Chapter 8: Ch-8 I was struggling financially and was seduced by a man for money...
When my parents found out that I was living with Kazuya, they were shocked and began to question my intentions.
"What are you thinking? Do you know what you're doing?"
Despite their outrage, I stood by my decision. Finally, my father delivered the final blow: he informed me that he was severing all ties with me.
The thought of betraying the parents who raised me was excruciating, but I wanted to break away from the Kisaragi family at all costs.
My defiance was considered a rebellion against the Kisaragi main family. If my parents forgave me, it would bring shame on them and the Kisaragi name. As a result, my father's company would be expelled from the Kisaragi Group and face bankruptcy.
The thought of the difficult situation I had put my father in filled me with guilt and sorrow.
Father, I'm so sorry... Please forgive me.
I began my new life with a mixture of joy and sadness, determined not to stay in my family home.
Having never worked before, I began taking part-time jobs to make ends meet. My days were packed: attending university with Kazuya in the mornings and afternoons, working in the evenings, and sharing intimate moments with Kazuya at night.
Life was hard, but it felt fulfilling in its own way. Just when things seemed to stabilize, Kazuya asked me to marry him. I had no reason to refuse. I was overjoyed and believed that our love was destiny.
"Let's be happy together..."
I nodded enthusiastically. We couldn't afford a ring or a wedding, so the only memento of our marriage was a photo of us in nice clothes taken with my cell phone. Still, I felt genuinely happy.
Although the brides of the Kisaragi family had grand ceremonies filled with pomp and splendor, I believed that I was much happier than they were.
But that happiness was short-lived.
The turning point came when I became pregnant. Morning sickness hit me hard and I had to take more time off work. The costs for hospital visits started to pile up. Kazuya couldn't keep up with the tuition payments, so we decided he would drop out of college.
"Don't worry. Once we get through this difficult time, you can go back to university," he assured me.
Kazuya's words encouraged me, and I worked harder. But since I couldn't earn much, Kazuya had to take on several part-time jobs, working tirelessly from dawn to dusk.
Despite these challenges, I gave birth to a baby girl. Kazuya looked exhausted, but overjoyed to hold our newborn daughter.
However, shortly after I was discharged from the hospital, my fears became reality. Kazuya's body finally gave out from the relentless labor.
He became bedridden, unable to even get out of bed. At the hospital, the doctor told us that he would need several months of complete rest due to overwork and malnutrition.
Months of rest...
We were at a loss. With no income, I took care of both Kazuya and our baby, burning through our meager savings. Soon we couldn't pay the rent or the utilities.
We had no one to rely on. Kazuya's parents had long since passed away, and we had already borrowed as much as we could from friends.
"I can't take this anymore... What shall we do now?"
In this hopeless situation, Kazuya called me to his bedside and said, "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you. I want to be with you, but it seems like this is the end for us. When I think of our daughter's future... I've reached my limit. This is all my fault..."
I knew what Kazuya wanted to say.
He will ask me to leave him and go back to the Kisaragi family..
Just when I thought that these words would leave his lips, I interrupted him.
"Wait," I said. "Could you take care of the baby for a while? I'll be back soon... I need to borrow some money."
With that, I hurried out of the apartment.
I had no real hope of borrowing money. This is my only option now...
I made my way downtown. After changing into more presentable clothes in a train station restroom, I wandered aimlessly through the streets. As expected, a man approached me.
He discreetly held up three fingers - 30,000 yen. I shook my head and made a cross with my fingers. The man then showed me an open hand-50,000 yen.
I nodded.
The man took my arm and led me to a love hotel hidden in an alley. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest.
I had never known a man other than Kazuya, and I had always despised the idea of prostitution. But here I was... about to sell my body for the first time.