I Let You Go

Ray tells Kate he is sorry, but CPS has decided to charge Jenna Gray. They have no real evidence that Jenna is hiding anything. Jenna arrives as scheduled, and they take her into custody for causing death by dangerous driving and for failing to stop and report an accident. Ray takes her to the female wing of the building. As she enters her cell, he asks Jenna what she is not telling them, and mentions her scar. Instead of answering, Jenna asks what will happen to her at court, and if she will go to prison. He says her sentence could be up to fourteen years.

Mags tells Ray at home that he was right not to give up on the job. Ray tells Mags that Kate deserves most of the credit, and Mags seems to bristle at that. He confesses he is having doubts, and when he explains why he bailed Jenna out Mags thinks he’s treating her like she is stupid. She thinks the case sounds cut and dried, and Ray is irritated. But Mags has Tom on her mind. She thinks he is stealing. When Ray mentions that this will reflect badly on his career, Mags tells him to stay out of it, that he’ll make things worse. He will do as she says; he doesn’t know where to start anyway. 

Ian buys a house on Beaufort Crescent and builds Jenna a studio. He likes how she’s doing so much for him in return, and the work starts to slow down. Before he has done the interior, Kate has already moved some things in because she is so excited, and then she starts spending a lot of time there. After a year in the house, he has to go to Paris for work. She wants to come, but he says no. He picks up a Frenchwoman at the hotel bar.

After clinching the deal that will hopefully solve his money woes, Ian goes to a jewelry store and chooses a diamond ring. When he gets home, he asks Jenna to marry him. He tells her he can’t be apart from her. She doesn’t say yes immediately, which isn’t part of his plan. She pauses, making Ian nervous: “And then you said yes” (292). 

Jenna, in her cell, receives a plastic tray with food. She asks for painkillers but the guard says she’ll have to wait until she gets to court. Though she is hungry, the food is unappetizing. Eventually she is taken to the custody desk, and she waits. She is searched before being driven to court. Her day seems very long.

The solicitor meets with her. She didn’t ask for a lawyer, she says, but the solicitor tells her she needs one. She wants to plead guilty. The solicitor says he will apply for bail on her behalf, and she has a chance of getting it because she has no previous conditions and she answered bail on time. He thinks it’s a pity she has no mental health issues.

Court is in session. Jenna pleads guilty. The solicitors argue over bail. Jenna wants to tell hers she has no interest in bail; there is no one for her except Beau. The magistrate grants bail. She will be sentenced on March 17. She goes to the cafeteria to buy a coffee. On her way out she is accosted by the press and from protesters chanting “Justice for Jacob!” One even spits at her. She cries out and tries to hide behind raised arms, but Ray comes to rescue her, taking her to a gate that leads to the bus station. He says the protesters are always there, no matter the issue, and she shouldn’t take it personally. Then he asks about 127 Grantham Street. She tells him she never lived there.

On the train to Swansea, Jenna reflects that she has four weeks before prison. She calls Bethan, who says there was nothing unusual on the sand. Bethan sends her home with food, but when she gets inside and starts to cook the soup, there’s something different about the stairs. Ian is blocking the way. He says, “You broke your promise, Jennifer” (304). Then he pushes her down the steps. 

In this flashback, Jenna worries about damaging the ring, so she stops wearing it, which Ian hates. He insists she have something on her finger to show that she’s engaged. As they shop for a wedding ring, he stops to propose to her again, and she says yes more quickly than before. He wants the wedding to take place faster and is counting the days: “I told myself I would feel better then: more secure. I would know you loved me, and that you would stay with me” (307).

Before the wedding, Ian meets his new mother-in-law-to-be, Grace, who expresses the wish that she could have heard more about him. Then the small wedding takes place. Eve is there, too. She asks, “You won’t hurt her, will you?” (309). Eve says that Ian reminds her of their father.

They honeymoon in Venice. As they arrive, Jenna wants to go out immediately. The receptionist flirts with Jenna, and she is flattered. Her attitude ruins things for Ian. When they get to the room, he punches her in the face. Then he leaves the room, finds a bar, and drinks two beers. When he returns, Jenna is on the bed, crying when she sees him. He tells her he found a bar, walked around, and saw some places for lunch. “I kissed your forehead but still you cried, and I wished so much that you hadn’t spoiled our first night” (314).