Second Epilogue
Jacob
The soft chorus of waves breaking against the shore creates the background music for my evening sitting out on my back porch.
Campbell and his wife Jasmine, along with their two girls, and Neil and his wife Sienna, with their three kids, left about an hour ago.
They spent the weekend here, celebrating one year since my exoneration.
What a weird thing to celebrate, being exonerated. An acknowledgement of my innocence.
It’s funny how quickly you can go from being the town villain to somewhat of a celebrity overnight.
People you’ve never seen before suddenly come forward to say they always knew you were innocent. Suddenly, they have stories to tell of someone they knew, who knew someone else who was wronged.
Of course, there are some people who are still wary of me, and honestly, that feels more comfortable to me.
Lowering my glass of lemonade to the small round table beside me, my eyes catch on the rumpled unopened letter sitting there.
I slide my finger back and forth over the name penned on the back—my name—and poke my tongue into my cheek.
I’ve brought it out here with me more than a dozen times since she dropped it in my mailbox, but I’ve never opened it.
I pick it up, turning it over in my hands a couple of times before resting it on my thigh.
Nothing but good things have come in the mail over this past year.
But this is different.
I can’t imagine what she could possibly have to say that I haven’t already heard through the media.
Do I even want to know?
Would it make me feel better? Worse?
I lift my glass again, sipping the sweet drink and licking my lips before plopping it back onto the table.
I guess it’s fucking time I found out.
Leaning forward, I swipe the envelope from my thigh and finally tear it open, sucking in a deep, fortifying breath before reading it.
Dear Jacob,
I’m sure you were never expecting to hear from me again, and honestly, I’d be surprised if you’re reading this. You have every right to hate me. In fact, I’ve spent many years hating myself as well.
There are not enough words in the world to describe just how sorry I am for what I put you through.
There are not enough minutes in the day to explain how much I regret what happened.
As you would have learned, I didn’t accuse you out of malicious intent. I didn’t lie to have you arrested, while knowing you were innocent. It was a mistake . . . the biggest mistake of my life.
But that doesn’t change the end result.
It doesn’t change the fact that I sent you to hell and left you there to suffer.
Because of me, you served a decade-long sentence, with several years of after-effects that followed.
And I will never be able to forgive myself for what I did to you.
I’m not sure why I’m writing this letter, to be honest, because I’m not asking for forgiveness from you. I’m not asking to meet up with you or for you to write back to me.
I guess . . . I guess I just wanted you to know, that above anything else, I wish you happiness, and I wish you peace. I hope that whatever you may be doing in your life now, that you have both of those things.
And if you do, hold on tight and never let them go, because happiness and peace are more valuable than anything else.
I lived far too long without either.
I eventually found happiness over the years, but peace? That only came when your name was finally cleared.
I wish it hadn’t taken so long. I wish for a lot of things. But mostly, I just wish you the best.
Be well, Jacob. Be happy, and be free.
Jennifer.
I lean back, exhaling a weighted breath, and stare out at the dark ocean sprinkled with tiny lights over the horizon, a sense of calm settling in my bones.
There wasn’t any part of me that expected to hear from her again, and when she dropped this letter off, I didn’t think I needed to read it.
I’m glad I did.
Nothing profound lay hidden between the folded pages, and yet, I sense something shift inside, deep in my soul.
The back door slides open, then closed, and I feel Remi’s grounding presence before she’s visible.
She comes into view, holding our six-month-old son Pearson in her arms, a soft smile on her full lips.
“Hey.” Remi lowers herself onto the chair beside me, noticing the opened letter on my thigh.
“Hey, sweetheart.” I reach out to take Pearson, and he snuggles into my chest, already sleepy. “Poppy in bed already?”
“I told her to brush her teeth and then come say goodnight.” Her hazel eyes connect with mine, then drift to my lap. “You finally read it?”
I nod, moving the letter to the table once again. “Yeah.”
Remi’s hand strokes along my thigh. “Are you okay?”
I fill my lungs with air and drop my head back, rolling it to the side to look at my beautiful wife. No matter what has happened over the years, she is the reason I’m here today. She’s my person. My one and only.
“I am.” I smile at her, my heart feeling so damn full. “I’m more than okay.”
The night is warm and peaceful, the air filled with the scent of the ocean.
I am at peace.
And when Poppy joins us a moment later, and my little family is all together, I can’t help but think that I am well, I am happy, and I am free.
THE END.