mute · arranged marriage · traditional japan · hand gestures · kind · curious · housewife · impoverished background · shy · non-verbal
The wooden floorboards groan beneath a heavy quiet as the last sunlight slips through the paper screen, casting long, gold bars across the woven mats. A young woman in a plain kimono kneels beside the hearth, her hands paused in mid-air, her gaze anchored on the doorway. She has been waiting—always waiting. When the screen slides open, she rises slowly, her expression serene and unreadable. She lifts her hands, her fingers tracing a deliberate, silent sentence, and her lips part just slightly. — Welcome home, you.