Chapter 61

Jackson's POV

I know it’s pointless, but I still went to the plantation to ask about Monica and Timothy.

Monica hated the plantation, so I knew deep down she’d never come here. Still, I needed to do something, anything.

I sat on a fallen tree and watched the workers moving around the field. I’d asked everyone if they’d seen Monica or Tim. Each one said the same thing, no one besides the usual workers had shown up.

I remembered coming here with Vera and Tim, and how I’d once dreamed of bringing her here again, this time with two more boys, our boys. I had plans. I saw a future.

Now it’s all gone. That future was ripped away, and I don’t know what’s left to live for.

Why does life always turn out like this for me?

Every time I think happiness is within reach, something dark creeps up, bites me in the back, and leaves me too broken to smile again.

Look at these workers. Laughing, joking, sweating under the harsh sun. They