Amato ignores Dierdre's obnoxious comments, enjoying the sound of his favorite instrument echoing throughout the chapel walls. Although he detests weddings, the sweet melody of the piano playing in his ears is a redeeming aspect. Watching the bride walk toward inevitable death, Amato feels a growing bitterness as he sees her smile.
“Poor girl,” the old lady next to him mumbles. “If only they knew how much she hates that man.”
“What?” Amato asks in confusion.
“Oh yes, this is an arranged marriage, and she has no choice but to accept for her family.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, everyone knows that boy is a friend of a friend of her father. It’s some type of money issue her family is dealing with recently.”
“Oh, I see.” Before Amato can ask any more questions, he hears a loud thud and the crowd gasps. By the time he turns around, the small group of guests is already surrounding a spot on the altar.
“What’s happening?!” Amato shouts over the rowdy and bustling people.
“I-I don’t know, they both fainted!” Dierdre explains.
Afraid of being around when someone calls the police, Amato leaves the old chapel with Dierdre. Attending one wedding is enough for Amato to develop a new theory: Hate kills people as well. He cuts the day short with Dierdre and they head to one last place. If his theory is right, Jason might be able to back it up with the evidence he’s seen at Love Lock Bridge. However, Amato has to first answer Dierdre’s nonstop questions if she’s going to take him anywhere. He answers all her questions with lies and sprinkles of truth, without mentioning his Hate Kills theory or why he’s heading to Jason’s house.
He comes up with a simple excuse that he wants Jason’s input on the matter. All he truly needs is either Jason's testimony on the video of the Bridge or, even better, the actual footage. The car ride is silent as expected, but Amato’s brain is buzzing with theories and plans. He’s already planning on meeting with a neurologist about love and hate, considering the saying that love and hate are two sides of the same coin. It makes sense since the two emotions are processed in the same area of the brain.
Amato believes he’s already behind on solving the case and doesn't want to go through the rest of the wedding list, mainly because the police department might already be ahead of his theory and gathering more people to come forward.
Dierdre snaps Amato out of his deep thoughts by asking a question to break the silence, “So are we going to your lawyer today?”
Amato had completely forgotten about the meeting and the contract. He looks at his watch and sees that there's still plenty of time to see his lawyer after meeting Jason. “No, I already missed it.”
“Dang it. Maybe next time.”
“Yeah. Make sure to turn right.”
They finally arrive at Jason’s humble home, and with a loud knock, Jason comes running to the door. The moment Jason opens the door, his eyes grow wide, surprised that Amato is visiting him. He opens the door wider and sees Dierdre next to Amato, waving hello.
Puzzled, Jason stumbles back and begins to stutter, “I-Is that your girlfriend?!”
“Of course not. Are you crazy?” Amato answers before Dierdre can open her mouth. The mere suggestion makes Amato’s face cringe as if he heard something horrifying.
“A simple ‘no’ would’ve been enough,” Dierdre adds, annoyed by Amato’s immature behavior.
“So, how can I help you?” Jason asks in confusion, afraid of Amato berating him for getting him fired yesterday.
“I have a quick question. What did you see on the cameras at Love Lock Bridge?” Amato asks calmly.
“W-Well, I saw the couple wearing gloves while holding hands, so that might be the reason why they died,” Jason explains, feeling like the prime suspect in a case.
“Did you see anything else that looked weird?” Amato asks.
“Like what?”
Amato sighs, releasing his annoyance toward Jason. “Did you see them arguing or hitting each other?”
“Well, they were playing around until the boy fell and died first. Then the girl tried to do CPR and died trying to do mouth-to-mouth.”
“Idiots,” Amato interjects.
Dierdre looks up at Amato in shock and retorts, “First of all, it’s sad and romantic. Second, that’s almost what happened at the church. The bride fell first and died without touching the groom, then once the groom touched her, he died.”
“Jason, are you sure they weren’t fighting?” Amato asks, tapping his foot on the concrete, showing his impatience.
“I don’t know, maybe?”
Dierdre and Jason look up, sensing that Amato has lost his edge as a detective. Amato seems to want Jason to admit something specific, but Jason’s dull way of thinking frustrates him more by the second. Amato’s expression reminds Dierdre of a calm lake with no signs of life. She’ll have to dive deep and figure out his exact thoughts without scaring him away.
“C’mon, Jason, don’t you remember that weird thing the girl did?”
“Oh, you mean the girl? Well, I did see her with another man who kissed her on the cheek.”
“Don’t you think that would’ve been useful information to give us?” Amato says softly, trying to swallow his anger. “Thank you, that is all.”
“Wait!”
Amato and Dierdre stop and look at Jason, who is fidgeting with his hands before speaking. It looks like he wants to get something off his chest, but the words seem caught in his throat.
