Epilogue
Psychopath
Moni
I stepped into the room, feeling the weight of everything that had just passed between Lei and me hanging heavy in the air.
My heart ached, but I pushed it aside.
I had to be strong for TT now.
For all of us.
Alright. Now it’s time to say goodbye. . .
The moment I spotted TT sitting back on the floor, with her little legs crossed beneath her, my chest tightened.
She was still assessing that damn puzzle.
Fuck.
There she was tracing her fingers along the connected daggers with the kind of concentration only a child could muster in the middle of such chaos.
But then I realized something even more important.
I looked around and all I could see were her bed, drawers, mirrors, and those dragons painted on the ceiling. But there was one thing missing.
I blinked. “Where is Leo?”
Finally, she looked up and a bright smile spread across her face. “He went through the closet.”
I blinked again. “Through the closet?”
TT nodded. “Yep. He showed me the secret passageways earlier. There’s tons of them in this house—even in the living room. It’s a painting that takes you to the basement. But the coolest one is in the library—there’s a door hidden behind the bookshelves.”
I raised an eyebrow. “He showed you all of that?”
“Yep. It’s like one of those spy movies. This house is so cool.”
Walking over to her, I forced a smile, even as my stomach twisted at the thought of Leo showing her around the house’s dark, secret corners. “You’ll have to show me when I get back, okay?”
“I will.” She put her view back on the map.
I lowered myself to the floor beside her, kneeling so I could be at her level. “Hey, TT. I have to. . .I have to go with Leo.”
She didn’t look up at first. “I know.”
I looked down at the puzzle map. “You did a great job with this.”
“Leo helped.”
“But did he bother you in anyway? Did he say something crazy? Threaten you? Hurt you or—”
“No.” She looked at me. “He’s a nice man, although. . .”
“Although what?”
“I think he might be a psychopath.”
Terror surged through me, cold and immediate.
My skin prickled and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “W-why would you say that?”
She tilted her head slightly, as if contemplating whether or not to continue. “I read about it in one of those books in your closet. The really thick ones you keep in the box.”
“My old college books?”
“Yes. There’s one about psychology and stuff.”
“Yeah. I’m sure that was from my Behavioral Science course.”
“It said that psychopaths. . .they can be really charming. They know how to say the right things, make you feel safe, even when they don’t actually care. It’s like they put on this mask and most people don’t even notice.”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah. That’s correct. . .”
She was talking about this like it was some casual fact, like Leo’s charm and coldness were just another puzzle piece she was putting together.
And well. . .that was better than her being absolutely terrified like I currently was.
She touched the puzzle and then glanced back at me. “The book said that not all psychopaths hurt people, at least not in obvious ways. They’re good at hiding it. I read that psychopaths don’t feel emotions the same way we do. It’s like they. . .know how they’re supposed to act, but they don’t actually feel it. It’s just. . .mimicry. Like pretending to laugh at a joke they don’t think is funny or being sad when they’re supposed to be sad.”
I tried to wrap my mind around what she was saying but it was hard to hear her talk like this—so detached, so analytical. “And you think Leo is like that?”
She nodded. “Yeah. He smiles all the time but it never reaches his eyes.”
“True.”
“His eyes are cold. He doesn’t get angry the way other people do, like when something goes wrong, he doesn’t yell or scream. He just. . .acts. He’s calm about it, but not in a normal way. It’s like he already knew things were going to go wrong and doesn’t care because he has a plan for everything.”
TT’s words were terrifying in their accuracy.
All I could mutter was, “you’re right.”
I had never thought about it like that but now that she said it, I realized she wasn’t wrong. Leo’s charm had always unnerved me but I hadn’t put it together like TT had. That calm, calculating demeanor. . .the way he could switch from being friendly to deadly without warning.
It all lined up.
“They don’t feel guilt either,” TT added, her tone matter of fact. “That’s why psychopaths can do terrible things and not feel bad about it. They don’t have that voice in their head telling them it’s wrong like the rest of us. They only care about what benefits them. It’s like. . .”
“What?”
“They’re playing a game and everyone else are just pieces on the board.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“But. . .Moni, I think that you can trust him.”
“Why?”
