Part Four — Chapter Three

Theo questions Christian about his off-the-books treatment of Alicia, demanding facts rather than diagnoses. Christian admits seeing her sporadically, including a week before Gabriel’s murder, and immediately characterizes her as paranoid and psychotic.

When Theo raises Alicia’s diary claims of being watched, Christian laughs them off as delusions. He cites a prior incident before Hampstead when Alicia accused a blind neighbor of spying, using it as proof of longstanding instability.

Christian says Alicia rarely discussed her father beyond insisting on a normal relationship, yet he asserts her father’s suicide “did it,” leaving her unrecovered. He reframes her post‑bereavement overdose as performative, meant to communicate distress to Gabriel rather than a true suicide attempt.

Growing more scornful, Christian labels Alicia narcissistic, borderline, and incapable of empathy, calling her a “lost cause.” Theo notes Christian’s lack of empathy and, rejecting the cynicism, decides the only way forward is to seek answers directly from Alicia.