Elena glanced at her parents, and saw pure, unguarded love in their eyes. She could almost laugh at the irony. Reginald, a man who'd built and led an empire, and Evelyn, a woman who managed everything with grace and shrewdness—how could they not see what was right in front of them? How could two people so sharp in the outside world be so blind at home?
Perhaps, Elena thought with a sigh, it was because they loved Anna so much that they simply couldn't imagine her being anything other than their sweet, deserving little princess. Their hearts had made them blind, filtering out anything that didn't fit the perfect image they cherished. All the warning signs, all the small, cruel games—none of it registered for them. They saw only what they wanted to see.
Elena forced a polite smile and accepted the garment bag. "Thank you, Anna," she said quietly, her voice steady but distant. "I appreciate it."
