Alicia browsed the Internet for another fifteen minutes, voluntarily yielding to temptation, and dialed the number Levi had given her. The phone rang three times before someone answered.

“Hello?” a deep voice said.

“Uh, hi. Is Levi available?” she said, thinking how weird it sounded asking for a prison inmate no differently than she would a free man.

“Sure, he’s right here.”

Alicia heard Levi thanking the owner of the phone and then heard a door shut. A second later, he was greeting her.

“Hi, beautiful. How are you?”

His voice gave her the same kind of comfort as it had in the past, and she felt like melting. For a moment, she wished Levi could be any normal everyday guy and not a convicted felon. She wished he’d never even thought to begin selling drugs.

“I’m good,” she finally said. “And you?”

“Well, the facility isn’t as bad as it could be, but being locked down means exactly that, and it’s not the kind of thing I could ever be okay with.”

Alicia wasn’t sure what to say next and waited for him to continue.

“So, it’s been a long time, huh?” he said.

“Yeah, I guess it has.”

“Were you shocked to hear from me?”

“Actually, I was.”

“I figured you would be, but I had to take a chance. You know?”

“It was good hearing from you.”

“So, how’s married life treating you?”

Alicia wanted to tell him how worried she was about JT and what he might be doing behind her back, but she didn’t.

“Everything’s good.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I am.”

“Then why don’t I believe you?”

“Probably because you don’t want to. Maybe you’d rather believe what you want to believe.”

Levi laughed. “Come on, sweetheart, this is me you’re talking to. Remember, I don’t play games or say things I don’t mean. I deal only with reality, and I can tell from the sound of your voice that something’s troubling you. I can tell you’re not all that happy.”

“You’re wrong,” she said, knowing he’d assessed her true feelings to a tee.

“Whatever you say, but I know better.”

“So, tell me, really,” she said, changing the subject. “How are you?”

“I’m hanging in there and pretty much just praying for this appeal process to progress. Darrell told you about that, though, right?”

“Yeah, he mentioned something like that.”

“My attorney says I have a very strong case in terms of the way they violated my rights, so hopefully I’ll be out of here in just a matter of months…hey, hold on for a second,” he said, and Alicia heard someone talking in the background. “Cool. Thanks, man.”

“Who was that?” she asked.

“That was my boy who’s letting me use his phone. He was just saying the coast was clear and that I could talk for another thirty minutes if I want.”

“Then he must be a really good friend.”

“Sweetheart, in here, money can buy you a lot of privileges. The kind of privileges you would never be able to have otherwise.”

“But I thought all of your money was confiscated.”

“I guess you really don’t know me as well as I thought you did.”

“I guess I don’t.”

“Okay, enough about prison and me, though, because what I want is to talk about you.”

“What is it you wanna know?”

“Whether it’s going to be possible for me to see you or not. I mean, I know you’re married, but, Alicia, I can’t help the way I feel. I can’t help the fact that I’m still in love with you, girl.”

“I just can’t, Levi. I can’t come there.”

“I don’t mean here, because this is definitely not an environment for someone like you. Not even as a visitor. I never wanted you to do that, and the only reason I’d had Darrell ask you a few weeks ago was because I was having a really lonely moment. So, when I say I want to see you, I’m referring to when I get out.”

Alicia held the phone in silence, and for a second or two Levi said nothing either. Then he spoke.

“I know you have a husband, but, sweetheart, even if you’re happy with this JT guy, deep down I know you still care about me. I know you have to still love me in at least some sort of way because no man will ever treat you as well as I did.”

“JT gives me everything I want.”

“I’m sure he does. Materially. But are you the most important person in his life next to God? Is he being completely faithful to you? Does he love you so much that he would never even consider being with another woman, let alone actually doing it? I mean, can you honestly answer yes to every one of those questions?”

He’d said a mouthful, and sadly, he was right, because she couldn’t answer yes to any of them and be confident about it. But she wouldn’t admit that to him.

“Levi, I know this might be hard for you to believe, but JT and I really do love each other and we’re very happy.”

“If I recall, you said the same thing right after you married your first husband. Remember?”

“We did love each other.”

“But you weren’t very happy. Maybe in the beginning but not when it came to the kind of money you wanted to spend. It sounds to me like your first husband gave you love and dedication and now this one is giving you a lot of luxury.”

“He gives me a lot more than that.”

“Like what? Sex?”

“You’re being unfair. You’re judging JT, and you don’t even know him, so can we talk about something else?” she asked in a defensive tone, but she knew Levi’s mental assessment was probably right on the mark.

“Look, sweetheart, I’m not trying to upset you, okay? Because I would never do that intentionally. I guess I just got a little carried away because I’m still so in love with you and because when I’m out of here, things are going to be very different for me. I’m completely done with that old life I was living, and for the first time in years, I’ve been reading my Bible every day. I’ve been studying and meditating, and I decided late last year that if God could forgive me for all the horrible mistakes I’ve made and then give me another chance at doing the right thing, then I was going to make good on it.”

“I’m glad you feel that way.”

“I’ve always believed in God, but when you’re locked away like this for months and months, you find yourself talking to Him continuously. You find comfort in knowing that you still have at least Him to depend on.”

Alicia had never heard Levi speak this way before, and she was truly happy for him. Of course, it was common knowledge that many inmates found God while serving lengthy sentences and sort of lost Him along the way once they were released, but she had a feeling Levi was very serious about his new sense of spirituality. Partly because he was the kind of person who only said what he really meant, but mostly because she could hear the realness and the excitement in his voice. They talked about nothing else before hanging up, and now Alicia wished she really could see him.

But she wouldn’t. Not when she was married to JT, and as his wife, she needed to give him the benefit of the doubt. Yes, those women at the luncheon had caused her to be suspicious, but she and JT were still newlyweds. They’d only been married for seven weeks, and it simply wasn’t right for her to jump to so many conclusions. She did wonder if he’d been telling the truth about where he was going this afternoon, but if he’d planned on messing around, would he really do it in broad daylight? It was only five o’clock and the sun still beamed brightly, so she couldn’t imagine him taking that kind of a risk. It was the reason she told herself JT might merely be a victim of lies and vicious rumors. She told herself she was probably worrying for nothing.