Poor Deluded Fool

She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing, her smile turning into a cruel smirk. "Caine has already moved on," she taunted, her voice low and venomous. "He is with me now, he has always loved me. He only stuck with you because of your mother's inheritance."

The words hit Noelle like a physical blow. A wave of nausea washed over her, and her heart sank. She could not believe that Caine would do something like this, she refused to believe that it was possible that he had been lying all that while.

Somehow the pieces started to fall into place and Noelle knew the truth, she did not just want to believe it. 'It's best you snap out of this delusion, if Caine hasn't come to see you all this while it is because he has more important things than you to deal with.'

The color drained from her face, leaving her pale and drawn. The fight drained out of her, replaced by a crushing sense of despair. She felt utterly defeated, completely alone.

Ma-Ri watched her, her eyes gleaming with a cruel satisfaction. She had broken finally Noelle, shattered her last remaining hope.

"I have always been the one in his heart, not you, Noelle," Ma-Ri continued, twisting the knife further. "And now that you are out of the way we can be happy."

Noelle remained silent, her gaze fixed on the table, her mind reeling. She couldn't comprehend what was happening. Everything she had believed in, everything she had held dear, had been ripped away from her.

"I am grateful for all the sacrifices you have made, thanks to your stupidity I have everything that you had." Ma-Ri leaned forward and smiled. "I have all the money that you were supposed to inherit, I will be the lead vocalist for GURL and best of all, your man is in love with me."

She stood up, preparing to leave. She had accomplished all that she had come to do: which was to torment Noelle, to crush her spirit, to ensure that she would face her execution in a state of utter and total despair.

"It has been… enlightening," Ma-Ri said, her voice laced with a false sweetness. "I am so glad that we had this little chat, sister."

As Ma-Ri turned to leave, a surge of desperate adrenaline coursed through Noelle's veins. She could not let her go. She could not let her walk away, scot-free, after destroying her life. Surely something could be done.

Driven by a desperate impulse, Noelle lunged across the table, grabbing Ma-Ri's arm. "You are not dead!" she screamed, her voice filled with a raw, desperate energy. "I know that you are not dead! I am going to tell everyone! They have to know the truth, I can't suffer for what I have not done!"

The guards reacted instantly, rushing towards Noelle and pulling her off Ma-Ri. They restrained her, their grip tight and painful.

"Let me go!" Noelle yelled, struggling against their hold. "She is alive! She is the one who framed me! You have to believe me and arrest her, that is Ma-Ri!"

But the guards ignored her pleas, taking her hysteria to simply be a moment of breaking down. Their faces impassive, they dragged her back towards her cell, her screams echoing through the visiting area.

Ma-Ri stood there, watching the scene unfold, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She dabbed it away with a delicate handkerchief, her expression shifting from cruel satisfaction to feigned sadness.

"She must have lost her mind," Ma-Ri murmured, her voice laced with a false sympathy. "It is so tragic that she refuses to acknowledge what she has done, if she is ever released she might just commit an even worse crime."

She turned and walked away, her steps light, her head held high. As she disappeared from view, the feigned sadness vanished, replaced by a triumphant smile. She had won. She had gotten away with it, her happiness would be complete when she watched Noelle dangling from the rope.

And Noelle, the woman who had dared to stand in her way, was about to pay the ultimate price. The sound of Noelle's desperate screams faded into the distance, a testament to Ma-Ri's chilling victory.

*

Noelle sat across from her lawyer, the cold, metallic table separating them a stark reminder of the insurmountable barrier between her and freedom.

She had recounted her meeting with Ma-Ri to him, the chilling confirmation of her innocence, the revelation of a meticulously crafted frame-up. She had even described Ma-Ri's appearance, her clothing, the chilling details of their conversation.

But her lawyer's expression remained unchanged: a mixture of pity and professional detachment. He listened patiently, nodding occasionally, but his eyes held a look of profound skepticism.

