Chapter 3

Larissa's POV

Days bled into each other, and in the blink of an eye, three weeks had gone by. Benjamin had visited twice since then, and we had only spoken on the phone a handful of times.

Even though Mr. Thomas had assured me the last time he was here that he had everything under control, I felt this emptiness and restless ache that gnawed on my insides. I don't know if this has to do with the fact that I hadn't laid eyes on Benjamin for over three weeks.

“Just five more days, Larissa, and this nightmare will all be over,” I muttered, running my fingers along the grooves of the bench.

A small smile spread across my lips as I pictured what it would feel like to walk out of here, to be free of these walls.

“Congratulations are in order for the new CEO of Patterson's Financial Group, Benjamin Patterson,” the voice of the radio anchor snapped me out of my thoughts at the mention of Benjamin. “ Benjamin Patterson is off the market!” The anchor squealed.

My lips spread into a wide smile, and a tear rolled down my cheeks as my heart swelled with pride. Benjamin couldn't have chosen a better time to announce our engagement to the entire world.

Only family and extremely close friends knew that Benjamin and I were engaged, and we decided to keep it that way till we were ready.

“Wedding plans are set for a few weeks, and then–” the anchor did a little drumroll. “...Londyn Knowles would become Mrs. Patterson!”

What?! My eyes widened in disbelief as I couldn't believe my ears.

“No, this got to be a mistake,” I muttered. The anchor must have mixed up the names. I just need to speak with Benjamin and tell him about the confusion.

I couldn't get the anchor's voice out of my head for the next few hours. My thoughts were running wild, swinging between desperate hope and crushing doubts, as I tried to find a way to explain what I had just heard on the radio. There was no way Benjamin proposed to Londyn, my own sister, of all people.

No. That was impossible.

Londyn has only met Benjamin about twice, so there's no way this was possible, and in just a month? Londyn has always gone on endless ‘explorations’ around the world, flitting from city to city with barely a word in between.

I pushed the thought away because it was insane just thinking about it, so I just sat in my cell and anxiously waited for telephone hours.

After what felt like the longest wait of my life, the officer finally announced that telephone hours had started, I practically sprinted to the phone booth, garnering disdainful stares from some of the inmates, but I couldn't care less.

My hands were trembling so badly that it took me a few tries to successfully punch in Benjamin's number.

My stomach churned at every ring, and I felt I might get sick from how anxious I was.

Click.

“Hello?”

I froze. The voice on the other end was unmistakable but it wasn't Benjamin.

“Londyn?” my voice came out as a shaky whisper. “Where’s Benjamin? Why are you answering his phone?”

“Oh, Larissa!” she exclaimed, in that saccharine tone I’d always found grating. “I was wondering if you’d call. I’d come to see you, you know, but–”

“I don't have time for this, Londyn,” I cut her off while managing to keep my voice as steady as I could. “Put Benjamin on the phone now,” I demanded, closing my eyes to prevent myself from screaming.

I can't believe she's choosing now to chat as if we were just having a casual coffee. I just couldn't afford it at this point, I had limited time at the phone booth.

“Fine, I was only being nice,” she replied, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. “Benjamin's in the shower, but I can pop in and hand him the phone if it's urgent.”

“No,” I replied sharply. “Just tell him to come see me. There's something important we need to discuss.”

“Oh, I'll be sure to know,” she replied gingerly. “Would that be all, dear sister?”

“Yes,” I replied tersely and ended the call.

I couldn't shake the dread that lingered after my call with Londyn. No matter how much I tried to convince myself that there was an explanation as to why she was answering Benjamin's call or even being in his house, every reason I came up with was flimsy.

Watching the other inmates laughing with their families or friends over the phone made my heart ache and I couldn't stop the years that trickled down my cheeks.

“Larissa, you've got a visitor,” an officer's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

“A visitor?” I was confused. “But it isn't visiting hours.”

“They’re here under special permission,” she replied, her tone flat as usual, as she glanced at her clipboard. “Patterson.”

“Benjamin,” I whispered, barely able to contain my excitement. I was so lost in thought and drowning in my sorrows that I didn't realize an hour had gone by.

He came! I can't believe he actually rushed over here as soon as Londyn passed my message to him. The thought of it washed away any form of doubt that had crept in over the last few hours, as relief seeped through every fiber in my body.

I quickly smoothened my hair, straightened my clothes as best as I could, and plastered the brightest smile on my face.

My heart pounded with anticipation as I followed the office behind. The image of Benjamin giving me a loop-side grin as we both laughed about how absurd the radio announcement was, and how this was all a misunderstanding, made my smile wider.

“Where are we going? The visiting area is the other way,” I said as I noticed we took a different route.

“My office,” the officer replied tersely.

I didn't ask any more questions and just followed her. Besides, she already made it clear that the visitor was under special permission, so it shouldn't be surprising that we aren't meeting up in the general meeting hall.

We stopped in front of a door, and at this point, my heart was on the verge of bursting, and the words were already forming on my lips.

“Babe–”

I froze. The word died on my tongue, and my smile dropped instantly.