Sandra let out a long, weary sigh, her heart heavy with worry. In her mind, it all came back to Timothy.
If only Timothy had cared more about Jessica-she was such a gentle, well- mannered girl. Why else would she be so determined to file for divorce?
Women rarely make such choices in marriage as coldly as men do; most will try to stick it out as long as they can. For Jessica to reach this point, she must truly feel she can''t go on.
She turned to her husband, her voice thick with concern. "Abell, ever since
Hannah passed, these two kids are all we have left. How could I just stand by and do nothing? We should visit the Zimmerman familyter today, try to get a sense of what really happened."
Abell nodded, frowning in thought. "Speaking of the Zimmermans, it struck me— why does that young man from their family seem so close to Jessytely?"
"How would I know?" Sandra replied, exasperated. "With Timothy being the way he is never saying more than he has to-maybe if we visit the Zimmermans, we''ll get some answers. Go pick out some gifts to bring; it''ll be a good excuse to check in on them."
Abell went off to prepare the gifts.
The living room was suddenly quiet-no sign of either Sallie or Timothy.
Upstairs, Sallie had wheeled Timothy back to his room and now sat across from him. "Timothy," she said seriously, "if you don''t want to go through with this divorce, you need to do something. Try to win Jessy back. And... I''ll find time today to apologize to her."
It wasn''t that Sallie truly disliked Jessica. She just couldn''t get over the fact that her little brother had married a mute woman.
Timothy remained silent.
Sallie lowered her voice, almost sheepish. "Are you mad at me because I treated Jessy badly?"
He nced up, his face unreadable. "What do you think?"
Sallie pouted. "Alright, alright, I''ll work on it. But honestly, if she''s set on divorcing you, my attitude toward her is only a small part of the problem. The real issue is between you and Henry. If you''re serious about wanting to stay together, you''ll have to put in the effort. Anyway, I won''t lecture you. Text me her addresster- I''ll see her after I''m done with my errands."
She slipped out of Timothy''s room and found Sandra and Abell loading up their arms with wrapped packages, ready to leave.
"Grandma, Grandpa, where are you headed?"
"We''re off to visit a friend," Sandra called back, and the two of them bustled out the door.
Upstairs, She had been watching
from the balcony. Once she was
sure
coast was clear, she finally allowed herself a deep breath. It was
to have the house to herself.
For the past couple of days, out of deference to her adoptive parents, she''d kept to herself, barely exchanging words with Timothy-doing her best to fade i into the
the background. Staying wet
Howard family no longer meant anything to her. The only reason she hadn''t left was this thin thread still tying her to Timothy; as long as she stayed, she could see him, if only in passing.
She made her way to Timothy''s door and knocked.
"Come in."
She entered to find Timothy in his wheelchair, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers.
She frowned. "Timothy, you''re still recovering. You shouldn''t be smoking so much."
She walked over and opened the window, letting the stale air escape. Timothy stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray without a word.
She sat down across from him on the sofa. He barely nced up. "You need something?"
She hesitated. "I overheard what Mom and Dad said to you this morning. Is it true, Jessy''s actually filed for divorce?"
He gave a slight nod.
She lowered her gaze, remorse tightening her voice. "I''ve been thinking about it a lot. There''s never been any real conflict between you two. Ever since I first visited The Gilded Whisper Estates, she''s been acting strange. I can''t help but feel this is all because of me. Maybe she misunderstood something between us."
She looked up, her eyes earnest. "Timothy, why don''t we go talk to her together? We can exin everything—clear up any misunderstandings."