Days’ worth of tension and anxiety had built within me. Like a wall of water held back by a dam, the pressure had grown and grown. When Amanda said those words, when she told me the truth about her whereabouts on the day Jennifer died, something slipped inside me. The pressure and tension loosened, and so too did nearly every muscle in my body. I thought I might fall over. My head swirled, and I expected to see the ground rushing up to meet me.

But I held on, remaining upright.

I willed myself forward, moving toward Amanda. And she opened her arms to me, looking as weak and spent as I felt.

We fell against each other, holding each other up.

I kissed the top of her head and pulled her as close as I could.

I told her I was sorry over and over again. I told her I loved her. The words all felt insufficient to the moment. Words always did.

I wanted nothing more than to get Henry and go home with him and Amanda. That was all I cared about. I wanted my world to encompass nothing more than those two people.

I didn’t know how much time had passed. My grip loosened on her body. She moved back so I could see her face.

“Let’s go,” I said. “Let’s go get Henry and get out of here.”

But Amanda surprised me by shaking her head. “We can’t.”

“Why? Do you want to go to the wedding? After all this?”

Again, Amanda shook her head. “Aren’t you wondering why I’m out here? Why of all places I came here?”

I had been wondering when I first pulled up and saw her talking to Wendy. But then those thoughts went away as I started talking to her.

But now . . .

“Okay,” I said, “why are you here?”

“Because I needed to talk to somebody about everything that’s been going on. Somebody who knows what really happened . . .”

Before I could ask who she meant, a voice behind us called Amanda’s name.

A female voice.

I turned and looked.

Sam.

CHAPTER NINETY-ONE

Sam had stepped outside the Barn, and she stood ten feet away from us in her wedding dress. Her hair was piled on top of her head, like her sister’s, but also woven with flowers. Her makeup looked Hollywood perfect and, set against the white of the gown, gave her a beautiful, healthy glow. She looked like a vision of marital vitality.

“What do you two want?” she asked, sounding less than pleased to see us. “I’m about to go down the aisle. Blake and I are ready for this. You said you weren’t coming, so why are you here now?”