Ava holding a slice.
Nia near the kitchen, eating dry toast.
Another.
Tacos.
Nia with half a baked potato.
Another.
Pasta.
Nia with rice.
Another.
Chicken.
Nia with a small bowl containing what appeared to be broth.
The dates continued.
Every one matched nights Andre had been away.
Nashville.
Birmingham.
Charlotte.
Savannah.
Raleigh.
Jacksonville.
His travel schedule.
His daughter’s hunger.
Andre could hear his heartbeat.
“How long?”
Nobody answered.
He looked at Nia.
“How long has this been happening?”
Tears rolled down her face.
She whispered:
“A while.”
“What does that mean?”
Vanessa stepped forward.
“You are seeing photographs without context.”
Andre turned.
“Then give me context.”
“She has been having food issues.”
“What food issues?”
“Restriction.”
“Whose restriction?”
“Hers.”
Nia shook her head.
“No.”
Vanessa looked at her.
“You told me you wanted to lose weight.”
“I never said that.”
“You complained about your stomach.”
“Because I was hungry!”
The words exploded out of Nia.
Everyone froze.
Nia covered her mouth immediately.
Andre felt something inside him crack.
He reached toward her.
She stepped into his arms.
Her body felt lighter than he remembered.
Too light.
Andre held her.
He looked at Vanessa over his daughter’s shoulder.
“What did you do?”
Vanessa’s face hardened.
“Be careful.”
“With what?”
“With accusing me of abusing a child because an eight-year-old took selective photographs.”
Ava began crying harder.
Andre turned.
“Baby, you did nothing wrong.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
“Oh, wonderful. Reward her for spying.”
Andre stared.
“Why did she feel the need to spy?”
No answer.
He released Nia gently.
“Is there anything else on the phone?”
Ava nodded.
Vanessa’s expression changed.
Andre noticed.
“What?”
Ava pointed toward the screen.
“The last pictures.”
Andre swiped.
There were screenshots now.
A document photographed on the kitchen counter.
The image was slightly crooked.
Andre enlarged it.
At the top:
EMERGENCY GUARDIANSHIP PETITION
Beneath:
SUBJECT: NIA CARTER
Andre frowned.
He read further.
The petition described Nia as exhibiting “progressive disordered eating,” “poor independent judgment,” “self-neglect,” and “possible incapacity affecting future financial decision-making.”
His chest tightened.
Then he saw the phrase:
MATERNAL TRUST ASSETS
Andre looked up.
Vanessa’s face had become gray.
“What is this?”
She said nothing.
He scrolled to the next image.
A school form.