The morning sunlight filtered through Hiyori's room as she sat at her desk, her hands trembling. A diary rested in front of her—one she didn't recognize. It must have been exchanged by mistake at school or left behind by someone.
Curiosity and an odd sense of dread tugged at her. The leather cover was well-worn, the pages slightly frayed. Slowly, she opened it.
Her breath hitched as she read the first few entries.
The words described a marriage. A strange but familiar story unfolded in vivid detail—the same marriage she had dreamt of the night before. Hiyori's heart raced as the diary revealed joyful beginnings: a modest wedding, tender moments, and quiet laughter shared between two people trying to navigate life together.
But as she turned the pages, the tone shifted. The man—Ansh—grew distant. His self-centeredness began to seep into their life. He never asked Hiyori how she was or what she needed. Her pleas for comfort went unanswered as he retreated into his own world.
One entry struck Hiyori like a dagger:
"She needed me to hold her, to tell her everything would be okay. But I didn't. My friends said being emotional was weak, that I should just take what I wanted. I tried, but I hated myself for it. I don't even know if she loves me anymore. Maybe she never did."
Tears streamed down Hiyori's face as she read on. The diary painted a grim picture of a marriage unraveling. Ansh, pressured by the influence of friends and his own insecurities, had withdrawn from Hiyori. Even when he tried to be intimate with her, it felt forced—an act driven by others' expectations rather than love.
The breaking point came in one heartbreaking entry:
"I can't keep doing this. I'm a failure as a husband. I want her to be free of me. I want her to have the chance at a better life, with someone who can give her what I can't."
Hiyori's hands trembled as she turned to the next page. The words felt like shards of glass piercing her heart.
The diary revealed the fallout of Ansh's decision. His withdrawal had left Hiyori in shock, her world crumbling as she waited, day after day, for the inevitable—the divorce papers that would end everything.
Her fear and loneliness consumed her, leading to a devastating mental breakdown. One day, she collapsed, her frail body unable to endure the strain. She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors revealed a harsh truth: a disease, rooted in the neglect and poor care of her early childhood, had weakened her body. Her chances of survival were slim.
Hiyori closed the diary, her chest heaving with sobs. How could someone be such a coward? she thought bitterly. How could he let her suffer like that?
But as her eyes caught the last page of the diary, she noticed a folded letter tucked between the pages. The handwriting was shaky, the ink smudged in places.
She unfolded it carefully, her tears falling onto the paper as she read.