Berceuse for The Suffering (Complete)

29. {Come Home}

Two hours ago.

"It was Billy."

Linda's world crumbled around her as Latifa's words hung in the air like a heavy fog. The silence that followed was deafening, and Linda felt as though she had been plunged into an abyss of despair. Her mind raced with thoughts and emotions that threatened to overwhelm her completely.

Then Latifa's voice cut through the quiet, and Linda turned to face her. The other woman's words were meant to comfort, to plead for forgiveness on her son's behalf when she said, "Please forgive him, Linda. He is a good man. He now lives with regret and in peace." But they only served to stoke the fires of Linda's rage even more. She couldn't believe that Latifa had known about this and had kept it hidden from her. The thought of forgiving Billy? That's out of the question.

Latifa stood, fidgeting nervously, awaiting what the other would say. And soon Linda's gaze bore into her. The pregnant silence was broken by her voice, low and menacing. "Get out," she snarled, and Latifa recoiled as if stung.

Without a word, Linda turned and strode away from the living room and into the kitchen. She needed space, needed time to process what she had just learned. As she moved, her vision swirled, and she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions. Rage, disbelief, hurt, and disappointment all coalesced into a potent cocktail that threatened to overwhelm her completely. Each breath felt like a struggle as the reality of the situation sank in.

Her eyes glittered with tears as she reached out to grab something from her kitchen cupboard and then stalked toward the other woman in the living room, uncaring of the fact that her movements were labored and unsteady. She wanted nothing more than to lash out, to hurt someone else as much as she had been hurt. At that moment, Latifa was the easiest target.

Latifa's eyes were solemn as she gazed at Linda. "I'm sorry," she murmured again. Then she turned to leave, but Linda ran after her and her hand shot out and gripped Latifa's arm, the rage that had been simmering inside her exploding like a volcano. The sound of the other woman hitting the floor was a satisfying one, and Linda felt a brief sense of triumph at having hurt Latifa. Then like a deranged animal, she took out what she had tucked begin her back. The tip of the knife glistened as she raised it in the air and then it descended fast taking refuge in the muscles of Latifa's leg.

Linda was an animal as she continued to unsheath and sheath the knife in Latifa's leg. The woman on the floor could only scream in terror. She tried to grab Linda's arm to prevent her from her continuous assault but her grip on Linda's wrist wasn't enough to hold the woman's strength and rage.

Soon, Latifa's screams died out and Linda was left alone with her thoughts and emotions once more. She sank to the floor, her breathing ragged, her vision still swirling with tears. The world had changed in an instant. Yes, her world had changed years ago but this time, the change was for the better, she guessed.

In the silence that followed, Linda was left to pick up the pieces of her sanity and when lucidity found her, she bent down to check if Latifa was still alive the woman was still breathing. Slowly she rose from the floor and headed for the phone. She dialed her husband's number but no one answered. So she left a message, urging him and Lyli to come home. "I found one of them. I found who broke our Lyli," she murmured. Take her home love. I found an easier way. Come home. Come home," she whispered.

***

The elevator shaft was a deep, dark cavern that seemed to go on forever. The only source of light came from the flicker of the fluorescent bulbs hanging unevenly from the ceiling. A dark mist soon descended and it covered every crevice of the shaft. The silence was eerie, save for the occasional creaking and groaning of the old machinery that powered the lift.