Breaking Sin (10 page)

“Sadie!” she panicked, her voice cracking and barely making a sound. “Sadie!” she called again, this time in a scream. She rushed to the crowd of onlookers, pushing through the crowd desperate to find her.

Ally’s hands were still shaking as her tears fell onto the photo of the young girl. She stroked the picture with her thumb and she fought to swallow the lump in her throat. She had worked for two years to set up this charity event to help injured children in the name of Sadie, but she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to go through with it. She smoothed out the corners of the picture and slid it back into her brown leather wallet. If she could get through that day she knew she could get through anything. She needed to do this for Sadie. She climbed the spiral stairs to her bedroom on the second floor. .The walls where covered in a soft ivory paper and the windows where adorned with intricately hand sewn lace curtains that her mother had given her as a house warming present. The sun shining through the windows sent wild patterns over the plain white comforter on the bed, making it look much more ornate than it actually was. Ally slid off her flesh colored heels and lumbered into the master bathroom to fix her make up before going to run errands. She flinched as she caught sight of her mascara that had run clear down to her chin. Without make up Ally could have easily been a model. She was a natural beauty that everyone envied but she never noticed. She had always felt awkward and outcast. Her father was a soldier in the army until she reached middle school when he was forced to retire after his arthritis in his knees became too much to bear. He was lucky enough to get an entry-level job at a new up and coming business. He worked hard and one promotion came after another until he had reached the top and the company exploded with success. With lots of hard work he managed to gain a small fortune that he quickly invested and nearly tripled his money. In high school, everyone envied her family’s success. She was ridiculed and picked on until one day her mother had to pull her out and get her a tutor. She spiraled into a deep depression. She struggled to earn her diploma. When the day finally came, she had turned herself around enough to be excepted into a small but highly regarded college on the east coast. She could not wait to leave her life behind and start her own, being whoever she chose. Just two years into college, she had gone out drinking with a few friends at a local bar. A fight broke out between rival football players and Ally was left at the table alone to fend for herself as her friends scattered. As glass rained down from the wall behind her another student from the rival school grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the booth, shielding her from any harm. He had dark hair that was cut short, making him look much older than he was. When they reached the street he shrugged off his letterman jacket and slung it over Ally’s shoulders. That was how she had met her husband. In six months time he had proposed. To avoid any backlash Ally and Anthony eloped, and she dropped out of college to set up a home for them and begin a daycare, her life-long dream. Anthony was a senior and was able to stick it out and graduate with his class. Ally’s father welcomed Anthony into the family and his business. Anthony always promised to one day pay him back but that day seemed to get pushed further and further away.

The phone rang from the bedroom night stand as Ally was wiping the stains from her face, causing her to jump and poke herself in the eye. “Shit.” She cursed herself and hurried over to the phone.

“Christiansen residence.” She answered.

“Where the hell have you been? I thought something happened. Why haven’t you answered your phone?” Anthony asked angrily. Ally rubbed her forehead hard.

“I must have left it downstairs. Everything okay?” she asked, not wanting to explain any further. He sighed and the line hung silent for a moment. Their relationship was strained, to say the least, when Ally could not move past the accident. She often wondered if they would have ever stayed together at all had it not been for the tragedy.

“Don’t you have a busy day?” he asked and she knew he meant Sadie’s fundraiser.

“Yea, I was just getting ready.” She replied, letting her voice trail off.

“Better get a move on then.” He said, not unkindly. She nodded but did not respond. After a moment, she heard his end of the line go dead and she hung up the phone. “Love you.” She said quietly under her breath and headed back into the bathroom to finish getting ready for the day.

Available soon!