“Sit down.”
She hesitated.
I pulled out her chair.
“This is your home, Sofia. You don’t have to ask permission to sit at your own table.”
She sat.
I placed the plate in front of her.
“Eat as much as you want.”
She took a small bite, then another. She was so hungry that she tried to hide how quickly she was eating.
That hurt more than the bruises.
After breakfast, I sat across from her.
“I’m going to ask you some questions. You don’t have to tell me everything at once. If you need a break, we’ll take one.”
She rubbed her thumb against the edge of her plate.
“Will you send them away?”
“First, I need to understand what happened. Then I’ll make sure you’re safe.”
She looked up at me.
“Even if Patricia says I’m lying?”
“Even then.”
It took several minutes for her to begin.
At first, she spoke in short sentences.
