Page 53 of Sins and Virtue

“Alright,” Reverend Mother sighed as she signaled with her head to join her. “We’ll be outside.”

I gazed my head over to Kon as he looked like he wanted me to stay, but I couldn’t.

“I’ll be outside,” I repeated, slowly and with much resistance walking away and out into the hall. Catching up with the other sisters moments afterwards.

“Well, that’s a pleasant surprise!” Reverend Mother hummed.

“Isn’t it?” Sister Alice brought her hands together in joy, her lips split into a cheerful smile. “After all of that, he comes out stronger than ever!”

“Maybe now he’s awake, perhaps we can compensate him by welcoming him into the church.” Mother Superior was starting to sound suspiciously greedy.

“Not sure if he’s up to that.” Granted, he already lived in my room. “But I—”

Reverend Mother raised her hand, cutting me off. “You should rest.”

“I’m not tired.”

“Still, you have been by his side long enough. People will think something they shouldn’t if you keep this up. Come back in a few hours if need be, but Sister Alice and I are here, so most likely, we won’t need anything.” She decided with a flame of resented anger.

Right, she probably still hadn’t gotten over the incident where Father Andrea had to intervene.

So to try to keep the peace and my privileges of going out to visit Kon until he was better, I decided to obey. “Alright. I’ll go.” For now.

Giving my goodbyes, I head in the opposite direction, walking towards the staircase, then descending down three flights of stairs before arriving at the lobby and walking through the entrance.

The fresh terracotta scent that breezed through the air was a stark contrast to the hospital. Noticing it was still a beautiful day out with a bright full sun and the vibrant clash of the sea, I decided to go to a nearby cafe instead of heading back to the convent.

Half an hour or so passed as I sipped on an iced americano and wiped away the remnants of tiramisu on my lips. Sitting on a city bench by the park. The day was lively with the town’s people, but the only thought I had was how Konstantin was going to get out of this one. The sisters loved him. Children admired him. Assassins were on his back, and the police wanted him.

My mind conjured ways to get him out of the hospital, but they all needed legal paperwork.

Just then sirens echoed in the streets; a police car rushed by at a flying speed, causing nearby civilians to almost crash into traffic.

Stillness took hold of me as I realized something terrible.

“Isn’t that in the direction of the hospital?” I asked myself, but the gut-wrenching sensation told me everything. Lunging out of my seat, I abandoned everything, and I started to run down the street. Running to the hospital. Running to him.

Street after street, car after car, person after person, I didn’t care who or what was in the way; all I knew was I needed to get there before the police could. It was the only way to save him.

Breathlessly, I made it to the doors of the hospital as I ran through the main lobby, causing a stir, but I didn’t care as Islammed into the door of the staircase, recovering quickly as I raced up the stairs. Each step felt like a sentence, as it felt like I would never get there, yet at the same time I knew each step was a step closer to him.

With my heart ringing in my ears, my nerves were all over the place as I arrived at the third floor and thrust the door open. That’s when I saw a group of doctors, nurses, Sister Alice, Reverend Mother, and a dispatch of cops barricading the door.

Oh, no.Lord, please.

Approaching slowly with a piece of my soul withering with every step I took, I made sure not to catch anyone off guard until I caught the eye of Sister Alice and the words flew out of my mouth. “What happened?”

“He escaped,” she informed me. “That poor man.”

“He’s not a poor man. He’s a criminal.” One of the cops who overheard corrected her.

They berated him and told us he was a very dangerous and deranged criminal. Wanted by Interpol. Nothing new, but if he was out there all alone, where would he go? Especially now that there was an active alert for any police member to see if he were to take him down on the spot.

Sister Alice shook her head in denial, folding her arms in front of her chest. “I can’t imagine that. Him? That gentleman, a criminal?”

“Pretty faces can deceive anyone. A good lesson to remember is that not everyone has a good heart. Especially you, trying to be so kind to that man. Next time, be on guard.” Reverend Mother reproached me, her face tight with wrinkles and a faint trail of disappointment.

By force, we stayed in the hospital a few hours longer, being interrogated and giving the police any information we knew, and although I knew much more than I let on, I’d never tell them.