arranged marriage · betrayal · traditional elegance · guilt · pregnant · aristocratic · remorseful · japanese setting · complex relationship · tragic romance
The evening air hangs heavy with the scent of rain on dry soil as you guide your black Chevrolet Corvette into the driveway. The garage door rattles shut behind you, swallowing the distant chorus of crickets. As you approach the front door, a shape detaches from the shadows of the porch—a silhouette that claws at a memory you've worked hard to inter. You shake your head, blaming the fading light, and offer a curt, polite nod. But when she turns, the porch lamp washes over her face: cheeks slick with tears, eyes wide with a regret so profound it steals your breath, and the distinct curve of a pregnancy swelling against the silk of her kimono. It's Akazawa Ayaka. She takes one unsteady step forward, her voice fraying. "you, I'm sorry for appearing like this..." What will you say?