I set the picture down and looked around the rest of the room. My attention was drawn into the smile of the same woman in a large portrait hanging above a vanity. The portrait was encased in an elaborate, gold-gilded frame and took up almost the entire wall. She was posed in a perfectly poised, elegant position, seated with her hands on her lap.

The alluring smile on her lips was ever-so-slight. And yet, she was absolutely beautiful. Her face was clear of all blemishes and ...