This is the second book in the Life in Many Voices series. These books are a spiritual odyssey—a tapestry woven from trauma, mystery, and grace. It follows two souls bound by unseen threads, each carrying the echoes of pain and the whispers of the divine.
In The Office, Brian has everything he once believed would bring him peace: a good marriage, a stable family, and a well-paying job. That he had no clear memories of childhood was unusual, but the successes he had achieved as an adult more than compensated for all that he had forgotten.
In the midst of success, an enigmatic client walks into Brian's office and his orderly world trembles. Everything in Brian's life appears normal, but the foundations are giving way. An angel appears, offering insight into the darkness that stirs on the horizon. She warns Brian is about to face a worthy adversary. And thus begins a journey through realms both human and celestial, where the battle between light and shadow unfolds within the chambers of the self.
Heather glanced at her watch and mumbled a quiet curse. No point in getting angry, no one to blame, and no excuse worth pursuing. She’d been on this path before and knew the cost that came with trying to paint herself as a victim. Ducking responsibility was an easy step, but what followed was the inevitable surrender to powerlessness. And that was a hard fall. Heather tightened her grip on the steering wheel and locked her eyes on the road. Every choice came with a cost, and if she was going to take responsibility for being late, she’d have to pay its price. Taking responsibility was the first step in getting off this path.
In seconds, the tumult arrived. Waves of shame and self-loathing flooded her heart. They tore at her core and screamed through her head, plundering old wounds to leave them fresh and raw. When they finally departed, there was the inevitable hole in the pit of her stomach. That she’d been along this path before didn’t make the cost any easier to bear. Heather carried depression’s load, and if she was going to set herself free, there’d be much to endure.
Ten years earlier, Heather walked this same path and carried this same load. In those days, she took refuge in ignorance, pretending not to see the warnings posted along the way. Being late for appointments was an early sign. It was quickly followed by days of staying home from work. Ten years ago, pretending she didn’t have a choice ended with her hiding in her house, alone and afraid. In those days, she teetered on the edge of madness, finding comfort in death’s lured call.
Another glance at her watch. Nine-thirty, and she was still ten minutes away. Her first appointment with a new counselor, and she was going to be unconscionably late. Today she was behind in her time. Yesterday she’d stayed in bed and avoided going to work. Heather shook her head in disbelief. She was already further down this god-forsaken path than she wanted to admit.
What was most galling was that her family and colleagues knew something was wrong before she was prepared to admit it. Three months ago, she’d been hit by a drunk driver. Ever since, Heather thought she’d kept the disintegration of her life on hold. She saw the self-sabotage and creeping loss of control as a minor inconvenience or a temporary aberration. But the effects of the car accident couldn’t be contained. The smile on her face wouldn’t hold, and her laughter was strained. Her best efforts weren’t enough to keep the tears from flowing or the anger in check.
It was the anger that ultimately betrayed her. It had walked with Heather for as long as she could remember, roaming the backwaters of her mind since childhood. When she was young, she treated anger as her secret strength. But as she matured, Heather came to see it as her downfall, a cry against the world that she inevitably turned against herself. Before the car accident, she took pride in her ability to keep her tongue corralled. But those walls were falling. These days, there was no ignoring the anger that romped at her side. The evidence was impossible to ignore, both at home and at work.
She’d become increasingly unfair to her goddaughter, scolding the girl just because she was a child. In her better moments, Heather’s musings were of understanding and empathy. But better moments were becoming difficult to find. When she tipped, Heather could hear herself criticizing the eleven-year-old simply for acting her age.
She was equally unfair to her partner. The man was incapable of offering Heather the emotional support she needed, but that understanding brought no governance to her tongue. What Heather brought to her relationship was disdain, cold indifference framed by episodes of limitless rage. Fueled by her anger, she wanted the man to magically undo who he was and become someone different.
The most difficult truth to admit was that her professional mask had also cracked. What Heather treasured was the camaraderie she shared with her peers at work. Little by little, friendships were frayed. What was particularly distressing was that she was the one pushing them away. After another one of her demeaning comments, it was a trusted colleague who pulled Heather aside and handed her the name of a counselor. “Give this man a call,” she said. “You need help.”
Ten minutes late, Heather arrived at the counselor’s address. She pulled in front of the yellow brick house and scoured the directions hastily scribbled onto a scrap of paper. At the top of the page was Brian’s name. Below was the address and a note telling her to look for the lower driveway, the one attached to the office. There were two driveways connected to the house, and it took but a moment to recognize which she should use.
The house was built on the side of a hill, with the living quarters extending over the office. Where the original home was brick, the office and the living space above were a recent addition built of wood. The sharp descent of the hill and the separate drive gave the office a private, secluded appearance. It was connected to the house, but not part of the home.
As Heather exited her Jeep, the sudden urge to light a cigarette sent a tremble through her chest and arms. She paused, took a deep breath, and shook herself free. The moment left her in wonder. Heather hadn’t smoked in years, but in the last few months, this old impulse seemed intent on dragging itself out of the grave. There were just too many challenges that didn’t make sense.
Brian’s name may have been written at the top of Heather’s instructions, but it was David who waited patiently inside the office.
