Miyu opened her eyes and found herself sitting across from an empty seat. Her eyes scanned the room distraughtly.
She was at her boyfriend Ren's house. She knew the place too well to be mistaken.
Looking at the decorations hanging from the walls and doorways, anyone could tell it was a birthday celebration.
But all the balloons and streamers made her tear up. She bit down on her lower lip, as though it was the lever that closed the gates of her pressing tears.
This was the day. The day that led her to the hospital bed that eventually became her death bed, paralyzed and basically a cabbage.
She stared at the wine glass in front of her and let out a soft, bitter chuckle. The wine inside it was poisoned.
After drinking it, she would be hospitalized, for three long days as the poison gnawed at her bones.
During those three days, Ren hadn't visited her once. Instead, he'd gone ahead and married someone else.
Her gaze fell on the cake. Three candles. Perhaps they were supposed to symbolize the countdown to her demise.
Regret was the only thing coursing through her mind.
She regretted everything—the years wasted on him, the money she'd taken from her parents for him, even buying this house for him. The mockery she made of herself when she dropped out of college and chose to do nothing with her life all because he said it wasn't necessary. That he'd take care of her and her future.
Looking back now, she wondered just how blind she'd been.
But now, things would change.
She saw him coming from the kitchen, wearing his usual warm-looking smile. His calm almond shaped eyes gleamed as he stared at her so dearingly.
'How pretentious,' she thought.
Calmly, she swapped their glasses, making sure he saw her.
And as expected, he panicked.
"Miyu, what are you doing? Why did you swap the glasses?"
"I like this glass. It's prettier," she answered with a casual tone.
"No, you can't do that. Just put it back."
Fear laced his voice and his eyes that were now darting around nervously. He had a wedding in two days, after all. He didn't want to die before then.
"Why are you making a fuss? It's not like there's anything wrong with my drink... right?" she looked at him, narrowing her eyes in an accusatory manner.
He froze. Shocked—not just because he'd nearly exposed himself but also that she'd defied him. She hadn't just done as he told her.
"No, that's not what I meant..."
She cut him short.
"Hey, Ren," she said, rising to her feet. Her intense gaze on him stayed unwavering.
Splash! She poured the wine in his glass over his face.
Before he could form a retort, she spoke again, "I wish you a happy marriage."
She didn't wait for his reaction. She grabbed her purse and stormed out.
Her car was waiting outside.
"Mr. Hayashi, let's go," she called out to her chauffeur, who was still puffing on a cigar, expecting her to stay longer.
But suddenly, she paused.
A thought crossed her mind and she turned back towards the house.
"I don't know how she found out. She didn't even drink it! Why's that dimwit making things hard for us now?!" Ren's voice rang out from inside.
He turned with clear frustration on his face and rubbing his nose's bridge. He saw her at the door and at that moment he silently accepted that he couldn't salvage anything anymore.
Miyu froze there for a while, not having expected that sort of brazenness.
He tossed his phone aside and resignedly asked, "You're back?"
"Yes. Get out," she said dryly.
"What?!"
"Get out of my house."
"But... this is my house."
"No. I bought this house. It's registered in my name. So leave." The words rolled off her tongue so authoritatively, clearly expecting no refutal.
"Miyu, can we just talk about all this?"
She rolled her eyes showing obvious disinterest in a sit-and-chat with him.
She hurled her purse at him. "Get out!"
He flinched but didn't move. He froze there oogling at her in disbelief like she was someone he didn't know.
He indeed felt like he didn't know her. He didn't know this Miyu.
Miyu impatiently slipped off one of her black red-bottom heels and threw it. He dodged it and finally started towards the door.
"Leave my house, you cheat!"
Before the second shoe could follow, he was already outside and it hit the closed door with a satisfying thud.
"AARGHH!" She finally released the anger and ran her hands through her hair.
Only after that did her mind feel at ease. After one shaky breath, she put her heels back on, took her purse and left the house.
"Take me home," she told Mr. Hayashi as she sunk into the backseat of her black sedan.
"Home?" Mr. Hayashi asked, sounding surprised.
"Yeah."
The old man smiled.
"Sir and madam will be so happy to see you back home," he said as he roared the engine to life and pulled out of the driveway.
It had been so long since she went to see her parents.
When they disapproved of her relationship with Ren, she was so angry that she didn't want to ever see them again.
Would they really be happy to see her?