He Made Me Take the Blame for His Mistress's Crime

April 10th

Mom says the Hensons are looking for a daughter-in-law. Maybe there's hope for me.

I just hope he won't hit me. As long as he lets me eat my fill, that's enough.

April 16th

I wore a pretty dress for the first time today.

Jerome Henson is so handsome.

He actually agreed to marry me. I'm so happy.

After that, every page was filled with how good Jerome had been to her.

His eyes burned, and he couldn't stop them from reddening.

But all of it had only ever been a man doing his duty as a husband in name.

May 14th

Jerome proposed to me. I'm so happy.

But he didn't seem happy. He drank so much, and then he took me, and it hurt so much.

He kept calling out a name, Flora. Who is Flora?

The cold dropped through him like ice closing over his head.

The blurred memory sharpened all at once.

That night, the liquor heavy in his blood.

The next morning, when I made him breakfast, I could barely walk straight.

May 14th

Jerome says we're getting engaged.

That's the day I'll tell him. He's going to be a father.

The diary ended there. Just stopped.

"The baby. My baby..."

His face drained white. The words spilled out of him in a broken murmur, and then he was tearing out of the house like a man losing his mind, flooring the car all the way to the police station.

He burst inside and grabbed the arm of the nearest officer, his voice gone raw.

"Nancy Fox, the drunk-driving case—has it been sentenced yet? Where is she?"

Officer Dickerson looked up.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Jerome Henson. I'm her fiancé."

For the first time in his life, Jerome was coming apart.

Contempt filled Officer Dickerson's eyes. He let out a short, scornful laugh.

"Lawyer Henson, you're too late."

"Nancy Fox bled out from that crash. She's been dead a long time."

"No one claimed the body. We cremated her. The ashes were scattered into the sea."