Work Text:
In the hallway of her country house, Helene walks with slow, hesitant steps.
She turns her head to the left, gazing at the paintings and
photographs hanging on the wall with its white floral pattern.
Photographs of her and her partner David;
they have been married for 20 years, and their last wedding anniversary was two months ago.
Helene loved him deeply for a while, but her feelings have faded as time has gone by.
The idea of talking to her husband about it had occurred to her since their anniversary;
a day when no emotion had touched her heart as deeply as she would have wished. Helene,
her heart beating a little faster, quickly opens the kitchen door to find David standing there.
Their kitchen has a modern look, in dark blue and white, with simple fittings.
David is sitting at the table with a half-full cup of coffee.
When he sees her come into the room, David pulls out the chair next to him;
a silent invitation for her to sit beside him.
Seeing that his wife wasn’t moving, he looked at her with a mixture of surprise and suspicion, then spoke.
“Is something wrong, my angel?
—Listen, David… I’ve got something to confess to you.
—Yes, I’m listening.”
Helene takes a deep breath, then rests her hands on the chair in front of her.
She looks her husband in the eyes.
"Um... David, it’s been a while now, but...
I think my feelings for you are fading with time..."
Helene sees her husband’s expression harden and speaks again straight away.
‘So that’s why I think that—’
Her husband cut her off straight away.
“You’ve found someone else, haven’t you?
—No, that’s not—
—Do you want a divorce? What about the children?”
Helene sees him grip his cup more tightly and begins to raise his voice.
He stands up and strikes a threatening pose.
“Explain yourself,” he says in an icy tone.
Hélène quicly take this chance to explain herself.
"I’ve had this doubt ever since our last anniversary, in August.
That time we spent together didn’t make me feel anything and—
-Ah! So you’ve been lying to me all this time!’
He moves closer to her, still holding the cup.
“No, David, that’s not it!
—I don’t care about your excuses! Who knows who you’re hanging out with!
I’ve got your heart! Not anyone else!”
David slams his cup down on their table.
His hand brushes against their cutlery drawer.
Helene holds out her arms in front of her and tries to reassure him, whilst his gaze pierces her.
“Please, David—”
“No!” David grabs a knife lying in the sink and brandishes it at her.
Helene recoils at the sight,
her face goes pale and her eyes widen.
She knew that David could be jealous
and possessive in the past when provoked,
but she never thought it would go this far.
She didn’t have time to think about it any further
before she felt a pain in her abdomen and found it difficult to breathe.
She looked down and saw the knife in her abdomen
She collapsed and saw the horror in her husband’s eyes.
He panics and kneels down beside her on the floor.
Helene speaks to him with difficulty because of her breathing and
as death slowly overtakes her.
“I wanted... for us to re-enact... our first date... to relive—
the feelings I used to have for you....”
...
She could say no more; nothing else came out of her.
David stared at his hands in horror before picking up his phone and calling the fire brigade.
When his hand on his wife’s neck could no longer feel anything, he stared intently at the knife.
...
“I’m sorry, Helene...”
After a brief, intense wave of pain, he collapses beside her,
one hand clasped in hers,
as flashing red lights appear in their kitchen through the window.