Part One — Chapter Two

The chapter opens by linking Alicia’s self-portrait, Alcestis, to the myth of self-sacrifice, while noting its meaning is initially unclear. The narrator insists on telling Alicia’s story carefully before introducing himself.

The narrator recalls viewing Alcestis at a controversial gallery show during Alicia’s trial. The painting depicts Alicia nude in her studio with scarred wrists, a dripping brush, and a blank canvas, her mute stare unreadable. The public projects guilt and monstrosity onto her, even as the narrator finds her expression impenetrable.

Media theories swirl—abuse, a sex game gone wrong, jealousy, or money—but none fit neatly. The known facts implicate Alicia: she was found with Gabriel’s body and her fingerprints were on the gun. Her continued silence, lack of visible remorse, and stillness at trial harden public judgment.

In court, the judge criticizes Alicia’s refusal to speak, but the defense pleads diminished responsibility. Professor Lazarus Diomedes argues Alicia’s mutism reflects profound psychological distress. The judge accepts this, and Alicia is sent to the Grove under Diomedes’s supervision instead of prison.

Contrary to expectations that she might feign recovery, Alicia remains silent for years, and public interest fades. The narrator, a forensic psychotherapist, remains captivated, reading her silence as trauma and feeling uniquely positioned to help. When a psychotherapist position opens at the Grove six years later, he follows his conviction and applies.