To be able to blame herself for negligence, but not murder, was the forgiveness her soul had craved. To blame an outsider, instead of her baby’s father, was the balm on the burn.

A wave of nausea coursed through her stomach, but this she welcomed with a caress along her stomach.

Sutton thought she had fled her perfectly horrible life. But in truth, the life she craved grew within her. And that was all the forgiveness she would ever need.

* * *

Ethan met her at the airport gate. How his presence there had been arranged for, she didn’t know, and didn’t care. The moment she saw him, broken and bruised and uncertain, his eyes searching every face until he saw hers and smiled, she rocketed out of the gangway and flung herself into his arms.

Truth Will Out

TRUTH WILL OUT

There were words, and hugs, but Sutton was so tired and relieved she hardly understood them, just clung to Ethan’s hand as they made their way out to the parking lot where the unmarked car awaited them. As they got into the car, Sutton saw Ethan and the cop share a look, an almost marital glance of understanding. She felt a second of jealousy, but pushed it away when Ethan plopped into the back seat next to her with a grin, grasped her hand, and passionately kissed her lips. She saw the cop look at them with something akin to satisfaction on her face, and felt only gratitude.

Ethan was a handsome man, and he’d clearly been through something with this cop, but Sutton was not going to allow her petty emotions to get in the way of a true and full reconciliation with her husband. Never again would she doubt him. Never.

Goodness, she was feeling emphatic.

The drive to Franklin was slow, traffic south on I-65 heavy, and Ethan and the cop filled her in on everything they knew. It was the safest conversational topic. Sutton had things to say, confessions to make, and she sensed Ethan did as well, but those revelations would have to wait. They needed to be made in private, with care and understanding.

But as the car wound its way south, the words from their mouths were still difficult. Ethan held tightly to her hand the whole time, and she allowed their words to wash over her.

“We’ve positively identified the woman who was supposed to be you. An immigrant who answered an ad in the paper.”

“When she hit me, I had a second to look in her eyes, and they were blank, empty.”

“She used a wig and your rings to make it look like you.”

“They reopened Dashiell’s case. He was most likely murdered, but he wouldn’t have felt a thing, just went to sleep and didn’t wake up.”