Redemption Read Online Free PDF Page A
Author: Karen Kingsbury
with her whole heart, intended to stay married to him forever. Wasn’t that enough?
Hours passed, and Tim didn’t come home. Kari was not surprised. What could he say? What was left to say?
The tears finally subsided, and she sat up. Her throat was swollen, and she struggled to draw a deep breath. She blew her nose and gazed out the front window at the dark skies beyond. How was it that yesterday she’d thought her marriage to Tim was a shining beacon of what married love was supposed to look like? What had happened? Even if the student had something Kari couldn’t offer, was it that easy for Tim to walk away from all they had shared, all they had promised?
Her fingers tightened into two fists. If that’s how he felt, he could go ahead and leave.
“Jerk.” She whispered the word through clenched teeth. “We had it all, and you threw it away.”
No answers came, and Kari closed her eyes, angry and defeated.
Where were God’s reassuring whispers now? Where was God, for that matter?
She blinked and sighed deeply, knowing the answer even as she asked the questions. God hadn’t disappeared just because Tim was having an affair. Even now, with her world upside down and every breath an effort, Kari knew the Lord would never leave her. And somehow he would help her and Tim sort through this mess, even if right now the idea sickened her.
Yes, things would eventually work out. Tim would come home and apologize, and they would get counseling like a handful of her friends had done when their marriages had been threatened. They would make it work, wouldn’t they? Wasn’t that the foundation of what she believed? That with God all things were possible?
Still, the thought of being married to a man who could lie to her, cheat on her, betray her, felt as welcoming as a life sentence in the state penitentiary. God could bring restoration, but she knew she would never be the same again after today. Tears stung at her eyes once more, and an overwhelming sadness settled like a lead blanket over her heart.
Kari pulled her knees up beneath her chin and thought about the woman she’d been that morning. Happy, idealistic, confident about her relationship with Tim. Trusting him implicitly and ready to launch a marriage group from their home. There hadn’t been a single warning sign. She’d been busy, sure, but who wasn’t? That had never come between them before.
And as the midnight hours bled into the early dawn, Kari grieved for the woman she’d once been. The woman she’d never be again.
A woman who had drawn her last breath at ten-thirty the night before.
Freshly popped corn and vanilla candles warmed the Baxter home, a sprawling Victorian in the nearby township of Clear Creek. The Dallas Cowboys had just won a close contest, and John Baxter used the remote to turn off the television. He shifted his gaze to Elizabeth, his wife of more than thirty years. She was still beautiful, but his attraction to her was more than that. She bore a certain charm and elegance that couldn’t be taught.
The screen faded to black, but John was in no hurry to get up. After raising five children, silence seemed almost sacred. He ran his thumb over his wife’s soft hand and savored her presence.
God, you’re so good to me . . . thank you for letting her live. Thank you.
A holy reassurance massaged the rough edges of John’s soul, and he felt the corners of his mouth lifting. He was fifty-seven years old, married to his best friend, and certain that when the clock ran out on his days in this life, he’d have an eternity together with his loved ones in a place that would put all of earth’s goodness to shame.
Life couldn’t get much better than that.
He was about to say as much when Elizabeth released a troubled sigh, stood, and slowly crossed the room, her gaze fixed on the framed photographs lined along the mantel above the fireplace. There they were, all five of them—Brooke, Kari, Ashley, Erin, and Luke. Oldest to
Hours passed, and Tim didn’t come home. Kari was not surprised. What could he say? What was left to say?
The tears finally subsided, and she sat up. Her throat was swollen, and she struggled to draw a deep breath. She blew her nose and gazed out the front window at the dark skies beyond. How was it that yesterday she’d thought her marriage to Tim was a shining beacon of what married love was supposed to look like? What had happened? Even if the student had something Kari couldn’t offer, was it that easy for Tim to walk away from all they had shared, all they had promised?
Her fingers tightened into two fists. If that’s how he felt, he could go ahead and leave.
“Jerk.” She whispered the word through clenched teeth. “We had it all, and you threw it away.”
No answers came, and Kari closed her eyes, angry and defeated.
Where were God’s reassuring whispers now? Where was God, for that matter?
She blinked and sighed deeply, knowing the answer even as she asked the questions. God hadn’t disappeared just because Tim was having an affair. Even now, with her world upside down and every breath an effort, Kari knew the Lord would never leave her. And somehow he would help her and Tim sort through this mess, even if right now the idea sickened her.
Yes, things would eventually work out. Tim would come home and apologize, and they would get counseling like a handful of her friends had done when their marriages had been threatened. They would make it work, wouldn’t they? Wasn’t that the foundation of what she believed? That with God all things were possible?
Still, the thought of being married to a man who could lie to her, cheat on her, betray her, felt as welcoming as a life sentence in the state penitentiary. God could bring restoration, but she knew she would never be the same again after today. Tears stung at her eyes once more, and an overwhelming sadness settled like a lead blanket over her heart.
Kari pulled her knees up beneath her chin and thought about the woman she’d been that morning. Happy, idealistic, confident about her relationship with Tim. Trusting him implicitly and ready to launch a marriage group from their home. There hadn’t been a single warning sign. She’d been busy, sure, but who wasn’t? That had never come between them before.
And as the midnight hours bled into the early dawn, Kari grieved for the woman she’d once been. The woman she’d never be again.
A woman who had drawn her last breath at ten-thirty the night before.
Freshly popped corn and vanilla candles warmed the Baxter home, a sprawling Victorian in the nearby township of Clear Creek. The Dallas Cowboys had just won a close contest, and John Baxter used the remote to turn off the television. He shifted his gaze to Elizabeth, his wife of more than thirty years. She was still beautiful, but his attraction to her was more than that. She bore a certain charm and elegance that couldn’t be taught.
The screen faded to black, but John was in no hurry to get up. After raising five children, silence seemed almost sacred. He ran his thumb over his wife’s soft hand and savored her presence.
God, you’re so good to me . . . thank you for letting her live. Thank you.
A holy reassurance massaged the rough edges of John’s soul, and he felt the corners of his mouth lifting. He was fifty-seven years old, married to his best friend, and certain that when the clock ran out on his days in this life, he’d have an eternity together with his loved ones in a place that would put all of earth’s goodness to shame.
Life couldn’t get much better than that.
He was about to say as much when Elizabeth released a troubled sigh, stood, and slowly crossed the room, her gaze fixed on the framed photographs lined along the mantel above the fireplace. There they were, all five of them—Brooke, Kari, Ashley, Erin, and Luke. Oldest to