Chapter 7
“I care for Jenny out of pity. Every time I see her, I’m reminded of my own childhood. I lost my parents when I was young too, and I grew up with my grandparents. Knowing about Jenny’s childhood makes me want to care for her.”
My head was throbbing. I interrupted him, “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I have no plans to marry you.”
Jared frowned. “That was mean. Forget it. I’ll give you some time to calm down first.”
Not long after he left, Jenny came into my room. “Aren’t you lucky, Charlie? Look at you, all alive and well. It’s a shame those people let you out of there alive. Don’t they care about their kids at all?
“But did you think this meant you could return home and be doted on by Mom, Dad, and Jared? They don’t care about anyone else but me. You’ll never be able to hike again, so who gave you the right to fight with me, huh?!
“Oh, right! I forgot to tell you. On the day you were released, Jared was so worried it would be too much for me that we had already gone all the way. He told me that even after you two get married, he’ll still be there for me whenever I need him.”
She leaned over and smiled cunningly. “Let’s find out if you mean anything to them when I’m around, shall we?”
Hearing the rushed footsteps outside, she slapped herself and knelt beside the bed, tears in her eyes.
“I know you’re angry that Mom, Dad, and Jared care about me, and I know I will never compare to you because I’m adopted, b–but…
“But how could you call me a murderer?! I hate what my birth parents did, so how could I follow in their footsteps? You can scold me and shout at me as much as you like, but I won’t sit here and let you insult me like that!”
She looked at me proudly.
I looked at her and whispered, “Let’s hope your happiness lasts for a few more days, because if I were the family of those kids you killed, I wouldn’t stop until my child’s murderer was put behind bars.”
I watched Jenny’s expression turn into panic. Before she could ask what I meant, my parents rushed over to help her to her feet.
Jared frowned at the palm imprint on her cheek and questioned me. “Jenny came to apologize! How could you slap her?”
