The harsh fluorescent lights of the death row cell cast long, unforgiving shadows, emphasizing the cold, concrete reality of Noelle's situation. Every clang of metal, every distant shout, served as a chilling reminder of her impending fate, of the ugly situation she faced. She sat on the edge of her cot, the thin mattress offering very little comfort, her gaze fixed on the rough concrete wall. Days blurred into nights, each one a torturous countdown to her execution.
The monotony was broken by the sudden appearance of the warden, his face neutral as usual. "You have a visitor, Noelle," he announced, his voice devoid of any emotion.
Noelle's head snapped up, her eyes widening in surprise. A visitor? He must have the wrong person. No one had come to see her ever since she had been incarcerated. She had no family to speak of, all her friends and admirers had disappeared in their haste to not have her notoriety rubbed off on them.
Despite how everyone had looked at her and condemned her, the most painful abandonment had come from Chol. The man who had always made her feel more important than anything in the world. Of all the people to turn away from her, she had expected it from him the least and it broke her into pieces. So, she had resigned herself to facing her fate alone. She was surprised to have a visitor.
"A visitor?" she repeated, her voice hoarse from disuse. "Who… who is it?"
The warden consulted his clipboard. "A Fabiola Knight, she says that she is your sister."
Noelle's brow furrowed in confusion. She did not know anyone by that name, and she definitely did not have a sister by that name, or any sister in the first place. She wondered if it was a cruel joke, a twisted form of psychological torture.
"There must be some mistake," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I don't have a sister."
"Well, that is what she said, that she is your sister from the orphanage." the warden replied, shrugging indifferently. "Suit yourself. If you don't want to see her I can just ask her to lea…"
"No, wait," Noelle interrupted, a flicker of curiosity and desperation igniting within her. She could barely remember anyone from the orphanage, she had never returned there after she was taken away all those years ago, she wondered who had come. "I will see her."
The warden nodded and signaled to a guard, who unlocked the cell door and escorted Noelle to the visiting area. It was a small, sterile room with a metal table and two chairs. Noelle sat down, her heart pounding in her chest, her mind racing with questions.
A few moments later, a woman entered the room. She was strikingly beautiful, with elegant features and an air of quiet sophistication. She was dressed in a tailored suit, her blonde hair in a neat stylish bun that emphasized the beauty of her heart shaped face. Her appearance completely out of place in the grim surroundings.
Noelle stared at her, her confusion deepening. She did not recognize this woman. She was certain she had never seen her before.
The woman sat down across from Noelle, her gaze steady and intense. A faint smile played on her lips, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Hello, Areum," she said, her voice smooth and melodic.
The familiar voice and the use of her name stunned Noelle, she was used to being referred to by her stage name. Very few people called her Areum, the only people who did were family or people from the orphanage.
Noelle remained silent, her eyes searching the woman's face, trying to find some familiarity. But there was nothing. This woman was a complete stranger, but that voice, that voice sounded so familiar.
"I'm afraid there has been a mistake," Noelle said, her voice hesitant. "I don't know you. I don't have a sister."
The woman's smile widened, revealing a hint of something cold and calculating. "Oh, but you do," she said, her voice dropping to a low, almost conspiratorial whisper. "Or have you forgotten your dear sister… Ma-Ri."
Noelle's breath caught in her throat as her eyes widened. Ma-Ri? The name echoed in her mind, a name associated with tragedy and despair. Ma-Ri, the same woman she had murdered, the reason she was facing a death sentence.
Ma-Ri?" she repeated, her voice barely a whisper. "But… how? You are supposed to be…"
"Dead?" Ma-Ri finished, her smile turning into a cruel, mocking grin. "That's what I wanted everyone to thinks, I marvel at my cunning, my mind!"
Noelle stared at her, her mind reeling. This could not be happening. Ma-Ri was dead. No one had seen the body, but all the evidence pointed to it. She was sitting on death row waiting for the electric chair because of this same death.
