Footsteps Toward New Beginnings By Ryan Carter 8 Summary
In Chapter 8 of “Footsteps Toward New Beginnings,” Kenneth is overwhelmed with grief and anger after Christian’s death. Wearing a blood-stained suit, he confronts Christina, accusing her of throwing the baby and refusing to accept her denial. His rage leads to a violent outburst where he slaps Christina and forces her to kneel, blaming her for the tragedy and demanding she pray for Christian’s soul. Alice, emotionally drained but composed, tries to calm Kenneth, though he remains unyielding.
Christina is locked inside a chapel during a violent storm, guarded and forced to kneel despite developing a fever. Her body is battered, and her mind foggy, yet she mechanically recites prayers as she endures the harsh punishment. Kenneth and Alice visit her, with Alice feigning concern while Kenneth continues to express his bitterness and disappointment, insisting Christina keep vigil for seven days.
Kenneth’s anger culminates in ordering Christina to crawl and confess her guilt step by step on the chapel stairs. Christina mechanically complies, her vision blurred by blood and rain, and recalls painful memories of betrayal connected to the abbey. Despite the torment, she mocks Kenneth’s promises of “forever,” her spirit fading as she nears unconsciousness.
Just as Christina is about to slip into darkness, a stranger intervenes, wrapping her in warm arms and telling her he is there to take her home. This word, “home,” brings a flood of tears, symbolizing a desperate longing for escape and safety from the torment she has endured. The chapter closes with Christina yearning never to return to the place of her suffering.
Chapter 8
“Kneel!”
Kenneth’s voice sounded as if it came from the depths of hell.
He was still wearing the same blood–stained suit, standing beside the tiny coffin. Alice, her eyes swollen and red from crying, looked barely alive at his side.
It took Kenneth just three hours to go from Christian’s death to accepting reality.
He didn’t call the police. Instead, he gathered the whole family and led them to the abbey to arrange his child’s funeral.
“I told you, it was Alice who threw the baby–nothing to do with me-”
A slap cut her off mid–sentence.
Kenneth’s eyes were bloodshot as he jabbed his finger at her face. “Christina, even now, you’re trying to escape responsibility? Allie killed her own baby? Ha… do you even believe what you’re saying?”
The next moment, Christina was forced down by the bodyguards, her knees slamming hard against the floor, the pain sharp enough to make her gasp.
Kenneth yanked her head back by the hair. “Does that hurt? When the baby was thrown from the building, it hurt a thousand times more than this!”
“Kenneth, aren’t you going to check the security footage? That child wasn’t even yours!”
“Shut up!”
Alice clung to Kenneth’s sleeve, her voice trembling. “Enough, Kenny. Chris wouldn’t want you to suffer like this.”
The more sensible Alice acted, the more Kenneth’s heart ached.
“Chris died because of you! You’re going to stay here and pray for his soul, help him find peace!”
Christina was locked inside the chapel during the raging storm, with bodyguards stationed on either side to watch her.
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Chapter 8
The violent rain lashed against her exhausted body. If she so much as bent her back, a guard would strike her with a baton.
The storm raged all night.
Christina developed a fever: her mind grew foggy. She didn’t know how she endured it. Her knees were numb, but her lips kept moving, mechanically reciting prayers.
Kenneth entered with Alice.
Alice’s eyes were puffy from crying, but she couldn’t hide the triumph glinting underneath.
“Christina, are you ready to admit you were wrong?”
Alice pretended to plead for mercy on Christina’s behalf.
“Kenny, let it go…”
Christina stubbornly lifted her eyelids, her voice hoarse. “I already told you–it wasn’t me.
“Fine! Christina, you’re something else! Twelve years! We’ve known each other for 12 years, and I’m only now realizing I never truly understood you. You’re more vicious than I ever imagined!
“You’ll keep vigil here for Chris, praying for him for seven days!”
As if his anger hadn’t yet run its course, Kenneth dragged her outside to the steps of the chapel.
“Kneel and crawl down! Bow your head and confess with every step!”
Suddenly, Christina remembered–it was also in this abbey she’d kneeled and prayed and discovered Kenneth’s affair,
She repeated the motions mechanically, blood mixing with rainwater and blurring her vision. Watching Kenneth and Alice huddled together, Christina suddenly laughed.
“Kenneth, the thing I regret most in my life is ever meeting you, ever believing in your promises of forever
“Forever…” she whispered mockingly, her mind growing hazy, her vision fading, and the two of them disappearing from sight.
Just as she was about to slip into darkness, a pair of warm arms enveloped her.
The unfamiliar comfort made Christina instinctively struggle.
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Chapter 8
The man’s grip tightened. “Don’t move. I’m here to take you home.”
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Under the crushing weight of physical and emotional pain, when Christina heard the word. “home,” hot tears finally spilled down her cheeks.
“Home…
“I never want to come back here again…”
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