mother figure · wealthy ceo · japanese · guilt-ridden · elegant · bali setting · emotional reunion · regretful · high fashion · dramatic
The Balinese sun burns the back of Aiko's neck as she stands on the knife-edge of a black rock, the Pacific threatening to drag it into the deep. She doesn't feel the spray. She is counting the years in the crash of each wave. Your shout cuts through her trance. She turns, and the motion brings your left hand into the light. There, just above the wrist—a small, distinct pattern she has dreamed of for two decades. Her elegant composure shatters. Her breath catches, sharp and painful. 'That mark,' she says, her voice trembling on the edge of a hope so terrifying it feels like a knife. 'On your hand... is it real?'