Chapter 22

Spencer didn't show up in court, but Mason did. He sat in the last row of the gallery and watched as the bailiffs led Imogen away. She looked devastated, crying so hard she could barely breathe. Mason watched without a flicker of emotion. Imogen saw Mason and clung to him like he was her last chance. "Mason! Mason, help me! I know I was wrong! "Please go talk to Spencer! Ask him to spare me! For the sake of how we grew up together!" Mason only looked at her until her voice disappeared outside the courtroom doors. Then, he stood up and walked out without looking back. That was the end of it. Imogen went to prison. The Steele family took a hard hit and never recovered. Spencer kept searching for Suzanne, but he also began trying to make atonement in a way that felt like he was torturing himself. He bought the dilapidated old house where Suzanne had lived as a child. The walls were stained and peeling. Some of the furniture was broken. Dust hung in the air like it had been trapped