pte

Storm Le

ay, word h

where she sorted her clothes. The message was clear. She was not welcome-not at potlucks, in polite company, or in the pews. At Velvet Halo, the girls gave her space, unsure whether t

ill hadn'

orning and thrown her to the congregation like kindling. He'd said her name without saying it, pai

sn't brok

was a

check things out. His office's blinds were drawn. The lights were on

her arms like a parishioner with nothing to confess. She stayed ten minutes. Long enough for

e wolve

aper slipped into Velvet Halo during so

d you like to make a comment? Lydia smiled slowly. She stated, "Plenty of tension in the

et. But

way before he

them

she never existed. Let the deacon's wife clutc

't beg for

r the roof off, a

sinner, secret no more-was

gray flecks at his temples, and eyes that made people feel seen and, some would say, exposed. His voice was his most potent weapon: a silky, baritone instrument capable of calling down tears durin

his sermons filled with stories that stirred hearts. In a city filled with vice, he advocated abstinence, preached resistance to temp

nd golden light of the sanctuar

ed by the desires he condemned. He relished the power his position granted, the control he could wield with a whisper, a gaze, or a gentle touch

t through prayer, fasting, and rituals only he knew. But the flesh was louder than the spirit, a

fessions into closeness, and that closeness into an entanglement neither could name. After that came another woman. Then another. Never scandalous, always quiet

ession that he was broken and in constant conflict with his

s adored by women. Children called him "Papa Ford." He visited prisons, preached at rallies, shook hands with governors, and baptized addicts. However, his image was a constr

f his choir director, the affair his head usher was hiding. He recalled everything that was said to him by people. A vault of weakness. That knowledge

en king

kingdom was st

rability, speaking of heartbreak, trust issues, and loneliness. As usual, Elijah played the wise shepherd who found the lost sheep. Mariah's story was hauntingly familiar. Fatherless. lied to by lovers. In search of healing He off

riends. A quick learner with a hunger for purpose, she caught the attention of many - including the jealous

ht, she didn'

ht a voice

cession. There, under the guise of deliverance, he touched her. Gently, calculated, just enough to blur lines without cro

t know was that Ma

repo

stor Ford of impropriety. He'd heard whispers. received emails anonymously. But he n

tive, whispering things that contradicted

ne for the arti

shone with innocent light in a quiet atmosphere. But Elij

to cross a line. You ought to have

esponse. He called Deacon Russell to inquire about whether the congregation ha

the church. Lambert. With a notebook

allegations of sexual misconduct involving

ler. "I don't know what

ert said, raising a flash

leaders stopped replying to texts. Some members of the board called

pit from which he had once ruled. His hands clutched a Bible, his l

praying for

eading for