Absolved

By Christy Decker

If only Stacey could go back...

 

Back to her childhood. Back to her innocence. Back to the happiness she knew before he left . . . before her pain led her to make a soul-shattering mistake.

 

Knowing she cannot go back, she moves forward, harboring a secret that haunts her and leaves her with an immeasurable weight of regret and guilt.

 

Her past threatens to destroy her.

 

Can she possibly move on and be a whole person again?

• Language: English
• Publisher: eLectio Publishing
• Release date: Dec 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781632130167

Book preview

Table of Contents

Front Matter & Copyright Information

Acknowledgments

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

About the Author

ABSOLVED

CHRISTY DECKER

eLectio Publishing, LLC

little elm, texas

www.electiopublishing.com

Absolved

By Christy Decker

Copyright 2014 by Christy Decker

Cover Design by eLectio Publishing, LLC

ISBN-13: 978-1-63213-016-7

Published by eLectio Publishing, LLC

Little Elm, Texas

http://www.eLectioPublishing.com

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for the stripped book.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Publisher’s Note

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

eLectio Publishing wishes to thank the following people who helped make these publications possible through their generous contributions:

Chuck & Connie Greever

Jay Hartman

Darrel & Kimberly Hathcock

Tamera Jahnke

Amanda Lynch

Pamela Minnick

James & Andrea Norby

Gwendolyn Pitts

Margie Quillen

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Acknowledgments

First, I have to thank God for my life, and for all He has given to me.

Secondly, I want to thank eLectio Publishing. Jesse Greever and Christopher Dixon, I am so grateful to you both for deciding to publish this book.

Finally, I want to thank my family. Michael, I love you and am able to write because of your support. To my children, you each inspire me every day, and I hope to make you proud of your mom.

Chapter One

She hated every minute of the car ride over to the clinic. The 1994 gold Honda Civic had a stench of cigarette smoke and dirty clothes. The windows were down because the air conditioning didn’t work. The wind going through the car only blew hot air and the wretched stench of smoke into her face. She felt sick, and his erratic driving wasn’t helping. She wanted to be home. She wanted to be a little girl again, lying in her father’s arms as he read her a bedtime story. She wanted to wake up to her mother’s pancakes and eggs and see her parents read the paper and drink coffee together.

The car stopped. She looked at the entrance of the clinic. She read the words etched into a stone outside of the door. Whole Women’s Health. It looked like an old building. She looked out of the window to her right. There were black birds all around. Some were perched on trees, some on the field next to the building. Must have been hundreds of them.

She got out of the car and walked in. Her decision had been made; she was going through with it.

When it was done and she got back in the car, she felt numb. She looked again at the trees and the field next to the clinic as he put the car in reverse. The birds had all flown away. She held onto her cramping stomach and silently cried.

She was hoping for more from him as he dropped her off. When they pulled in front of her house, she stared into his eyes, aching for a word of comfort, a look of understanding, anything really. Wasn’t this hard for him too?

So, I’ll call you, we’ll hang, was all that he said. He didn’t even look her in the eyes.

She still felt numb when she got out and walked inside her house. She went to the bathroom and looked into her reflection. Minutes went by, and she couldn’t move. She just stared into the mirror, confused. She put her hand over her belly. She was empty now.

Her mother had no idea what had happened. She came home from work that day just the same as every other day. The whole world was moving around as it always did. Stacey was stuck in that hot smelly car.

Stace, dinner! Her mother yelled out.

Could she hide the way she was feeling?

Finally, her mom said as she came downstairs. I made eggplant parm, hope you’re hungry.

Sure Mom, thanks.

Stacey sat down, and her mother served her plate. Everything was so nice and warm in her kitchen.