CHAPTER SIX
698 Words
CHAPTER SIX
That night, Pastor Reward sat in the living room, his Bible open but untouched.
“Velimsky,” he said quietly, "Is there something you are not telling me?.”
She closed her eyes briefly, her voice already breaking.
“I didn’t know it was him,” she said softly.
Pastor Reward frowned slightly.
“Didn’t know what?”
“When you told me a visitor was coming… I didn’t know who he was,” she continued. “It was just a name to me.”
She looked up at him, tears forming.
“I only found out… when I opened the door.”
A pause.
“And when you saw him?” he asked.
Velimsky swallowed hard.
“My heart dropped,” she said. “Because he is not a stranger to me.”
Silence filled the room.
Pastor Reward’s voice became slower.
“Who is he to you?”
Velimsky’s lips trembled.
“He is… my past,” she said. “Before I met you… we had a relationship.”
The words hung in the air.
Pastor Reward stood still, absorbing them.
“And you said nothing?” he asked.
Velimsky shook her head, tears falling.
“I didn’t know how to,” she cried. “Everything happened so fast. You welcomed him… you trusted him… I didn’t want to create confusion or suspicion.”
Her voice dropped.
“I told myself it was over… that it didn’t matter anymore.”
Pastor Reward turned away slightly, his jaw tightening.
“So you kept quiet,” he said.
“Yes,” she whispered. “And that was my first mistake.”
He turned back to her.
“First?” he repeated.
Velimsky broke down completely.
“Yes…” she cried. “If I had spoken that day… nothing else would have happened!”
Her breathing became uneven.
“When you left for the conference, I fell sick,” she continued. “He was the one around… helping… checking on me…”
Pastor Reward’s face hardened.
Velimsky shook her head as if fighting the memory.
“We started talking… remembering things we should have forgotten…”
Her voice dropped to almost a whisper.
“I tried to stop it… I knew it was wrong… but I was weak.”
The room went still.
“I failed,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “I crossed the boundary I should never have crossed.”
Pastor Reward closed his eyes.
He didn’t ask for details.
He didn’t need them.
The truth was already heavy enough.
Velimsky fell to her knees before him.
“I am sorry,” she cried. “I didn’t plan it… I didn’t want it… but I allowed it. Please forgive me… please don’t leave me…”
Pastor Reward said nothing for a long time.
Then finally, he spoke.
“You should have told me the moment you saw him,” he said quietly.
“I know…” she sobbed.
“I would never have allowed him to stay here,” he added.
Then he said something that cut through everything.
“You didn’t just hide the truth,” he said slowly. “You gave your past access to your present.”
Velimsky lowered her head to the ground.
There was no defense.
Only guilt. Only regret.
Pastor Reward turned away, unable to look at her any longer.
And though the truth had finally been spoken…
It did not bring peace.
It only made the wound visible.Pastor Reward stood in silence for a long moment, the weight of her words settling deeply within him. Without raising his voice, he simply said, “I need some time.”
He walked into the bedroom, packed a few things, and returned with a small bag. Velimsky watched him, her heart breaking, but she said nothing more.
“I need space to think,” he added quietly.
Without another word, he stepped out of the house.
That same evening, Pastor Reward checked into a quiet hotel, seeking a place to rest, reflect, and gather his thoughts.
And for the first time in many years, the man who carried others’ burdens chose to step away… to face his own.
- Writer
