“Can I help you?”

I look around the inside of the chapel and shift uneasily. It’s been a long fucking time since I’ve been inside any church—much less a convent. The walls are stark white, the floors wood that’s so old it’s almost black in color and the trim has been painted the same coal black. This room looks so barren, so devoid of anything warm and inviting that I don’t know how Torrent could survive here. I look up to the front of the chapel and it’s different from the rest of the room. There’s a statue of the Virgin Mary, rows of candles and a sacrament table. The bright reds used to add color shine vividly, drawing my attention. I force myself to look away.

“I’m looking for Torrent,” I answer her, clearing my voice and shifting back and forth on my feet. I feel way out of my depth here for sure.

“Torrent?” she parrots, studying me. “Are you her natural father?”

I blink. Fuck, I’m not that old. Torrent is younger than me, sure—but she’s not that damn young.

“Hell no,” I answer before I can stop myself and I instantly see the distaste on her face. “I’m… I’m a friend.”

“A friend?” she asks, her eyes narrowing.

“This is the guy that Sister Torrent was sneaking off to see, Mother Superior,” a girl answers from the corner of the room.

I look over at her and it doesn’t surprise me that it’s the chick that followed Torrent to the park three days ago.

Three days.

I haven’t seen Torrent in three days. I kept going to the park, hoping she’d change her mind or at least come back to scream at me—something. But she’s been silent. I haven’t so much as caught a glimpse of her and that’s bullshit. She owes me at least a little more of an explanation.

“I see,” the woman referred to as Mother Superior responds and I swear the temperature in the room drops another ten degrees.

“I want to see Torrent,” I state again, refusing to back down. If this gets her in hot water, then she has no one to blame but herself.

“I’m afraid that’s impossible,” she responds.

“I’m afraid that’s not good enough. I came here to see Torrent and I’m not leaving until I do. So you need to get her… Now.” I counter.

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can—”

“She means she can’t because Torrent’s not here,” the other girl answers snidely. I don’t like the bitch. Sometimes you can look at someone and see the hate in them. This girl is chock full of hate. How they ever let her in this place I don’t have any idea. I thought nuns had to be loving and giving? The only thing this chick could give you would be a fucking headache.

“Where is she?”

“She left,” the girls answers, speaking over top of the other one.

“Where did she go?”

“I—”

“That’s enough. Go back to your room, Elise. This is not your concern.”

“But—”

“Now.”

“Yes, Mother Superior,” Elise says. She casts me another look full of hate and bitterness and walks away.

“Where is she?”

“I’m afraid I do not know. One of the sisters reported that Torrent got an urgent call in the middle of the night from her family. She was missing when we reported for breakfast the next morning. She left in the middle of the night and took all of her belongings.”

“Did you contact her family?”

“We did, not that I can see that it is your business. How well do you know Sister Torrent?”

“I know enough to know that she doesn’t belong here,” I growl. I want answers and I’m not getting a damn one.

“Where does she belong? With you?”

“She’d be happier with me than here,” I defend, suddenly feeling like an idiot.

“Just because one gives their life over to God, it doesn’t mean they are unhappy,” she says and immediately I feel out of my depth.

“I didn’t mean that… Not exactly.”

“If something is not your choice that doesn’t necessarily make it a wrong one.”

“I’m sorry, Sister…” I’m getting the feeling that I’ve had my ass handed to me.

“In any event, Torrent isn’t here and I don’t know where she is.”

“You don’t know how to contact her?”

“I’m afraid not. She had family, but we don’t have their information and—”

“But—”

“And even if I did, Mr….?”

“Dupree,” I answer, feeling the last hope I’ve harbored fade away.

“Even if I did, Mr. Dupree, I couldn’t give it to you.”

“I want—”

“I don’t have any information, but maybe you should consider something, Mr. Dupree.”

“What’s that?”

“Maybe Torrent left because she made her choice and you weren’t it,” she says and then she walks away.

She leaves me standing there and with her she takes away the last hope of talking to Torrent.

It’s over.

No… That’s wrong… It never really began.

Torrent was never in my reach.