“Because when he talks about you. . .and when he looks at you. . .it is the only time his smile is very close to real. He likes you. . .I think and he really loves his son. I can tell. You both are probably. . .his favorite pieces on the board.”
“You got all of that with the small amount of time you spent with him.”
“Yeah.” She bobbed her head. “And I’m one of his favorite pieces on the board too because of this map.”
“I bet you’re right about that.”
“So. . .we can kind of trust him.”
I wanted to argue, to tell her that Leo couldn’t be trusted no matter what, but her words hung in the air between us, undeniable. She had seen something in him that I hadn’t, something dark and calculating, but also something that, in his twisted way, might actually be true.
“Okay. I believe you.” Tension gathered in my shoulders. “I’ll remember that while I’m with him.”
“Are Chloe, Jo, and me still staying in the East tonight?”
“Yes, but in the palace, not here.”
She widened her eyes. “Then, I want to take pictures of the map so that I can study it there.”
“Of course.” I nodded. “Tell, Lei. He’ll have people do it for you. Plus, Banks will be here tonight to make sure all your needs are met and that you feel comfortable.”
She smiled at me, that same innocent smile that always broke my heart. “Okay. We’ll be fine, Moni.”
“Will you?” My voice cracked.
She chuckled. “Yes.”
“Don’t be laughing at me.” I pulled her in for a hug. “You know I worry about you all.”
I held her tight.
TT was too young to have to understand these things, too young to have this kind of knowledge. But she had already seen so much and there was no going back.
“I love you, TT.”
“I love you too, Moni.”
“Sisters forever?”
“Forever and ever and ever.” TT giggled. “And ever.”
I let her go. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Trust me on that. I will see you.”
“Don’t worry, Moni. Leo said you’re going to be stronger after being with him and I believe that.”
My smile faltered. “What?”
“I know you’re scared.” she whispered. “But you don’t have to be, Leo told me that after you leave with him, you will return and that. . .you’re going to be stronger than ever in the East. That you won’t need him anymore when this is all done. You won’t even need Lei.”
“Why. . .did he say that?”
“Because. . .he said he’s going to teach you some things tomorrow.” Her gaze was steady and serious in a way that didn’t match her young age. “I know when Leo’s lying.”
“You do?”
“I’ve been watching him all night. He has this twitch in his eye when he lies. He smiles too much, like he’s trying to convince you of something he doesn’t even believe. Like when he told Uncle Song that Chef Foo’s chicken was the best he ever had, so he should win. I knew he didn’t mean it. He preferred Banks’s food better.”
A nervous chuckle left me. “O-kay. He was trying to rep for the East.”
"Yeah. . .but. . .when he talked about you, he didn’t lie. He meant it when he said he was going to make sure you were stronger than ever before and. . .I believe him.”
My nerves frazzled.
"He also said that he won’t hurt you and I can tell that he wasn’t lying about that either because later he was telling me that I would be his grandchildren’s aunt and that I would have to watch over them. Teach them how to be smart.”
Dear God. Leo and these fucking grandchildren.
That being said. . .her certainty cut through me like a blade and I didn’t know what to say. All I could do was hug her again.
She hugged me back just as fiercely, her tiny hands gripping my shirt as if she could hold me together. “You’re going to be stronger, Moni. I know it. And then. . .”
I closed my eyes. “Yes?”
“And then. no one will ever bother us again. No one will knock on our door or. . .take you away. . .or anything.”
Tears stung my eyes. “Facts.”
We sat there for a moment, wrapped in each other’s arms and for just those seconds, I allowed myself to believe that maybe. . .just maybe, TT was right.
Maybe I would come out of this stronger.
Maybe Leo wasn’t lying about everything.
But the truth was, I didn’t know.
None of us did.
All I could do was hold onto her and hope that whatever came next, I’d be ready for it.
I would have to be fucking ready.
Suddenly, the door creaked open and I turned to see Song stepping in.
His expression was unreadable as usual. He glanced over at TT and then at me, before closing the door behind him with a soft click.
Now what?
Song crossed the room slowly and then came to stand in front of TT. “Do me a favor, kid. Unlock the door for Lei in ten minutes.”
TT looked up at him with wide eyes, then nodded, as if she understood something far deeper than I did.
Song’s presence always felt heavy, like he carried an invisible burden with him wherever he went. It was unsettling and yet, I knew better than to question him right now.
