Paulie sat down heavily with a nod.

No sound penetrated my numb haze. It was almost as if I was back in Sheol, except that would have been a million times better because then I'd have been able to forget.

Paulie patted the knotted wood next to him.

I stood, my arms crossed, waiting to speak until the haze had dissipated, if not the numbness. "Why did you lie to me?"

"Because sometimes I can convince myself that it didn't happen that way." He pressed his ...