The second I stepped inside and saw Mrs. Mary sitting there waiting for me, tears sprang to my eyes.
She looked exhausted.
Dark circles sat beneath her eyes, and her face looked thinner than the last time I saw her. Grief had worn itself into her features so deeply that it was impossible to miss. Even the way she sat looked heavier now, like life had been pressing down on her.
Her eyes lifted the moment she heard the door open, and relief washed across her face so fast it almost made me angry.
Mrs. Mary rose slowly from the chair. “Koko…”
The softness in her voice made my throat tighten immediately, and I hated it.
I stayed standing for a second.
“What you doing here?” I asked, my voice harder than it needed to be.
Truthfully, I should’ve been more grateful. Mrs. Mary was the reason I even had great representation. It was she who paid Ms. Franklin’s billable hours.
“To see about you.”
I looked away and scoffed quietly before finally sitting across from her.
Mrs. Mary tried to visit quite often, and I’d denied her each time, so I didn’t know why I chose today to change my mind.
The metal chair scraped loudly against the floor.
Mrs. Mary sat back down carefully, clutching her purse in both hands. “You been eating?” she asked softly.
A bitter laugh escaped me. “Is this what we’re doing?”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.” I leaned back in the chair. “Why are you here, Mrs. Mary?”
Pain flickered across her face at the distance in my tone.
“You know why.”
“No,” I replied sharply. “Actually, I don’t.”
The silence between us thickened, and I could see the guilt all over her face, and that irritated me more.
“You lied to me.”
“Koko—”
“For almost a year.” My voice rose despite myself. “You even made me feel guilty for loving him and wanting to reach out to him!”
A guard near the wall glanced over briefly before looking away again.
Mrs. Mary lowered her eyes. “I know.”
“And he was dead the whole time.”
“He was.”
The quickness of her confession threw me off for a second.
Mrs. Mary didn’t try to soften it. She didn’t look away from me or search for excuses that would make what she did hurt less. She just sat there and accepted every ounce of my anger.
