Thomas and I entered a secret relationship right around the time I joined the church, after I broke up with my French boyfriend.

It was secret because he said the church wouldn’t approve or allow it.

Before going to New York, I urged Thomas for us to come clean to the missionary and his wife.

I was inexplicably afraid the pastor in New York would be able to read my thoughts and know what I was hiding if I existed in the same state as him.

So we did come clean, and the missionary and his wife told us to break up and never see or talk to each other again.

Spoiler alert: When we didn’t comply, there were consequences.