CHAPTER 127
During that week of Elizabeth's enforced break, Laura took over the reins of the school with the dedication of someone who honored her teacher and now professional colleague. As a former pupil who had flourished under Elizabeth's teaching, Laura felt the weight of responsibility, but also the inspiration to do her best.
The mayor, recognizing Elizabeth's need to rest, ordered her to allow herself a week's rest while Laura took over the school's activities. Frankison, grateful for Laura's help, devoted himself to tasks such as chopping wood and lighting the fire during this period. Her presence brought him a sense of comfort and something deeper, an unexpected flame burning.
Between the crackling of the wood and the dance of the flames, Frankison and Laura shared moments of conversation and silence, creating a connection that went beyond words. New feelings, previously dormant, began to awaken, creating an atmosphere of expectation and discovery. In the warmth of the fire and in each other's company, something deeper began to intertwine, drawing new chapters in their lives.
On that third morning, Frankison had arrived early to chop wood and heat the living room, he didn't want Laura or the children to catch a chill, and it was with a huge smile that he welcomed Laura into the living room when she arrived early to arrange everything for her lessons.
Next to the roaring fire, Frankison and Laura shared laughs and stories, creating a web of connection that transcended the roles of friend and colleague. The friendship that blossomed between them, nurtured by gestures of kindness and companionship, began to take on deeper hues, as if the heat of the flames were also warming something more intense between them.
Laura, taking over the school with zeal, found in Frankison not just a dedicated helper, but someone with whom she could share her thoughts and aspirations. Frankison, for his part, admired Laura's determination and kindness, realizing that the flame that was burning in their hearts could be more than just a friendship.
The days went by with Laura at school and Frankison supporting her in her tasks. Between books and the school routine, they discovered that there was something special brewing, something that hovered between friendship and romance. Every glance exchanged and every laugh shared were the seeds of a story that was just beginning to blossom.
Meanwhile, Jack knew that he had to take good care of his wife; people who went through these kinds of problems tended to get very depressed and he was going to help her so that she wouldn't lose her way.
After she recounted everything she had been through at the police station, the verbal humiliations, the hunger she was forced to endure, when she was given only a mug of water and a loaf of dry bread a day, the cold of the freezing dawns without even a blanket, and seeing the dread in her eyes during the first night, when she had a terrible nightmare, was the biggest reason for him to talk to all his friends and relatives and tell them about his fears.
Every day, someone was always with Elizabeth. Jack felt that she was a bit distant and talked to her mother about his wife, and today while Jack was at the police station, where the transfer of Private Luan was being made, whom both Jack and Bill had pointed out and asked for his arrest and conviction, for mistreatment of a person deprived of their liberty, abuse of power and contempt of authority, meanwhile a serious conversation was taking place at Jack's house.
- Daughter! Tell me what's going on? You're estranged from your husband...
- Mother! Why didn't he save me before? Did he abandon me there?
- Beth! I'll tell you everything...
And so, Elizabeth Delayne, told everything about her birth, how difficult it was to spend that moment alone, and so many years of hurt with her husband, because of a lack of communication.
- Beth, my dear. Your husband was running from the moment you were handcuffed, and so was your father. They knew why you were doing it, even if they didn't approve... but in order for them to help you, while you were locked up, they needed papers, higher orders, and that's what they ran around for days until they got it.
Beth lowered her head and, in an embarrassed tone, spoke:
- I thought Jack was doubting me and my morals... even you, I was afraid you'd abandon me...
- Don't ever say anything like that again. Elizabeth Thorton, you're our daughter, and we'll love you no matter what. And that husband of yours, he loves you in a way I've never seen...
- I'm sorry, Mom. I felt so alone and so lost. My mind has been racing for hours, and that soldier kept talking about it, about the shame you were feeling, that I think...
-Beth... I understand you. We love you very much.
Beth started to get up to get a cup of tea, when dizziness struck, requiring her to hold on to the writing desk. Elizabeth Delayne helped her sit down and asked her when she'd been like this. She advised her to see Dr. Carson later that week, but Elizabeth said she would go, but that everything was fine, it was just weakness from days without food.
That night, Elizabeth Delayne told her husband everything, and even said that perhaps a grandchild was coming... Wynn knew that his wife wouldn't say that for nothing, she had worked in Alaska for many years with the Indian women, and had learned a lot from them... He had nowhere else to smile, his heart overflowed with joy, so he took his wife in his arms and they kissed passionately.
The night wrapped the police station in a dark cloak, but the stars dotted the sky like silent witnesses to a new rebirth. Elizabeth, after her week of rest, felt the urge to clear up the misunderstandings that hung between her and Jack. Driven by the need to heal the wounds of the past, she sought Jack out in the police station.
Their gazes met, charged with years of shared stories and emotions. Elizabeth, with a soft voice and sincere eyes, expressed her request for forgiveness, telling him everything that was going on in her head, acknowledging the mistakes that had separated them over the last few days. Jack, touched by her vulnerability, also recognized his own faults.
In a gesture of understanding and reconciliation, they moved closer, sealing their words with a passionate kiss. The touch of their lips was like a symphony of forgiveness, a bond that was being rebuilt in front of the witnessing stars. Time seemed to stand still, allowing love, previously obscured by shadows, to emerge with renewed intensity.
The passion that burned between them guided them into a night of love, where every caress was a chord in the melody of reconciliation.
Every touch, every moan, every whisper was accompanied by intense love.
At dawn, as the sun's rays caressed the city, Elizabeth and Jack shared gazes full of tenderness and promises for the future.