Chapter 7 - A Visit to the Holding Cell
Two days later, Jonathan drove down to the county detention center. He didn't tell Christina. This was something he needed to do for himself, to close the final chapter of a painful deception.
The visitor's room was a sterile, windowless space divided by a thick pane of reinforced glass. After a brief wait, the heavy metal door clicked open, and Florence was escorted in by a corrections officer.
Gone was the custom ivory lace gown, the delicate chignon, and the sparkling diamond earrings. In their place was a coarse orange jumpsuit, her hair hanging loose and unwashed, her face pale and devoid of makeup.
She sat down heavily on the other side of the glass and picked up the heavy plastic telephone receiver. Jonathan picked up his own.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. They simply stared at each other through the glass—two people who had shared a home, a bed, and countless meals, now separated by an insurmountable chasm of lies.
“You look terrible, Jonathan,” Florence finally said, her voice lacking its former honeyed warmth, replaced by a bitter, sharp edge.
“And you look exactly like who you’ve always been, Florence,” Jonathan replied evenly.
A cruel smile touched the corner of her lips. “You think you won, don’t you? You think you got your happy ending back with your daughter and your little grandson. But you’re still an old man, Jonathan. When the dust settles and everyone goes back to their normal lives, you’ll still be sitting in that cavernous, empty house alone.”
Jonathan didn't flinch. He didn't feel anger, nor did he feel pity. He felt only a profound, clarifying pity for the emptiness inside her.
“I was alone because I let a fraud into my life,” Jonathan said softly, his voice carrying clearly through the receiver. “I was vulnerable, and you preyed on that. But I’m not alone anymore. And I never will be again. My grandson saved me from you, Florence. Remember that every single day you spend in this place.”
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Florence’s smile vanished. Her eyes flashed with sudden fury, and she slammed the receiver down onto its cradle, shouting something soundless through the glass as two guards quickly moved in to restrain her and escort her back to her cell.
Jonathan placed his receiver down slowly, turned around, and walked out into the sunlight.
