The whispers grew louder every week.
Old Mrs. Rossi told the parish council she saw a woman’s figure slipping out of the rectory at two in the morning. Another lady claimed she heard soft moans coming from the church after dark. The bishop sent a letter asking for a surprise visit next month to “ensure all is well in the spiritual life of the parish.”
Father Dominic read the letter in his study, hands shaking. Guilt crashed over him like cold water. He had broken his vows again and again. He had taken Elena on the altar, in the confessional, in his own bed. Each time he told himself it would be the last. Each time her body called to him and he answered.
That evening he sent her a short message: “We must stop. Come see me tonight so we can end this properly.”
Elena arrived just after te
