Page 154 of Shamed
Turning to me, Jayne looks stricken, every ounce of hope that things might finally be fixed drained out of her pretty face.
My mouth opens and then immediately closes. I have no idea what to say or do.
“Is it possible you’re remembering it wrong?” Jayne’s dad asks softly, carefully. “And maybe it was him after all?
“No,” Jayne murmurs, still staring at me while looking lost. “He didn’t do it. I don’t . . . I don’t understand why he would be sent back.” She swallows, turning back to her mother. “Are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure. Gerald had his contacts look into him yesterday, and we got the call this morning.”
A ragged breath leaves Jayne, her head shaking again. “No. This isn’t right. You need to check again.”
“Jennifer—”
“Check again!” Jayne bursts to her feet, hands tangled in her golden waves while her chest rises and falls rapidly.
Her mom places her mug on the table beside her, irritation in her movements. “I will not be checking again.”
“ThenIwill.” The panicked croak in Jayne’s voice is indication that she’s seconds away from crumbling. “Give me a number.”
“No,” her mom replies, refusing to back down. “These people are not imbeciles, Jennifer. They did not get that information simply on hearsay.”
Jayne’s hand is shaking when she lifts it to her chest. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
With furrowed brows, I watch as her wobbly legs give out, and she collapses back onto the chair, folding forward with her head in her hands.
I pull her into me, holding her tight so she doesn’t break apart.
“So, what happens now?” I ask, turning back to them. “We just leave it be?”
Her mom’s gaze settles on me, lips pursed, no doubt because of Jayne’s reaction. “Exactly. Doing anything now would be like trying to scale a tall, smooth concrete wall with no footholds. No judge will want to touch it, not when there’s another assault charge against him. And the firm won’t beadmitting any wrongdoing on their part, especially if he’s in prison again. It’s a lost cause.”
My stomach sinks. After all this waiting, the anxiety, the pain, the suffering . . . it suddenly feels like it was all for nothing.
And we’re just supposed to, what? Accept this and move the fuck on?
I had believed wholeheartedly that Jacob was guilty the last time. Now, after being so fucking wrong about that, and after having dealt with some of my past issues, I’m finding it hard to have that same conviction, even after Jayne’s mom is saying it as fact.
“And if she still chose to go ahead with it, would she have your support?”
Jayne’s mother chokes out an incredulous laugh, as if what I said is the most ridiculous thing she’s ever heard. “There is no going forward with it. That boy is in prison again, and even if by some miracle Jennifer was able to convince someone he was innocent before, it would change absolutely nothing. He is guilty now.”
I feel Jayne’s body trembling in my hold. I’m not sure if she’s listening to what’s being said or just the sound of my heartbeat.
Jayne’s dad, who had remained mostly quiet until now, adjusts his suit jacket as he stares at her. “I know this isn’t whatyou expected to hear, Jennifer, but I do think this is probably a better outcome.”
“For goodness’ sake, it’s the perfect outcome,” her mom says with no softness, her voice sharp like a whip.
A sound of disbelief vibrates against my chest where Jayne’s face is buried before she turns her head to look at her mom. “I would never have wished for this.”
So, she was listening.
“That may be so, but that doesn’t change anything. Try to make a move now, and you’ll be screaming into a void. Let it go and move on.”
Long seconds pass as she stares at her mom, then finally, her shoulders slump in defeat.
Turning, she looks up at me with the saddest fucking eyes that break my heart. “I think I’d like to go home now. Will you take me home?”
*~*~*~*
