However, Constance eventually saw something good in Selena, and she hired her to assist her at the Thrifty Corner Apparel Shoppe, the store that she owned.
(He paid his bills and minded his own business, to him, that expiated all other sins, including beating his wife and abusing his children) He eventually confessed that he did molest Selena since she was aged fourteen.
This led to his resignation from the church, and his wife, Margaret, leaving him to return to her family in the nearby town of White River.
Years passed, and Selena had long become manager of the Thrifty Corner, (Constance had a lot of faith and trust in her, because she ran the store just as well as she herself had done) and she and Joey had scraped together a decent life for themselves, (Joey's loyalty to his half-sister was unmatched and equal to a son's loyalty to his mother and the two were close) until Lucas, (who had mysteriously enlisted in the Navy) showed up at Christmas.
The truth about Selena killing Lucas in self-defense, his physical and sexual abuse, and Dr. Swain's false medical report all come to light to acquit her.
To the shock and the utter bemusement of Peyton Place, Roberta began to work for and then married Dr. Quimby, and she, in cahoots with Harmon, cruelly turned Dr. Swain away from the house he would have practiced in; the furious Dr. Swain eventually moved into his parents "Southern Looking" house on ritzy Chestnut Street, and did not have cause to regret it.
So, in the sequel, Return to Peyton Place, Selena lived her life as a single woman; continued to work at the Thrifty Corner (she was the store's manager), and did her best to singlehandedly take care of Joey.
(Ted had married a snobby blueblood named Jennifer Burbank who eventually killed her mother in-law) She later became involved with itinerant actor, Tim Randlett, but her memories of Lucas almost wrecked the relationship.