“Well, someone’s feeling brave.”
“I’m wearing a swimsuit,” Nora said.
“I noticed.”
I told Vanessa to leave her alone, but she claimed she was complimenting Nora.
At the beach, Nora stood gripping her cover-up. Then she let it fall. Two teenagers glanced at her and kept walking.
“That’s it?” she whispered.
“That’s it.”
She laughed and chased her younger brother, Noah, into the water. For a while, she looked freer than ever.
But Vanessa kept pushing her aside. During a family picture, she told Nora to stand behind Lily. At an outdoor market, she photographed the girls together. Later, I saw her crop the image until Nora’s face and most of her body disappeared.
“Why did you cut her out?”
“I fixed the composition.”
“You removed my daughter.”
“It’s one picture, Audrey.”
I should have confronted her publicly, but I told myself I was protecting Nora.
