Page 22 of Devlin

Her throat tightened, and she swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice even. “It was the morning I returned from a monthlong work trip to Haiti. When I walked into our apartment… there was a woman in our bed.”

Another collective gasp rippled through the room, but Mia didn’t lift her eyes to meet theirs. She didn’t want to see the shock or, worse, the pity.

“He wasn’t in the bed with her, but she wasn’t wearing anything,” she continued, her voice flat, as though that would make it easier to say. “Barely covered by the sheet. And all I could do was stand there, stunned. The shower was running,but it might as well have been thunder with how loud my pulse roared in my ears. And then it turned off.”

She paused, her lips pressing into a thin line as the memory hit her again, sharp as a blade. “He walked out of the bathroom, a towel slung around his hips. He looked at me, then at her, then back at me. She was sitting up by then, pulling the sheet tighter around herself, her eyes darting between us.”

“What did he say?” Ritah asked, her voice thick with emotion.

Mia let out a shaky breath. “Nothing. Not one word. He just… stared. For a split second, I thought I saw something in his eyes— maybe regret or pain. But then it was gone. His eyes went blank, like I was just someone he used to know. My heart was breaking, and all I could do was whisper that I’d come by later to get my things, and I didn’t want him there when I did.”

The room fell deathly silent, her words pressing down on everyone.

“And he still didn’t say anything?” Karen asked softly.

“No.” Mia shook her head, her voice tight with the effort of holding it together. “A few hours later, I went back. The apartment was empty. He wasn’t there to try to explain or deny it or even apologize. He didn’t leave a note. Nothing.

“I called a couple of friends, and we packed up everything that was mine. When I walked out, I left the key on the kitchen counter. And that was it.”

She looked up at her friends then, her expression one of quiet resignation. “Other than a plain apology letter, I never saw him or heard from him again. Until today.”

The air in the room felt thick, heavy with the weight of her confession. For a long moment, no one said anything, and Mia let herself breathe, letting the ache in her chest settle.

10

After the girls left, Mia sat in her room for a long time, her thoughts tangled and her emotions churning. Her phone rang, and she hesitated to see her mom’s name on the caller ID.

She answered, forcing a cheerful tone. “Hey, Mom.”

“Good evening, sweetheart.” Her mother’s voice was warm and familiar, wrapped in the soft Midwest accent of home. “I figured I’d catch you before you went to sleep.”

Mia sipped from the water bottle she’d pulled from her small refrigerator. “It’s lunchtime in Kansas, isn’t it?”

Her mother scoffed. “You know us. We rose early and spent the morning in the garden. We were hungry by noon, and I just had to heat leftovers. Now, tell me what’s going on over there.”

Mia hesitated, fingers tapping against the plastic of her water container. She hadn’t planned on saying anything. She could keep this light, casual, just another day in camp. But as soon as she took a breath to respond, the truth slipped out before she could stop it. “Jim Devlin is here.”

A sharp intake of breath was heard, then silence lasted for several seconds. “What did you say?”

Mia winced. “Jim Devlin is here at the camp.”

Her mother’s gasp was loud, followed by a biting tone. “Jim Devlin?”

Mia rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mom. The one and only Jim Devlin.”

“Lord have mercy,” her mother muttered. “You mean to tell me that man just—what? Showed up? Walked right back into your life after all these years? In Uganda?” The last words were practically shouted.

Mia exhaled, her cheeks puffing out with the effort. “Not exactly. He’s here investigating some thefts from the camp. Strictly business.”

“And that’s all?”

Mia hesitated again, her face scrunching into a wince, which was answer enough.

Her mother sighed, long and knowing. “You’ve talked.”

“A bit,” Mia admitted. “But not about us. Or what had been us. He’s just here to do a job, and then he’ll disappear.”

Her mother was silent for a moment. “I… I… oh, Mia, I don’t know what to say.”

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