Dorothea required two stitches on her forehead.
Because she was so young, the local anesthetic had to be strictly limited. She trembled with pain throughout the procedure but never made a sound, her small hand simply crushing Avery's fingers in a desperate grip. Avery could feel every tremor, every silent scream that never came. Her own throat tightened with the effort of holding back tears.
This silent endurance made Avery's heart ache with a crushing sense of guilt.
It was late at night by the time they returned to the villa. Avery emailed the school to request a week's leave for Dorothea. Once the child was settled and asleep, she opened the file the teacher had sent: the playground surveillance footage.
In the video, three girls-each half a head taller than Dorothea-cornered her li
