Chapter Three
1023 Words
The Dead Silence
Dahlia’s pov
"You are a liar! You murdered him!" I screamed. "You and that snake: where is he? Where is my son?"
Seraphina put her hand on her swollen belly and stepped back. "Stop her, Adrian. She's crazy!"
"Don't call me insane!" I howled, my fist repeatedly connecting with his face,chest,anywhere it landed on, "Give me back my son! I know he's alive, I know it! You can't lie to me, Adrian! You can't!"
He shoved me hard away from him, but i climbed up again to lunge at him a second time, throwing both of my hands toward his chest. "You're thinking I'm just going to believe this? That my son just-just died, and nobody told me? You bastards killed him! You killed my baby!"
I kept my attack going , and in seconds, officers marched inside.
"For the sake of the Lord, back away from him, ma'am!" yelled one of the officers.
But I was not stopping. I don't remember hearing anything. Instead, I smashed my fists into Adrian's cheek, opening a bright smear of blood at the corner of his lip. "Where is he? Tell me!"
Strong hands jerked me back, merciless. They twisted my elbows behind me till my shoulders screamed.
"And you're under arrest for assault and trespassing," said the officer, dragging me toward the car.
"No!" I kicked; I screamed, my throat sore. "Not me-them! They killed my son! They killed him!"
I kept pounding my fists against the window of the police car as it pulled away screaming the name; Elias.
The fluorescent lights hammered down mocking brightness inside the station. The cell stank of disinfectant and stale sweat. I curled up against the far corner cold bench, the tears soaking into my sleeves as I cried till I went blank. Then I pressed my forehead against my knees while silent sobs rocked me.
Five years of my life . I went into prisons for him. I thought love needed sacrifice. And what did I get in return -dead child, cheating husband, and betrayal by the most trusted friend I had.
Hours passed. Finally, the guard shoved the cell door open and handed me a phone. "One call. Make it count."
My hands were shaking as I dialed a number etched in my memory. Nyx.
There was a click. "Hello?"
Her voice. A familiar rasp, like a spark in the dark.
"Nyx," I whispered, breath caught. “I need you to come bail me out, ive been arrested.”
A pause, then laughter. "No way. Dahlia? Don't tell me you just got out, and already found yourself locked back in? Girl, that's a record!"
My silence was long and heavy.
"Dahlia?" Her voice sharpened. "What's wrong?"
"I need you," I croaked. "Please. Come get me."
"I'm on my way," she said,her voice void of hesitation.
When she came, she wasn't alone. Her attorney breezed through the paperwork while Nyx zeroed in on me and gathered me in her arms.
"Damn, girl," she muttered into my hair. "You're shaking like a leaf. What happened to you?"
I couldn't answer. The words were too heavy, too raw.
As I was leaving, an officer handed me a folded piece of paper. "Take it," he said curtly. I shoved it into my pocket without looking.
Nyx ushered me out. "Come on. You're staying with me tonight. My place. No arguments."
Her sleek black car provided little or no comfort. I was stiff in the back seat, Nyx sitting beside me, the driver silent up front. My fingers were itching, and with that, I pulled the paper from my pocket.
When I opened it, my chest ripped apart. The cemetery address stared back at me. Just an address-neat black ink, stone-cold.
My sobs broke free, unrestrained. The paper fluttered around in my trembling grip.
"Dahlia?" Nyx seized it from me. "What is this?" She looked at the lines of text. "A cemetery? Why would the cops give you this?"
I shook my head, choking on my tears.
"Talk to me," she begged. "Please. What the hell is going on?"
The words spilled out from me in broken shards. "I went to Adrian's. I thought he-they'll welcome me. But he-forced himself not to know me. The guards wouldn't let me in. And then Seraphina...she was there. Pregnant. With his child."
Nyx's face hardened, but I went on, voice breaking with rage, "He told me he was too busy to visit me and laid this guilt trip on me that I abandoned him, that he never said he asked me to take the blame." And then-and then he told me my Elias--my throat closed up tight, but I forced it out. "Dead. Said he died in a car accident. With her. And they never bothered telling me."
Gripping onto Nyx's hand, desperate in a frantic shake, I pleaded, "Please. Take me there. I have to see for sure. I must."
Her jaw was set tight, but she nodded. "Driver. The address. Now."
The car turned. I pressed my forehead against the glass, watching the city blur into empty roads, then iron gates, and finally rows of headstones glinting pale in the moonlight.
Once we stopped, I reached for Nyx's hand. "Let me go alone. Please. I have to do this by myself."
She scrutinized me for a long moment, then nodded. "Don't go far. I'll wait here."
It was chill; dew lay heavy in the air. I dragged my feet across the uneven terrain, trodding past the lined graves. With every step, the heaviness in my chest increased until, at last, I saw it.
By the very end, apart from the others stood a small lonely tombstone. I gasped as I scanned the letters with my eyes.
Elias Cross Graves.
My legs buckled and I lurched forward, reaching out to touch the cold stone. "No," I whispered. "No, no, no-"
Then, the sound of footfalls behind me froze my blood.
Before I could turn, two huge muscle men came out from the shadows. They held me by my arms with tremendous might.
"Help!" I screamed, kicking and yelling. "Nyx! Somebody!"
- Writer
