She sent a long message claiming that she had made mistakes but had never intended to harm Sofia.
She blamed stress.
She blamed Teresa.
She blamed Bianca’s difficult upbringing.
She even blamed me for being away so often.
I read the message twice.
Then I deleted it from my immediate view and saved a copy with the rest of the records.
I was willing to consider evidence.
I was no longer willing to accept excuses as evidence.
A week after my return, I sat with Sofia at Rafael’s kitchen table.
She had begun eating normally again. She was sleeping better, and the dark circles beneath her eyes were slowly fading.
She still startled whenever a phone rang unexpectedly.
She still apologized when she asked for something.
But she had started talking about school again.
One afternoon, she brought me a notebook filled with drawings she had made during the previous year.