"Noelle," he said gently, his voice laced with concern, "I understand that this is a very difficult time for you. But these… hallucinations… they are most likely a coping mechanism, a way for your mind to deal with the stress of your situation."

Noelle's heart sank. She had expected disbelief from the authorities, from the public, but she had hoped that her lawyer, the one person who was supposed to be on her side, would believe her.

"It is not a hallucination!" she protested, her voice rising in desperation. "I saw her! She was right there before me in the visiting room! She told me everything!"

The lawyer sighed. "Noelle," he said, his voice soft but firm, "I know you believe you saw this woman. But there is no evidence to support your claim. There's no record of a visitor matching that description. The security footage from the visiting room shows no one else entering or leaving during that time."

Noelle's breath caught in her throat. The security footage. She had forgotten about the security footage. If it did not show Ma-Ri, then her story would seem even more unbelievable.

"But… but that is impossible!" she stammered, her voice trembling. "She was there! I swear she was! The warden told me my sister had come to see me. You have to believe me."

"I understand your distress, Noelle," her lawyer said, his voice laced with pity. "But we need concrete evidence. We need something more than just your testimony."

He paused, his expression turning grave. "I have filed every possible appeal," he continued. "I have exhausted all legal avenues. But without any new evidence, the execution will proceed as scheduled."

Noelle stared at him, her mind reeling. She was trapped. She had no way to prove her innocence, no way to stop the inevitable, she felt like throwing up.

The days that followed were a blur of fear and despair. Noelle spent her time in her cell, replaying her conversation with Ma-Ri in her mind, desperately searching for some detail, some piece of evidence that could prove her story. But there was nothing. It was her word against the seemingly irrefutable evidence of her guilt.

The day of her execution arrived, cold and grey, mirroring the despair in Noelle's heart. She was led from her cell, her hands and feet shackled, her steps heavy. Every step to the execution chamber felt like she was heading directly to her own grave.

The sterile, brightly lit room was virtually empty, with only the warden an a few reporters standing as a witnesses. Their faces were a mixture of boredom and detached professionalism. Noelle shuffled in, her heart pounding in her chest, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

She looked around the room, desperately searching for a familiar face, a sign of hope, something. But there was no one. She was alone, completely alone.

The warden read the death warrant, his voice devoid of emotion. Noelle closed her eyes, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She thought about her life, about all that she would do differently if she was ever given a chance, she thought of the life that was about to be taken from her, unjustly, cruelly.

The guards gently guided her onto the gurney, their touch surprisingly gentle. They secured her wrists and ankles with leather straps, the cool metal buckles clicking into place. A technician approached, his face impassive as he swabbed her arm with alcohol. He expertly located a vein and inserted the IV line, taping it securely to her skin.

Noelle closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. The scent of antiseptic was sharp in her nostrils. She thought of the bayou, the humid air thick with the scent of cypress and damp earth. A single tear escaped and traced a path down her cheek.

A voice, amplified by a speaker, filled the room. It was the warden, his tone official and detached. "The execution of Noelle Dubois is about to commence. Do you have any last words?"

Noelle opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on the panel with people staring at her. She did not have anything more to say, there was no point.

The warden's voice echoed again. "The execution will now proceed."

Noelle closed her eyes once more. She felt a slight sting as the first drug, the anesthetic, entered her bloodstream. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and her vision began to blur, she opened her eyes and caught sight of Fabiola Knight staring at her with a smug expression.

She struggled to say something, but the second drug, the paralytic was administered. Her muscles relaxed, her breathing becoming shallow. Finally, the third drug, potassium chloride, flowed into her veins. A burning sensation spread through her chest, and her heart began to slow.

The room was silent, save for the soft hum of the machines monitoring her vital signs. Noelle's breathing became shallower and shallower, until it ceased altogether. The monitor flatlined, a single, unwavering green line stretching across the screen.

The warden's voice, flat and emotionless, announced, "The sentence has been carried out."