[2] The Vicious Wife

Fairytales

Lotte

"What are you thinking?" Park Jimin hugged Roseanne from behind and looked at the cloudless sky in front of them.

"Christopher," she answered shortly. "What do you think happened to him?"

"This question makes me wonder why you chose not to ask him about the details. Are you afraid that he might lose control of himself?"

"Yes... I am," she said. She didn't want to make him unstable at an important moment like this. "After the Li Family leaves, I will ask him."

"Hmmm... But I think you should wait a bit longer and observe him. Kim Taehyung told me that he was acting a little weird the day after we met with him, and apparently he's even tried talking to some people so we are not sure what is going on with him. At first I thought talking to him would be our best option, but after knowing about the changes in his behaviour I think we should wait a bit more."

"Are you thinking the same thing as me?" Roseanne asked.

"Yes. I am," he nodded without even asking what Roseanne thought. Christopher might have Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), and Roseanne didn't have to say it out loud for him to guess her thoughts. The reports showed that Christopher had suffered a severe trauma, and that is one of the main contributing factors in developing DID, or multiple personality disorder as it was formerly known.

"I don't think there is a way to cure that. Am I wrong?" she asked.

"You are right," he answered. "However, if you want to know if he can live normally then the answer would be yes, he can. There are some therapies that can last for years. But... let's not discuss the worst possible outcomes, alright? For some reason, I don't think he's on the worst end of the spectrum as his memories are still intact. According to Kim Taehyung, his ability to remember things is top notch."

When Roseanne did not answer him, he continued, "We aren't doctors so we can't diagnose cases like this, but from one of the journals I read, it listed a symptom of Dissociative Identity Disorder as being super forgetful to the point of having amnesia, which is not the case with Christopher as his memory is extremely sharp."

Roseanne slowly sighed before she responded. "I shouldn't think about him at all but I find this extremely disturbing. What could have happened to him? Why is he showing me things like that?" She sighed again as she closed her eyes and leaned her head on Park Jimin's chest. "My father is coming tomorrow."

****

The atmosphere between Roseanne and her father was completely awkward. While Roseanne was smiling as she ate the peeled grapes offered by Park Jimin, Li Chuan merely stared at her. No words, no tears, no interaction whatsoever. It was as if he was trying to memorize her features, her actions and everything about her.

"Aren't..."

"How..." Roseanne's words came to a halt when both of them spoke at the same time. Seeing Roseanne pause and slowly nod at him, Li Chuan continued. "How did she die? Your... Your mother... Iris, how did she die?"

Roseanne arched a brow at his question. No 'hello's or hi's... no how are you's either. He didn't even ask if she was aware of who he is?! But what did she expect from someone with Li blood? Aren't they all crazy when it comes to their lovers?

"Do you want me to lie to you to make you feel better? Or hurt you with the truth?" Roseanne asked in response. Roseanne sighed as Li Chuan continued to look at her blankly. "I don't know," she said, earning a small reaction from her father. "They only gave me her ashes. I don't know if she died of blood loss or from the impact. Or if they took her heart out of her. I really don't know," Roseanne said as she met his eyes.

"The only thing that I know for certain is that she was murdered due to a case of mistaken identity," Roseanne added. Her words were cold and detached as if she were relaying facts to someone that she didn't know. Like a stranger. And as expected, her words caused Li Chuan to frown immediately.

"Was it He Lan?" he asked, his jaw clenched.

"Yes." Roseanne nodded. "It was her."

"Where is Christopher? Is he alive?"

"Yes..." Once again she nodded. This time, Li Chuan's eyes showed gentleness as he gave Roseanne a nod of approval. "It has been so long- I can't even remember  the last time that I felt relieved. Knowing that you and your brother are together and alive is enough for me. I would like to retire now. If you don't mind, please leave me."

"That's it?" Roseanne asked. Seeing her father remain silent, Roseanne balled her hands into fists and rose from her seat. "I will talk to you once you are ready," she said before walking out of the room with an unfathomable expression on her face.

Once upon a time, when she was a little girl, all she wished for and all that she wanted was to be happy, marry a prince, give birth and take care of her parents. Obviously, her life story was not like those fairytales that her mother used to read to her.

Now that she thought about it. Roseanne felt that was alone. She had no one. Everyone who cared for her was dead and now, her brother and father... well she could not even see a tinge of emotion from their eyes.

A small tear slowly made its way down her cheek as she walked until she hit something hard. Roseanne was about to swear when she realized that she had bumped into Park Jimin. She met his dark brown eyes as she swallowed all of the emotions that were erupting inside her. She felt him wipe the tear from her cheek and lift her chin a little higher.

"You have me," he said. "I have you." Then he smiled at her, his eyes gentle, full of unspoken emotions. "We already have each other. That is enough."