“What’s wrong? No appetite?”
Vanessa hadn't touched the food on her plate. Jessica noticed, making her uneasy. Perry asked her twice before she snapped back to attention, shoving a bite into her mouth.
Perry gave a slight tug to the corner of his lips, a mixture of pity and self-blame in his eyes.
He'd sent people to watch near the hot spring pool, to catch a glimpse of Vanessa as she changed. No need to look closely; even through the mist, he could see the scars that covered her body.
They were proof of the suffering Vanessa had endured over the years, far more severe than they had imagined.
"Vanessa, those things are in the past," Perry said earnestly, wanting to ease Vanessa's distress. "Aunt Evelyn loves you, and you're still Miss Voss of the Voss family. Mr. Voss said so himself.
