The Perfect Crime

Chapter 12: OBSESSION

When obsession makes it's way into love then love becomes a danger to itself and those around it ~Victor
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It was that kind of weather where when you took off your jacket, you felt an unmistakeable chill rack your bones to the core and yet when you put it on, the sweltering heat threatened to make a stew of you. Dr. Emilia Gardiner, who was scantily clad in the same rumpled yellow romper from yesterday night, was currently rubbing her bare arms furiously to ward off the chill.

Emilia locked up Archer's house and put the key in her purse. She licked the last of the chocolate cake from her plump lips and smiled like a child. Archer had left her a piece of cake on the dining table with a note that informed her that he had urgent work to take care of and that he was expecting her back tonight. He had promised to bring macaroons and Emilia could never say no to macaroons. They were her favorite dessert.

Emilia literally skipped the whole way to her house with a smile. The memories of last night began to play out in her mind like a slideshow and she giggled. If any of her neighbors saw her like this, there was no doubt in her mind that she would end up in a mental asylum. She was lucky that it was nine a.m and most of her neighbors had either already made it to work or were currently stuck in the rush hour traffic jam. She didn't expect anyone to be home to ask her where she had been last night. Yes, she lived in those kinds of neighborhoods where everyone expected to know everything about everyone.

Emilia's next door neighbor, Danielle Garcia, a plump single mother of two troublesome boys tumbled out of her house the moment Emilia stuck her key into the front door of her converted dairy loft. She held her crying toddler on her hip while her other son clung to her hand and was pulling her towards her car. Ah! The struggles of motherhood.

Emilia willed her door to open so that she could enter her house before Danielle roped her into a never-ending pointless conversation. She was already running late for work. Emilia mumbled a string of profanities when Danielle called out to her. And to think the day had started off on a bright note. Don't get her wrong, Emilia wasn't antisocial or anything like that. She just loathed women who spent most of their time gossiping about everyone and criticizing their every action. Generally, she hated people who acted as if they were the biggest saints in the world.

And Danielle was one of those people.

"You are back so soon?" Danielle asked. The chubby toddler on her hip had stopped crying and was now deriving satisfaction from trying to yank Danielle's hair from her scalp. Her other son, who seemed to have inherited his mother's incessant love for gossip, was listening intently to their conversation.

"Huh?" Emilia asked completely shocked.

"I saw you leave your house about an hour ago." Danielle replied. What? She hadn't even been home last night. It seemed Danielle had finally lost her mind. Emilia nodded in agreement to prevent further questioning and excused herself from the conversation. She turned the key in the lock and her door clicked open.

When Emilia was finally safe in the confines of her house, she sighed in relief. She immediately went to her bedroom. She stripped off the romper and threw it in the laundry basket. Next, were the shoes which she kicked under the bed.

Emilia sang while she showered. She was still happy. Danielle had not ruined her day yet. When she was done, she dried herself and moved to the mirror. She smiled at her reflection. There were no more bags under her eyes owing to the adequate sleep she had gotten yesterday. Her eyes no longer possessed the thousand yard stare. In their place, were smoldering crystalline blue eyes that possessed thousands of emotions. Gratitude? Contentment? Love?