Without another word, Song turned toward the closet and gestured for me to follow.
Fuck. It’s time to go.
My stomach twisted into knots.
This was it. The moment everything would shift for the evening and I had no idea what was waiting for me tonight.
Also, I hoped to God that Banks would be calm when Lei told him that Leo took me. I knew my cousin and I knew my man. Both were violent under pressure.
They better get along.
I got up, took a few steps toward the closet and then glanced back at TT, who gave me a small smile.
“I’ll see you later, sis.”
“Okay, Moni.” She returned to her map and sank right back into her world of treasure and mystery, completely unaware of the darkness that seemed to loom closer with each passing second.
Or maybe she was more aware than all of us.
God. . .I hope you’re right, TT. I really want to come back to you and Lei.
Song opened the closet door and stepped inside the dimly lit space.
I hesitated for a moment, taking one last breath before following him.
Lei is going to be pissed. He probably thought he had one more chance to stop this, due to us having to leave out of the hallway.
Song shoved the rows of hanging dresses and other clothes aside. Stuff that his sisters, Aunt Min and Aunt Suzi had bought for the girls.
Once he moved all of that away, that was when I saw it.
Oh shit.
At the back of the closet was a small door—one I probably would have never noticed. It was barely visible.
I looked at Song. “Does Lei know about these hidden passages?”
“No one but Leo and I knew.”
“Not even Leo’s wife?”
“Not even her.” Song reached for the handle twisted it open and a draft of cool air rushed out, carrying with it the scent of dampness.
"Why didn’t you all tell anyone?”
“For moments like tonight.”
“But. . .”
Without a word, Song stepped inside disappearing into the darkness beyond.
Damn. . .they’re really crazy.
Trembling, I followed and the small door automatically closed behind me with a quiet thud.
It was only darkness now.
Oh no. I don’t like this.
I stayed right there. “Song?”
His voice sounded up ahead. “Grab the rail on the right before stepping down.”
“We need a flashlight.”
“You only need courage.”
And a fucking flashlight. . .
I reached out and felt the cold metal of the railing.
“Take your time going down, Moni. We don’t need you to break your leg.”
No shit.
I let out a shaky breath, gripping the rail tighter.
Each step creaked under my weight and the farther down we went, the darker it became.
There were no lights, no windows—just an endless descent into what felt like the bowels of the house.
My hand was sweating causing the cold metal to slide against my palm.
Carefully, I placed one foot in front of the other as I started the descent into the unknown.
"Song?" My voice echoed off the narrow walls. “Are you still there?”
"I'm right here." His deep voice responded from below, comforting yet distant.
“Well don’t go too far. I’m fucking freaking out.”
His chuckle rose in the space and I realized that this was the first time I ever heard the man enjoy himself.
He spoke. “Your cousin is an excellent cook.”
I took another step down, feeling the temperature drop with each movement. “Yeah.”
“Can you cook as good?”
“I think so. We both had the same teacher.”
“Big Mama?”
“Yes.”
The darkness enveloped me completely, consuming my senses and instilling a newfound fear.
Goddamn it! I’m supposed to be eating Banks’s cobbler and fucking Lei in my bed tonight, not walking in the fucking dark.
Pausing for a moment, I shook my head shutting out the irrational fears beginning to claw at my sanity.
This wasn't the time to lose control.
Not now.
Song urged gently. "Keep moving, Moni."
“Okay. Okay.”
“Will you cook for Leo and me in the morning? Something nice for breakfast.”
“That depends on if I’m not scared out of my mind.”
“We’re family. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“Yeah well. . .tell that to my nerves.”
And tell that to Yan’s decapitated head.
Either way, my statement tickled Song and he laughed.
That sound served as my little beacon in the darkness.
So, I continued walking down what felt like an endless staircase.
My mind raced.
My thoughts tumbled over each other in pure anxiety.
I made sure to not think of Lei’s heart breaking in the hallway, thinking I would be coming out to leave. If I did, it would have been even harder to leave.
All I could do was focus on my future.
Where is Song taking me?
What is waiting for me tonight?
What does Leo have planned?
What fucking lessons does he plan to teach?
And even more. . .how does he plan to make me even stronger?