“Oh, honey. It’s been a difficult few months.”
Kendra folded her arms.
“You wouldn’t believe what she’s put us through.”
Naomi lowered her eyes.
Mom sighed dramatically.
“She started doing strange things after you left. Crash diets. Internet remedies. Some ridiculous homemade treatment that destroyed her hair.”
I turned toward Naomi.
“Take the scarf off.”
Her fingers trembled.
“Caleb…”
“Please.”
Slowly, she untied it.
Her head was almost completely bare.
Not naturally bald.
Shaved.
There were faint scratches near her ears and a small patch of uneven stubble at the back.
My stomach dropped.
Kendra rolled her eyes.
“See? She did that herself.”
Mom touched my arm.
“We tried to help.”
Naomi pulled the scarf back over her head.
As she did, her sleeve slid upward.
I saw bruising near the inside of her forearm.
Not random bruises.
Needle marks.
Medical tape residue.
And beneath the neckline of her shirt, I caught sight of the edge of a surgical dressing.
