Page 73 of Serial Burn

“Not once. She didn’t want them.”

“But I don’t understand. Why keep them then? What was the purpose?”

Aunt Carol’s gaze slid away.

“Carol?”

The woman huffed a soft sigh. “They were her escape plan.”

Jesslyn’s jaw dropped. “Herescapeplan? Things had gottenthatbad?” Well, her fatherhadcheated on her mother. What did she expect?

“Yes.”

The simple one-word answer punched the air from her lungs and it took her a moment to recover. Finally, she dragged in a breath. “And that’s why she kept them in the safe deposit box.” Jesslyn paused. “Did my dad not notice she wasn’t wearing them?”

“Oh, he noticed, but your mom loved jewelry, and I believe he thought she’d eventually cave and wear them.”

“But she didn’t.”

“No. Not this stuff.”

“Well, all right then. I guess we’ll do this.” She reached for the first bag with her right hand and dumped the piece into her left palm. It was a cold but beautiful brooch. A diamond-studded poodle about three inches in width and two in height. The ears and eyes were black pearls and the nose a pink diamond. “Wow. It’s beautiful. And Mom’s favorite dog.”

“He had that crafted for their first anniversary. She actually did wear that for a while, until she learned of his infidelity and the reason for the other pieces that came home with him.”

Jesslyn’s heart squeezed against the pain of knowing her father cheated. Her poor mother. “I can’t believe he did that.”

“I know it’s a tough pill to swallow. I wish I didn’t have to tell you, but I can’t lie to you.”

“Which I appreciate.” Jesslyn ran shaky fingers over the piece. “You never let on. Never said a word against him.”

“What would be the point? He’s gone—and your mother had forgiven him before the end.”

Jesslyn snapped her head up. “She did?”

Carol nodded. “She wasn’t going to wear the jewelry because of what it represented, what it was a reminder of, but she wasn’t going to be angry with him anymore either. He was a good father to you girls, he just...” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t explain it. He had a pretty traumatic childhood and your mother knew that going into the marriage. But she loved him and she never stopped—not even when he betrayed her. She was hurt and angry and thought about leaving him more than once, that’s true”—she motioned to the jewelry stash—“but each time she’d pray and pray some more and told me she never got the green light from God to leave him.”

“Like some modern-day reverse Hosea story? Even though he was unfaithful?”

“Even though.”

“If she’d left him, she and my sisters might still be alive,” Jesslyn murmured.

“I can’t say I haven’t thought of that more than once.” Something deeper than grief flashed in her eyes.

“What is it? What are you not saying?”

Her aunt pressed her fingers against her eyelids. “This is really hard, Jess.”

“I know, but please, don’t hold anything back.”

Carol nodded and lowered her hands. “Look, I’m not saying I understand her choice. Every person in that situation has to decide for themselves what to do. Leave or stay? Your mother stayed because she believed he trulywantedto change. And, by the time they died in the fire, they were going to counseling. He wasn’t sneaking out at night. He was being accountable to Linda and to a support group he’d joined without Linda having to ask him. He was putting in the effort like never before and your mom was the happiest I’d seen her in years.” She paused. “No, ‘happy’ isn’t the word. She was at peace. She truly felt like God had answered her prayers and this time was it. Your dad was different. And I’ll admit, I noticed it too. He had astillness about him that I’d never seen before. I think not only was your mother at peace, but your dad was too.” Another pause and tears filmed her aunt’s eyes. “And I am too. It took a while, but I got there. If she could forgive him and plan to move on with him, then I can do the same. Which is why I agreed to help you build a building in his—and their—honor.”

“Really? Because if you don’t want to, then I’d understand.”

Her aunt heaved a sigh and paused a moment, seeming to gather her thoughts and pick her words. Jesslyn wanted to tell her to just spit it out, but she held her tongue.

Finally, Carol spoke. “He wanted to do this before he died. He was excited about it. I never told you that he grew up with alcoholic parents who neglected him terribly. He was in and out of the foster care system before he landed in the Millers’ home. They were good people and he kept in touch with them until he died.”

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