas.
She Mr. Dero, Crawford interrupted, this is the last time I’m asking you to leave the house, otherwise you’ll be handcuffed.
Luther opened his mouth to protest, but when he met the detective’s gaze, he changed his mind.
With one last angry glance at Adele, he left, slamming the door loudly behind him.
“He’s a bad man,” Joshua said simply.
“He always came to our house and whispered to Dad.
” After that, Dad always became angrier.
Crawford nodded, making another note in his notebook, “Joshua, I need you to tell me everything you saw tonight, everything that happened at dinner.
” The boy looked at his mother as if asking for permission.
Adele nodded weakly and Joshua began to tell his story.
His account was childishly simple but frighteningly detailed.
He described how his father had forced his mother to confess, how he had threatened her, how he had attacked her and thrown her onto the table, how he had beaten her, and how he had hit him when he tried to help his mother.
While Joshua was talking, Samantha entered the living room.
She stopped in the doorway, clutching a teddy bear tightly to her chest.
Daddy was scary,” she said quietly.
“He yelled that mom killed our brother.
But we don’t have a brother.
It’s just me and Joshua.
He was talking about the baby that was in mom’s tummy,” Joshua explained to his sister.
“But he’s not there anymore.
” “Mom said, “There are two of us and that’s enough,” Samantha continued.
And dad got angry and started hurting Mom.
He pulled up her dress and the girl fell silent, not knowing how to describe what she had seen.
And I tried to stop him, Joshua finished for her.
And he hit me hard.
And he said, “We had to watch him.
Watch him do the baby to mom.
” Crawford listened, continuing to take notes.
His face remained professionally impassive, but his eyes betrayed his outrage.
Meanwhile, forensic technicians and a medical examiner arrived.
They began examining Jeremiah’s body and collecting evidence.
Adele was taken away in a police car and the children were temporarily placed in the care of social services who had arrived at the scene.
The next day at the county sheriff’s office, Crawford continued his investigation.
He interviewed neighbors who confirmed that they had heard screams coming from the pastor’s house.
Several women from the congregation admitted that they had noticed strange behavior in Jeremiah lately.
his obsession with the sin of not wanting children and his angry sermons about wives submission to their husbands.
But the most important piece of evidence came from Tama Holloway.
She came to the sheriff’s office on her own initiative as soon as she heard what had happened.
I was in Oklahoma City, she explained to Crawford.
I was called to a medical conference at the last minute, but it was really an excuse.
Jeremiah and Deacon Luther threatened to shut down my clinic if I didn’t leave town.
They knew I had helped Adele.
Helped her get an abortion? Crawford asked.
Tamika nodded.
Adele had two children.
Both births were difficult.
She didn’t want to go through that again.
But in their church, contraception is considered a sin.
So is refusing your husband.
She was trapped.
And you helped her get an abortion.
Yes, it was her decision, her body, her right to choose.
I just helped her exercise that right.
Crawford wrote down her statement and thanked Tamika for her honesty.
“Can I see Adele?” she asked before leaving.
“Not yet,” the detective shook his head.
“But I’ll let her know you were here.
” The preliminary hearing took place that same day.
Adele Washington was charged with the murder of her husband, Pastor Jeremiah Washington.
She appeared calm, her eyes dry.
Sitting next to her was her court-appointed attorney, a young woman named Leticia Banks.
The hearing was brief.
Crawford presented the preliminary results of the investigation, including statements from the children, neighbors, and Tamika Holloway.
He also showed photographs of bruises on Adele’s body, on her neck, wrists, and thighs.
The medical examiner’s report confirms that these injuries are consistent with Mrs.
Washington’s statements about her husband’s violence, he concluded.
In addition, her 10-year-old son has a bruise on his face, which he says was caused when his father hid him for trying to protect his mother.
Deacon Luther, sitting in the courtroom, whispered something fiercely, but the judge, an elderly woman with a piercing gaze, paid no attention to him.
“Based on the evidence presented,” she said, “I find that there are sufficient grounds to consider Mrs.
Washington’s actions self-defense.
The murder charges are dismissed.
The case is closed.
” The judge’s gavel sounded like a final chord.
Adele closed her eyes.
For the first time in many years, she felt she could breathe freely.
As she left the courtroom, she bumped into Deacon Luther.
This isn’t over.
He hissed.
“You killed a man of God.
You killed your husband.
God will not forgive you for this, and neither will I.
Step away from Mrs.
Washington,” Detective Crawford said firmly, suddenly appearing beside her.
