Laurie and I were the last to cross the threshold between the foyer and the drawing room. They were all there. Their faces were expressionless, their eyes aimlessly and listlessly. Suddenly, their faces seemed oddly strange and foreign to me. Victoria stood with her arms crossed, showing no sign of grief. I could tell that she was more interested in her imminent fate. Lizzie slouched in an armchair. Her face was bare, and her hair undone. Shock had taken over her. There was no tear. She just sat there in a state of daze and stupor, fixating on the empty vase on the coffee table with her mind closed off. Wesley was smoking next to an open window. The sound of the rain was both calming and unnerving. Clarence was in the corner, wearing his spectacles. I thought he hadn't been fond of them since he said they made him look like a serious, older man. Thomas was in the center of the room, the only one who dressed appropriately in his suit that looked brand new.
When I made my way to Wesley, Laurie tried to stop me. He looked over at Thomas, then back at me.
"I have to," I mouthed the words. He let me go.
I felt Thomas' gaze on me as I went up to Wesley and asked for a cigarette. He handed me one. I couldn't read how he was feeling, for he was a master in staying indecipherable and undisturbed under any circumstance.
"How's Emma?" I asked.
"She has a high fever, and the doctor said she's at risk for sepsis," he puffed. "He gave her some antiserum, and now she's being monitored closely."
"And how are you?" I took a drag. I stood facing him, though he was looking out of the window.
"Maybe I should start believing in karma," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have been so ruthless and cold-blooded in the Chang clan."
"It's not your fault," I sighed, "Hyuk."
He turned to me when he heard me calling his real name. There was something in his eyes that I couldn't make out.
"I've started to care for her, and I thought she felt the same," he frowned. "I guess I'm a fool regarding matters like this."
"Emma knows you're a good man," I tried to comfort him despite knowing words never meant anything to him without accompanying actions. "It's not you whom she's protesting. It's Thomas and his tyranny. She'll get better. She'll appreciate life like she once was, and she'll appreciate you."
He took another puff as he narrowed his eyes.
Thomas came over and asked to speak with me in the hall. I agreed. As I was led out of the room, my eyes met Victoria's, and I lowered my eyelids while she remained blank-faced.
"I'm sorry about Emma," I said before he could speak.
"I can't say it's unexpected," he said indifferently. "She's weak. And a weak soul's solution to her troubles is to take her own life."
"She's not weak," I decided to defend her. "She has a heart, unlike you."
"That's why I'm standing in front of you, and she's on the verge of death," he squinted, unamused by what I said. "I'd keep that nonsense to myself if I were you."
I turned my head away from him. He smacked his lips and grabbed my chin to force me into looking at him:
"Don't even think about pushing the line where you need to stand behind any further than it already is. Do you understand?"
A few seconds later, he let me go, and I breathed in heavily.
"Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" He cleared his throat and asked quietly.
With a sigh, I proceeded to tell him Victoria's confession.
I followed Thomas back into the drawing room. While he paced towards the center, I resorted to standing by the fireplace, leaning against the wall with my hands clasped like his most faithful disciple. Though my chin was up, I stared at the floor a few feet away, hoping to avoid eye contact.
My mind was empty, as if I had lost the ability to think. All I wanted was to soak myself in a tub filled with warm water, wash away the coldness brought by the freezing rain, to wash away my unforgivable transgressions.
Thomas cleared his throat. He was encircled by his family, whom he deemed his subordinates.
"While we all wish Emma a speedy recovery," he spoke as if he believed the words coming out of his mouth, "however, as you know, in this family, we have rules. And grief…"
"Just get to the fucking point already," Lizzie interrupted. "Save your elaborate speech to yourself."
"…and grief shall come after discipline," Thomas glanced over his sister and continued. "It has come to my attention that our sister, Victoria, has finally made some confessions."
"Are you fucking serious?" Lizzie pulled on her hair in agitation. "Do you have to do this right now? For God's sake, we aren't even sure if Emma will live yet."
"Victoria won't mind," Thomas shifted his focus from Victoria to Lizzie. He carried on monotonously. "She doesn't care if Emma lives. Interestingly, did you know she conspired in the murder of our father?"
Lizzie's eyes widened, but her surprise soon turned into a dead stare. She shook her head and sighed.
"Anything you say," she mumbled, "anything."
Thomas stared at her pensively for another few seconds before turning back to Victoria.
"Is there anything you'd like to say?" He asked. I wondered if he saw himself as a judge, and the rest of us were the jury, though any decisions were to be made by him, and only him.
"Nothing I say can change the mind you've already made up long before this unfortunate incident," she said apathetically.
Lizzie curled up on the couch, and for a moment, I worried that she had finally lost it.
"What about you?" Thomas glanced at Laurie. "Is there anything you want to say for your wife?"
"It's fucking awful that you're bringing this up right now. Great timing, dear brother," speaking in a disturbingly composed tone, the gritting of Laurie's teeth had turned into a sneer. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "I have no remorse for Father. He was never around. But that's no excuse for murdering him. You've crossed the line, Victoria."
"How brave of you," Victoria mocked. "I see you're all grown up, Lawrence."
"It's better if you left this family," Thomas said before Laurie could get another word in. "Lawrence and I will agree on the amount of compensation for your divorce settlement."
Victoria stood up and slowly walked to stand in front of Thomas. Her eyes were piercing, and her face was cold and expressionless.
I expected her to say something menacing and intimidating, but she didn't. She had gotten what she wanted.
"Goodbye, Thomas," she said while staring into his eyes.
A nod was his reply.
She didn't bother saying anything to Laurie. Instead, she glanced over at me as she walked out the door.