An Arranged Marriage//(GIYUSANE)

Chapter 17|| 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒

SANEMI FLASHBACK

The crumpled test paper landed on my desk with a thud, a silent accusation. "Can't you study harder, Sanemi?" Dad's voice echoed in the room, sharp and angry.

Two mistakes, that's all it took. A perfect score was the only acceptable outcome.

I hated this, the endless cycle of studying, the suffocating pressure. I just wanted to play, to be a kid.

But Dad said I was no longer a child. Twelve years old, and I was supposed to be a miniature scholar.

I yearned for the carefree days of playing with toys, but Dad had denied me that simple joy.

He said I was too old. But Uncle, he always bought me toys, sneaking them in when Dad wasn't around. He was my secret escape, my confi in a world of books and lectures.

Now, I wanted more than toys. I wanted to play with other kids, to run and laugh and be free.

Uncle understood, and he always made time for me. But Dad's anger flared whenever he saw us together, and I was banished to my room once again.

Study, study, study.

that was all he wanted. He didn't understand my need for friendship, for a life beyond textbooks.

"Uncle, Dad's not home, can we play outside?" I asked, my voice brimming with excitement. But the spark dimmed as Mom appeared, her kind eyes filled with a sadness I couldn't understand.

She wasn't like Dad, but she didn't want me around Uncle either. I just wanted an explanation, a reason for this strange, unspoken rule.

"Go play with Genya, sweetie," Mom said softly, her voice a gentle contrast to Dad's harshness.

She didn't force me to study, she didn't punish me for wanting something more. But she didn't let Uncle inside, didn't allow us to be together openly.

I didn't understand why, but I knew it was something they were hiding, something they wouldn't tell me.

"Okay, Mom," I said, my voice subdued.

Uncle was always there, always waiting for me. But they kept him at arm's length, shrouded in secrecy.

"Don't worry, I'm taking you. We go out, okay?" My excitement flickered back to life, a tiny flame in the suffocating darkness of my life.

____________

The sun-drenched sidewalk shimmered beneath our feet, the air thick with the sweet, melting scent of my ice cream.

It was a stolen moment of bliss, a fleeting escape from the suffocating weight of my life.

Mom chuckled, her hand brushing against mine as she rummaged through her bag, a smile lighting up her face.

I was lost in the swirling vortex of my ice cream, the world a hazy blur of colors and sounds.

Then, a cold wave of terror washed over me. A hand clamped over my mouth, silencing my scream before it could escape my lips. "Ahh! Mo-mhmm!"

I thrashed, my legs kicking wildly, but their grip was iron. I was lifted, my feet dangling uselessly, as I was dragged away from the warmth of Mom's hand.

The world spun into a kaleidoscope of faces, their expressions twisted in a terrifying grimace.

I caught a glimpse of Mom's face, frozen in a mask of horror, her eyes wide and pleading.

A sickening thud echoed in my ears as she was thrown to the ground, her figure disappearing into the swirling chaos.

Then, darkness engulfed me, consuming my screams, my fears, my very being.

____________