The next day, Maehwa awoke at eight in the morning. She had beeen paranoid all night, afraid that Datura might call the police on her while she slept. Luckily, Datura didn't. Maehwa took a walk the backyard for some fresh air, walking along a paved path that didn't lead to the pool. She knew that Pierre's body was still floating there. Trying to take her mind off of it, she focused on the chirping of birds and the sound of running squirrels.
"Good morning," Datura said.
Maehwa nearly jumped. "Oh, hey. Um . . . am I going to draw you today or something?"
"I'll go prepare some breakfast. I'll tell you my story."
"Okay," Maehwa said, not really caring, and hoping that Datura wasn't a bad cook.
A little while later, Maehwa walked into the dining room, and was greeted by the fragrant smell of breakfast. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, and omelettes. The breakfast smelled so good, but Maehwa didn't want to eat, for fear of the food being poisoned.
"Eat," Datura ordered, "You are a guest in my home."
Maehwa looked her in the eye before giving in. Then she gorged herself. The last thing she had eaten was instant ramen.
Datura cleared her throat. "Shall I begin my story?"
"Sure, but why do you want to tell me so much? It feels like you're really pushing for me to listen," Maehwa noted, stabbing an omelette over and over with her fork, "It's almost like you're . . . desperate."
"I am explaining my life story because I want you to think about how I would have died. I want it to be as true to life as possible." Datura lied, "And please stop playing with your food. Have some manners, young lady."
"I would tell you to stop trying to change the subject, but whatever. You can begin, woman."
Datura took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead. "My childhood was perfectly happy. I had everything that I wanted, and my parents took great care in making sure that I had all the tools that I needed to live a good life. In school, I was, by all accounts, a hardworking with good grades. Because of that, I was able to get into a good university. I majored in business, and I met a man in my class named Pierre Fischer."
"Uh huh."
"We were not familiar with each other, and we were not close. So after we both graduated college, we went our separate ways. I landed a job at a company, and was trying to make my way up the ranks. There was a promotion that I was hoping to get, but someone sabotaged it by spreading rumors about me. Because I went straight to work after graduating, I didn't take a break. The stress broke me," Datura continued.
"Wow. Sounds just like a movie. What's gonna happen next? Is Pierre gonna become your knight in shining armor and save you?"
Datura glowered at Maehwa. "No. Now please stop interrupting and let me continue."
"Mkay."
"I had nowhere to go. I did not want to rely on my parents either. I wanted to make a future for myself, by myseflf. So I started contacting all my old friends, asking for any job opportunities. And through an old mutual from college, I was put into contact with Pierre. To my surprise, he accepted my request for an interview. He seemed like a completely different person from college. He was handsome, charismatic, and a wonderful person to be around."
"Ah, so he did become your knight in shining armor."`
Ignoring the remark, Datura continued on. "Around the office, he was known to be a kind and generous man. I thought that he was too, since he had just given me a job. But the knight in shining armor turned out to be the dragon he was saving me from. "
"How?"
Datura sighed. "You'll see."
Maehwa stared off into space for a bit, nibbling on a pancake. "What was your job?"
"I was the assistant to the finance manager. It wasn't the easiest job, but I enjoyed my work and the people I had met through it. After a month or two, I met Pierre's now ex-wife, Miri. Like Pierre, she had a vibrant and lively personality, and everything about her exterior was glittery and welcoming," Datura explained, choking up a bit.
"Were you jealous of Miri?"
"No. She made Pierre happy, and he made her happy. And besides, Pierre and I were only coworkers, nothing else. But as the months wore on, Miri started to shrivel up like a dead flower. Her vibrant personality was nowhere to be seen. Whenever you talked with Miri, she always peppered her conversations with forced smiles and weary eyes. Her bubbly voice was more of a coerced whisper. Something was off, and no one knew why. After that, it only got worse. Miri was drinking in the afternoon, and would often show up to the building drunk out of her mind, with a bottle of alcohol in her hand. Whenever she was there, she would be spouting nonsense, and talk about how horrible Pierre was. Then, she would be gone for a month, and show up at a company party a few weeks later, her hair thinning out and her eyes glossy from holding back tears. Eventually, everyone started to stay away from her, only talking to her if need be."
"Why was she like that?"
"I'm not too sure. But one day, she got into an argument with Pierre at work. Everyone on in the vicinity was scared out of their minds, as the argument was getting really intense. Then. Miri stormed out of the Pierre's office. We all thought that it was the end of it, until lunch break, when Miri came back to the building."
Maehwa stopped chewing for a bit. "Wait. Why did the security guards keep allowing Miri to get into the building?"
"How am I supposed to know? Anyways, this time, she did not enter the building, but instead tried to set it on fire. Not many of us know the full details, as it was vaguely explained to us, but she essentially poured gasoline somewhere and threw a lit it on fire. Luckily, no one was hurt, but we all had to evacuate. As we were waiting outside, I saw Miri being carried away into an ambulance. She was crying and screaming. She was supposed to be put on trial for arson, but before that could happen, Miri was murdered," Datura finished, taking a sip of tea.
"I'm sorry, but how is this related to your dead husband?" Maehwa asked.