"This is impossible," she stammered, her voice trembling.
"Is it?" Ma-Ri countered, her eyes gleaming with a chilling intensity. "Or is it simply… poetic justice? You take my life so I take yours."
Noelle remained silent, her mind a whirlwind of confusion and fear. She could still not understand what was happening. How could Ma-Ri be alive?
During the trial, one of the prosecution's evidence had been the presence of so much blood which even though wiped away, still showed that Ma-Ri had bleed too much and could not possibly survive that amount of blood loss. When asked why there was no body, they alleged that Noelle had chopped up the body with the saw she bought from the supermarket and then dumped the pieces in the sea. Pictures of Noelle at the port in the middle of the night also lent credence to the claim.
At a point, in the light of all the evidence, Noelle started to question her own sanity. She wondered if she had actually had a psychotic break and murdered Ma-Ri? All the evidence, which was a lot and quite convincing pointed to it.
She wondered how then was it possible that the woman sitting before her claimed to be Ma-ri?
"You are wondering how this is possible, aren't you?" Ma-Ri said, her voice laced with a cruel amusement.
"You are wondering how I can be sitting here, talking to you with a different face, when you are the one who is now paying for my murder."
Noelle nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on Ma-Ri's face.
"It is all quite simple, really," Ma-Ri continued, her voice smooth and calm. "I spent so much time plotting the perfect murder, placing all of the evidence to ensure that my killer would be convicted. And you… you were the perfect scapegoat for those plans."
"Poor Areum, tell me. How did it feel being the most loathed person in the world?" She mocked.
Noelle's breath caught in her throat. She understood everything now. She had been framed. She had been set up to take the fall for Ma-Ri's disappearance.
"I started by sabotaging the company, all those civil cases you had to settle which left you in crushing debt? I am responsible for that. Then, I took out a life insurance in my own name and made you the beneficiary, then you would have cause to kill me, I then got someone to swear in court that you tried to hire them to kill me." Ma-Ri said, "I planted all that evidence to point straight to you and let the police take care of the rest."
Then with a smack of her lips, she smirked at Noelle and said in a conspiratorial tone. "What do you think of my new face? I got it right after you got arrested for my murder."
"Why?" Noelle whispered, her voice barely audible. "Why did you do this to me?"
Ma-Ri's smile vanished, her expression turning cold and hard. "Because you were in my way," she said, her voice laced with hatred. "You were always in my way. You, a nobody just waltzed into my family and took over the life that was meant for me. Everyday, I loathed your presence and prayed for your downfall. Everything I have ever done to you, I relished!"
She leaned back and stared at Noelle, "And now that you have been dealt with, I will dance on your grave." She spat.
Noelle's eyes widened in shock at the thought of how much Ma-Ri hated her. She knew that there was no love lost between them, but she never thought that Ma-Ri would go this far.
"But.. but, this was too much." Noelle whispered in a daze.
"It was not enough!" Ma-Ri said sharply. "You were constantly in my way, you took everything from me! The role as the lead singer, grandmother's love, the company and Caine's love. I had to get rid of you in order to succeed."
The initial shock of Ma-Ri's revelation had left Noelle in a daze, a state of stunned disbelief. But as the words sank in, as the full weight of the deception crashed down upon her, a spark of defiance ignited within her. She would not simply accept this fate. She would not let Ma-Ri win.
Snapping out of her stupor, Noelle glared at Ma-Ri, her eyes filled with a newfound resolve. "I am going to tell Caine the truth," she declared, her voice firm, cutting through the heavy silence of the visiting room. "He will believe me. He will come for me and save me. And the defense will have new evidence and I won't have to be executed."
Ma-Ri erupted in a harsh, mocking laugh. It was a cruel, chilling sound that echoed through the small room, devoid of any warmth or humor.
"Areum, you dumb girl. Aren't you supposed to be smart?" she repeated, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You still think that Caine is going to save you? You poor, deluded fool."