Author's POV
"You did this," he'd told her flatly. "You were playing with matches, being careless, and you started a fire. Do you understand?"
Sonya had tried to protest, but Camille had quickly silenced her with a sharp gesture.
"He's protecting you," her mother had whispered urgently. "If you played with fire accidentally, you'll be punished but not prosecuted. But if someone suspects arson, suspects you *wanted* to hurt Lina... you could face serious legal consequences. Just say it was an accident. Cry. Be remorseful. Your father will handle everything."
And he had. Morgan Ward had spun a narrative about his troubled daughter's tragic mistake, about how Sonya had been traumatized by the whole event, about how the family would ensure nothing like this ever happened again.
