Chapter 8
After fleeing Crestford, Jenny returned to her hometown looking disheveled and defeated.
But she was no longer the wide–eyed ingénue who could win online sympathy with a few
airbrushed selfies.
People had uncovered her real name online long before. And in a town that small, any hint of moral failure, workplace harassment, or an affair with a married man could have ruined her for good.
The neighbors‘ judgment trailed her the moment she set foot back in town.
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She kept insisting Melvin had deceived her, even making a scene at the entrance of the
town’s biggest mall, until a group of outraged women cornered her and shouted her down
for half an hour.
Jenny became infamous around town, stuck in a never–ending cycle of airing the same old
misery to anyone who would listen. Her affair with Melvin quickly became the town’s favorite piece of gossip.
One day, while shouting curses in the street, she ran into Melvin, who had returned to town
to sell off his assets and settle his debts.
Without warning, he slapped her across the face, knocking her to the muddy ground. He
pummeled her with punches and kicks, then grabbed a shovel and swung it at her.
Jenny was hospitalized with a badly broken left leg. The injury left her permanently disabled. Back in her cramped hometown rental, she turned on the gas and took her own
life.
I was having dinner with a new friend, Neil Parker–an investor I’d met at a charity auction
-when I saw the news online.
We were at one of the finest Fremorian restaurants when he pulled a velvet box from his jacket and handed it to me. To my surprise, I opened it and found the blue diamond earring
I’d lost.
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Chapter 8
“How did you get this?” I asked in disbelief.
He grinned. “Funny thing–it landed in my pool. Must be fate, right?”
I looked into his eyes and saw the lie, playful but unmistakable.
“You’re lying,” I said quietly.
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Neil lifted his glass, swirling the wine. “I was there when it all happened. After you left, I figured it meant something to you, so I made sure to grab it.”
I was at a loss for words, the earring burning against my skin like a hot coal.
“Will you marry me?” he asked gently.
My breath caught, and my heart skipped a beat.
Neil tilted his head as he looked at me. “No need to answer yet. I’ll wait.”
Fingers intertwined, we walked out of the restaurant.
The night breeze brushed past us, and there–jarring against the quiet beauty around us— stood a lone figure. A filthy child stood in a threadbare orphanage coat, its fabric faded to gray and worn through with holes.
Finn.
The boy who’d once clutched my skirt for sweets, then cursed me with a mouthful of spit, had become a ghost of that child–dirt–caked and hollow–eyed.
After Melvin was locked up, I heard Oscar and Sadie decided Finn was cursed. When trying to extort me didn’t work, they sent him back to the orphanage like spoiled goods.
They never guessed I’d chosen that orphanage myself. On paper, it was an orphanage, but behind closed doors, a reformatory. No wonder Finn would rather live on the streets than stay there.
He crawled toward me on his knees. “Mom… Have you seen my mom?”
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So, he didn’t even recognize me. Since leaving Melvin and him behind, I’d dropped nearly 20 pounds and gotten my looks back.
Neil gave me a quick look. “Who’s the kid?”
I shook my head. “No clue. Never seen him.”
Then, Finn seemed to recognize my voice. His face lit up with hope, only to fall apart in desperate sobs. “Mom, I was wrong… I’m so hungry. I want your honey–glazed pork
chops… please take me home… Mom…”
I didn’t even look at him. I’d never been the forgiving type.
I slid into Neil’s Maybach. As the door thudded shut, I caught a glimpse of that pitiful little figure curled up on the pavement in the window’s reflection. I couldn’t help but smirk.
Feeling better than usual tonight, I decided to treat myself to dessert.
