One after another, every member of the Qing family rose up and exited the room, leaving Zoe and her father behind.
Leon watched them go with a confused mind.
"Come," Hu Qing said in an unkind voice. He placed a hand on Zoe's shoulder and gently steered her toward the door.
Zoe offered Leon one last glance before allowing herself to be guided out.
Heavy silence ruled the room as the door swung shut behind them.
The faint hum of the afternoon and the distant, rhythmic chirp of some unseen insect broke the stillness as the afternoon sun streamed through the window.
Dust motes danced like frantic fireflies and cast long, stark shadows that stretched and shifted across the polished stone floor.
Leon sat on the edge of the bed for a full minute, still feeling Zoe's warm grip on his hands.
"Why did they kneel down?" he said in a loud voice that sounded small in the spacious room.
