"Father would never..." Her own assertion sounded weak even to her ears. "But then again," she mused aloud, "desperation can poison even the purest heart."

　　She paced along the grand windows, light casting long shadows that seemed to dance mockingly at her plight. The news article- was it a warning or a revelation?

　　"Connected? It can't be," Camila muttered, the idea unfurling like a dark flower in her mind. Each petal a question, each thorn a ...