“Yes. Only four people were killed altogether, which is pretty remarkable considering the size of the blaze and how many were there that day. Three died in that particular tent, and one in the next tent, before the firefighters showed up. Dozens were treated for severe burns. All in all, not a good day to be at the fair.”

“So, let me get this straight. You and Hank reunited at some point, years after college, and started seeing each other again before that day at the fair?” Blythe stayed silent, which was as good as an admission. “Did you and Dad split up before you got back with Hank?”

“Before it got serious, yes. But we had seen each other a few times prior to that, me and Hank. I’ll not deny it. Those old feelings never went away.”

“Behind Dad’s back?” Rose tried her best to subdue the flash of anger she felt.

“Your dad and I were never all that close, Rosie,” Blythe explained. “There was an attraction, and we always respected each other, but I don’t think either of us was under any illusion that it was all it could be. When you’ve known the kind of love I had with Hank in college, you can’t help but compare every other guy to him and the way he made you feel. So, there was that, which might not sound fair. But on the other hand, your dad wanted a career, a family, a fortune, a big house, an important legacy, like some kind of formula. I was just one more component he had fixed in his life plan, and it just wasn’t enough for me. By the time we had you, he was spending more time at the office than he was at home, even on weekends. I put up with it for a while because I had you to keep me busy, and to be honest, I thought he might make more of an effort with a baby daughter to come home to. And he did, but not enough. His heart wasn’t in it. Everyone could see that. Some people just aren’t cut out to be parents. Men and women. It’s not something you can know until you’ve tried it, I guess. And when we had Andy, well, the writing had been on the wall for a long time. Your dad had gotten his career, his fortune, his big house, his important legacy—he was brilliant at what he did—but he came to realize he’d lost his family somewhere along the way. Or rather, I pointed it out to him, perhaps in ways I’m not too proud of. But the fact is he was never the husband or the dad he needed to be, and I was in love with someone else.”

“Why be so honest about it all of a sudden? You’ve never said any of this before now.”