“I was married before, and although we loved each other, we weren’t always good to each other. And my name… isn’t really Kelly Summers. It’s Jenna Way. I had to change it after what happened, after I was accused of killing my first husband. I didn’t kill him.” She paused. I gave her hand a small squeeze. She looked at me and continued. “We had had a fight earlier that day, which was the norm for us. Our relationship was full of passion, both good and bad. When I came home later that night, he was dead. He had been stabbed to death. I was the primary suspect. I didn’t do it, I swear. I loved my husband, but I was charged with his murder. When some of the evidence was misplaced during the trial, the charges against me were dismissed. He helped me be free, but he owns me now, so really, I’m not free. I’m still paying for a crime I didn’t commit. I’m still serving my sentence. Just not in a jail cell, but with Scott. I know it won’t end well for me, and I know the only way I will be free is if he is out of the picture.” She hung her head.

I tried to remain calm while I digested what she had confessed to. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to ask her and I didn’t even know if I should say anything at all. That wasn’t what I was expecting to hear. Kelly had a darkness inside her that I couldn’t even comprehend. I thought I knew this woman. But I didn’t even know her real name. Who was she? Did she kill her husband?

When I didn’t respond right away, she seemed to get nervous. Her eyes bounced around the room and then on me. She fidgeted with her leg and repositioned herself. “I’m not a bad person.” She took a deep breath, then got up, and I thought she was going to leave, but despite what she’d told me, I didn’t want her to leave. I wanted to understand.

“Wait,” I said. She stopped as I got up from the couch. I stood inches away from her. Her eyes lit up a bit from my presence and the possibility that I wouldn’t let her just walk out the door with nowhere to go. I inched closer to her and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“I know you as Kelly, not as Jenna.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” she interrupted. I placed a finger on her lips to silence her, and I told her I needed to get this out. She obliged.