“I want to investigate the case with you.” Jason finally throws up the words lodged in his throat.
“No,” Amato replies instantly and strides to the car.
Dierdre joins Amato, feeling bad for Jason, whose devastated face remains in her mind. Jason knew that Amato disliked everyone he met or laid eyes on, yet he still thought their dynamic was at least decent. Jason’s heart breaks into millions of pieces by Amato’s short, simple answer, devoid of explanation or emotion. He realizes that he truly meant nothing to Amato and was simply a work colleague.
As the day ends, Dierdre and Amato return to the apartment. Before heading home, Dierdre stops by a corner store to buy gasoline. Amato hops out of Dierdre’s car, feeling relieved as he heads to his car to fill it up. He takes his time, hoping Dierdre is gone so he can have a moment of peace. He prefers being alone with his thoughts rather than walking alongside a complete stranger. Before going to his lawyer, he stops at the nearest gas station to fill his car up.
He spends hours at his lawyer’s firm, working on a new rule he wants to add. When they finally finish, they reprint it for Dierdre to sign as well. Amato drives back with a smile on his face, proud of the new contract. The new rule satisfies his concern about sacrificing his own life for the experiment. With a pep in his step, he walks up to Dierdre’s door and knocks. Dierdre opens the door, her face scrunching before lighting up with a smile. Her wide, happy eyes scan Amato's signature but can’t find hers.
“I’m pretty sure I signed this already,” Dierdre says, rummaging through the pages. Her face turns serious, and her eyebrows wrinkle.
“It’s a new contract,” Amato says, briefly rising on his tiptoes with a bright smile. He points to the section he wrote and lets Dierdre read it. “I only added one rule.”
She reads the part Amato showed her with caution, as if it's a matter of life or death. Her fidgeting eyes slow down as her eyebrows rise in shock and her mouth drops. “What are you talking about here?!”
“Basically, to sum it up, if I’m right, you are required to delete every single channel and never post on social media again.”
“Do you understand that you’ll be earning a hundred percent of the video’s income?” Dierdre asks, turning to the page discussing his payment.
“Okay, and?”
Dierdre is almost too stunned to speak. “How can a man be so self-centered that after helping him, he goes and tries to sabotage his work partner?”
“Who sacrifices the most? Me. I’m risking my life for this ‘project,’ while you’re just holding a camera, waiting for me to die.”
Dierdre sighs deeply, from her saddened soul. “If you die, my life will be over. I'd be canceled for the rest of my life, and nobody would want to be associated with me. I'd be cursed and called a murderer even if I don’t go to jail.”
“I honestly couldn't care less. Please sign the papers.”
“Ugh, fine!” Dierdre’s lips rise in disgust and annoyance. She swipes the pen and paper from his hand with a swift motion. She signs the paper in midair, ripping through the blank space with the pen.
The sound of the pen scribbling on the paper is music to Amato’s ears. After Dierdre finishes writing her signature, she steps back and slams her door shut. Amato walks to his apartment and happily prints out a copy of the contract for her. He decides to bring the copy to her tomorrow morning and continue researching the Love and Hate case. He goes to bed after eating a delicious meal and taking a long, warm shower. He falls into a deep sleep with a smile on his face.
Everything went better than anticipated, and he believes the experiment will give him a better idea about the Love Case.
As he sleeps, he’s surprised at how easily he fell asleep, but a loud bang interrupts his dream. He sits up in bed, flinching at the noise. He checks his alarm clock; it is 5:30 in the morning. It feels like he just got into bed thirty seconds ago, and his eyes beg for more sleep. The banging continues, and anger boils deep within him, chasing away his drowsiness. The obnoxious knocking grows louder and faster.
Amato doesn’t scream or yell at the idiot making a ruckus at five in the morning. Instead, he takes his time getting to the door, his face stoic and still. Fury twists and turns inside him like an uncontrollable snake, squeezing out his patience. He opens the door slowly and peeks out. He can’t help but grimace at the sight before him.
“Good morning, neighbor!” Deirdre exclaims in a high-pitched tone. “Not a morning person, I see.”
Before Dierdre can explain herself, Amato already knows what this is about. The camera in her hands, the overdone makeup and outfit, and the girl next to her, blushing and shyly looking up at him. This is Amato’s date.
“You see, he is the grumpy type and he’s incredibly handsome as well!”
It’s as if he can read Dierdre’s mind and is watching a TV show up close. He already knows what Dierdre is going to say.
“This will be the Experimental Love’s first date and episode. Chloe, meet Amato, your date,” Dierdre shouts, panning the camera to Amato, who looks constipated.
The love experiment has finally begun.
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