Voren was the first to snap out of the stunned silence. He hadn't been around for the full story, so even though he was missing some of the bigger pieces, the little girl's words still hit him like a truck.
"Espe, what are you talking about?" he asked, his voice staying as steady and calm as it always did. But the look in his eyes gave him away completely—he was totally thrown.
Esperanza studied him for a long moment with those big innocent blue eyes of hers. "Daddy, will you believe me?" she asked, her gaze locking onto his face, full of hope mixed with that little bit of uncertainty.
The question landed harder on Voren than he would've expected.
Just last night she'd shut down when he'd tried asking her stuff, but now here she was, ready to open up if she trusted them enough. How the hell was he supposed to say no to that?