If you continue to threaten her, I will arrest you for harassment.
Luther gave them one last angry look and walked away, muttering curses.
“Thank you,” Adele said quietly.
“You’re welcome,” Crawford said, looking her straight in the eye.
“Listen, I’m not going to lecture you or tell you that violence isn’t the answer in your situation.
Maybe there was no other way out.
” Adele nodded, not trusting her voice.
But now you need to think about the future, about the children.
You can’t stay in Jainsville.
I know, she sighed.
But I don’t know where to go.
I have no money, no job.
Tamika offered to help.
Crawford said.
She’s waiting for you outside.
And she mentioned a clinic in Oklahoma City that’s looking for an administrator.
Nothing fancy, but it’s a start.
Tears welled up in Adele’s eyes.
Why are you helping me? Crawford paused for a moment because what I saw in Jainsville isn’t religion.
It’s not faith.
It’s control, violence, and manipulation cloaked in pious words.
I saw how religion is used to keep people, especially women, submissive, and I don’t like it.
He handed her his business card.
If you have any problems, call me anytime.
Adele took the card.
And at that moment, Joshua and Samantha, released from temporary custody by social services, ran up to her.
Mommy.
Samantha hugged her legs.
Can we go home? Adele knelt down and hugged her children.
Not home, sweetheart.
We’re going to a new city.
We’re going to start a new life.
No more yelling.
No more fear.
Just the three of us.
No daddy? Joshua asked, his eyes showing relief rather than grief.
Without dad, Adele confirmed.
No one will ever hurt us again.
Samantha hugged her tighter.
Promise? I promise.
Adele kissed her daughter on the forehead.
Never again.
Adele looked at her hands.
There was no blood left, but she could still feel it.
Sticky, warm, soaked into her skin.
Nothing could wash it away.
Pastor Jeremiah Washington was dead, and she had killed him.
Self-defense or not, it was the blood of a man she had once promised to love until the end of her days.
Tama was waiting for her outside the courthouse, but she was surrounded by a group of women from the church.
Their glances full of condemnation and hatred burned hotter than the July sun in Oklahoma.
“Child, murderer! Husband murderer!” one of them shouted as Adele took her children by the hand and headed for Tamika’s car.
Joshua flinched and squeezed his mother’s hand tighter.
There was something new in his eyes.
Not fear, but a hardness that shouldn’t be in a 10-year-old child.
Don’t pay any attention to them, Mom,” he whispered.
“They’re just stupid.
” Samantha cried silently, burying her face in Adele’s skirt.
A child who had seen too much for her 8 years.
“You think killing him set you free?” Deacon Luther stepped out of the crowd, his voice quiet, but full of venom.
You will never be free from God’s punishment.
Not you, not your children, not your children’s children.
The curse of blood will follow you to the seventh generation.
Is that a threat? Detective Crawford appeared out of nowhere.
It’s a promise.
The deacon stepped closer to Adele.
You killed the pastor.
You killed a husband.
You killed a father.
You think the court acquitted you? God sees the truth.
And sooner or later, everyone will get what they deserve.
Enough.
Crawford stepped between them.
One more word and I’ll arrest you for making threats.
The deacon backed away, but his gaze remained fixed on Adele.
Wherever you are, whatever you do, remember he sees you always.
Adele put the children in Tamika’s car, feeling her hands tremble.
As she drove away from Jainsville, she looked in the rear view mirror at the spire of the Brightway Church, which grew smaller with every mile, but it would never disappear completely.
She understood that now.
Joshua sat silently, staring out the window.
The bruise on his face was already turning yellow, but other invisible wounds were just beginning to form.
“Mom,” he said suddenly without turning to her.
“If Dad hadn’t died, then I would have killed him myself later.
” A chill ran down Adele’s spine.
“There was no childish bravado in her son’s words, only a terrifying, unchild determination.
” “Don’t ever say that,” she whispered.
But she knew that her son’s words were her own fault.
She had allowed her children to live in an atmosphere of violence for too long.
In Oklahoma City, they had a tiny apartment, minimum wage jobs, and constant fear.
Fear that Deacon Luther would find them.
Fear that someone would find out her story.
Fear that the nightmares that haunted Samantha every night would never end.
And one more fear that Adele didn’t even admit to herself.
the fear that part of Jeremiah now lived in her son in the cold determination with which he spoke of killing his father.
Freedom had its price.
And the church bells of Jainsville didn’t just ring on Sundays.
They rang every night in her nightmares, reminding her of the blood that would never wash from her hands.
