Dangerous Lines | Yuzuru Hanyu

35. Pain and Doubt

Yae had imagined this very same moment for months on end. It seemed like in her mind, the possibility of being caught had always been lingering in her thoughts so when it came to the actual moment it did, the girl felt strangely at peace.

The one key difference from all of the other times when she imagined the possible torture was that he was there as well and she had never planned for it.

Yaeko's plans always included protecting him but that seemed to be far from possible now, even if she desperately tried to make it happen.

She allowed herself to be tied up in silence, not bothering to fight the motions. Those men were double her size and there was no way she could fight it.

Her husband just stayed there, staring at her with a blank expression, moving his eyes to Yuzuru every now and then.

It was hard to know how to act or even what to attempt but right at the same time, Yaeko was just tired of everything. Maybe if everything ended on that day, things would be better.

Unlike what she expected, they didn't turn to her right away but rather to the man watching her every movement and expression.

"Your boy toy hasn't admitted to anything, no matter what we did. We all know it's a lie but I think it's only fair that you're given a chance as well. Do you think he will stay strong and steady while we bring you to your limit?"

She swallowed dry.
It was no surprise that her husband was a monster, but he certainly avoided showing her this side on most occasions. If Yaeko had a tiny string of hope before, none of that seemed to matter now. There was no way he would believe any of her words.

"Do whatever you want with me." She muttered, seeing panic settle on Yuzuru's face almost right away.

"No! Don't touch her!"

Yuzuru's pained growl was painful to listen to but it showed how both of them were completely helpless for one another. Seeing suffering on either of their faces was already more than enough torture.

"So cute" Nakamura said. He was way too satisfied with himself and his actions. "It's kind of romantic when you think about it, this sacrifice for the other... Very cute"

Kiyoshi looked at the young Yakuza with furious eyes and for some kind of reason, that made Yaeko smile. Maybe if the idiot kept going, her husband would snap at him as well. Given the lack of a better plan, that was all she could believe in.

The truth was that they quickly realized that the easiest way to hurt the skater was to lash at her and quite honestly, Yaeko preferred to be the one suffering.

They removed her clothes and left her in just her underwear for everyone to stare at. A few catcalls were heard amongst the crowd bringing an angered look to Yuzu's face. It wasn't fair. She didn't deserve to be paraded in that way.

Yaeko felt the first lash of a belt on her back, the pain was too excruciating to handle but closing her eyes, Yaeko thought of good things, her mornings in Sendai, the hours of conversation with Yuzu, the sweet imagery of his face upon completion... It was almost easy to forget what was going on in the present.

Once they were sick of her screams, Yaeko found her mouth muffled by a cloth. It was only then that she looked at him, eyes filled with tears and one of the most determined looks she ever saw on his face.

He didn't beg them to stop once it was deemed completely useless but Yuzu did look ready to kill.

Yaeko knew him well enough to know that he would never hurt anyone but that didn't mean she knew how he would act in desperation.

"Are you ready to talk now?" They asked of him, probably hoping he would cower at the sight of her bleeding and bruised body.

"I won't tell you what you want to hear, but I will tell you the truth."

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Kiyoshi ordered them to stop their actions on Yaeko and allow the skater to speak.

"Let's hear it then."

"We never slept together."

"Don't you lie to me!"
The tone in Kiyoshi's voice was scary but it seemed like everyone was already immune to it, including the two victims.

"I'm not lying. All I ever did was kiss her. Now if you were to ask me if that's all I wanted, then the answer would be different but I never got the chance. Still, I don't think that should surprise you, not when so many of your men wish to have her. I'm only one of many who desire her and can you blame us? She's beautiful."

Yae's eyes widened. Either Yuzuru had easily read the situation with Nakamura or his bluff was completely on point. With that blow, Kiyoshi looked around, his eyes settling on the man who had told him about the affair in the first place.

You could see how he tried to look unaffected but it was impossible to hide his rage. Yuzuru had easily settled a seed of doubt with just a few words and given how many people wanted his spot in the Yakuza, it was only normal for Kiyoshi to feel threatened.

"Many? How many of you? Who in here dares to look at my wife in that way?"

It was so easy to see the hesitation in the room, a lot of the men looking down in shame and fear.

Just when she was sure he would snap and finally go crazy in the younger members, the door of the warehouse opened.

"Police! You are all under arrest"