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delicious. I’ll be downstairs soon.”
    After Mary left, Jenna closed the door, the sound echoing through the room, making her isolation seem even more pronounced. Almost afraid, she leaned back against the door and looked around the room. So pristine. So big.
    “I should count my blessings,” she told herself. “I am healthy and I have a bed to sleep in. That’s more than I probably deserve.”
    No, it was far more than what she deserved.
    The awful truth of what she’d done hit her hard. As memories surged forward, Jenna felt her skin flush with embarrassment. Oh, but she’d done so much wrong.
    Almost against her will, memories scattered forward. Tiny snippets of the past six months. Remembering seeing him for the very first time. Remembering how tingly she’d gotten just from a simple smile.
    Remembering one night when the air was thick and hot and she’d let a few kisses become so much more . . .
    Feeling her face heat, Jenna shook her head and forced herself to start thinking of the future instead of the past.
    “Jesus, do you think I’ll ever be able to atone? Will you, at least, forgive my sins?” she asked the empty room.
    Without pausing for an answer, Jenna forced herself to go to the bed and unzip her suitcase. The moment she lifted the top, smells of home surrounded her. Lavender and dust. On the very top was her well-worn chenille robe. Her mother had given it to her two years ago for Christmas. Almost her favorite possession.
    Jenna had treasured the store-bought robe. It was so clean and perfect. For a time, it had symbolized everything she’d thought she’d wanted. Hope and choices.
    Now it just symbolized everything she’d lost.
    Tears pricked her eyes as she carefully hung the robe on one of the hooks by the door. Then, with a determination she’d pulled from deep inside her, Jenna strode back to her suitcase. She needed to unpack and go join Mary downstairs.
    But right under the robe was an envelope, stopping her in her tracks. Fingering the envelope, Jenna gulped. The sloppy, crooked penmanship was unmistakable. Only her sister Ruth could never master how to make a cursive J .
    Sitting on the bed, Jenna opened the envelope, then felt her throat constrict as she read Ruth’s words.
Jenna,
I can’t believe you’re gone. That you’ve left us! Everyone here is depressed, especially Mamm and Daed, though they are right now acting as if you never existed at all.
I can’t believe Graham Weaver is lying to everyone, too, and not even getting into trouble. Two girls I know who’ve talked to Ella Weaver, Loyal Weaver’s wife, say even she is sticking up for him.
It just don’t make sense!
Jenna, we have to think of a way to convince Graham to do the right thing and stop shaming you. As soon as he does that, why, no one will even care that you’ve got a baby on the way!
Then we’d be planning your wedding instead of pretending you didn’t exist.
I’ll try to write again, but it won’t be easy. Mamm sat us all down and said you’ve done things that we should all be fearful of and that you should be terribly guilty about. And that until you make everything right (marry Graham!) we should do our best to not think of you.
We’re not even supposed to speak of you. Ever.
That will be hard, however, because I surely miss you. Lydia has pushed her way into the room and she snores.
    Love,
Your sister Ruth
    Raising a fist to her mouth, Jenna choked back tears. Never would she have imagined that one bad decision would influence so many others.
    Now her sister was suffering, and Graham was . . . embarrassed.
    And shamed.
    Remembering their last conversation, Jenna bit her lip. When she’d showed up at his house, she had thought he had really liked her. That he would have jumped at the chance to save his reputation and hers, too. Of course, she’d been wrong. Graham wasn’t going to reach out to her at all.
    Finally, thinking clearly, Jenna knew she didn’t blame him. After all, both she