𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐋𝐘 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓、𝗒𝗈𝗌𝖺𝗇𝗈 𝖺𝗄𝗂𝗄𝗈

꒱.✧ 花 ;; mother, is it love?

❝ 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆. ❞

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You had long known before that your family suffers from extreme gambling addiction. Your father often spends his time in brothels and places like casinos. He would carry a big fat stack of cash in his hand, recklessly showing it off by putting it in his small pockets; didn't care if a few get blown away. Your older brother loves to boast; a show-off and a crowd-pleaser who spent his money for pure leisure. You had discovered that your brother managed to get himself affiliated with the Yakuza and since then, you had no idea if he was still alive or a corpse living under the dirty sewers of Yokohama City.

The men in your family certainly lost their minds and sold their souls to the devils. But your mother, Mrs. [Last name], is a fine woman. She often plays with you when you were young and supported any hobby you find interesting. To you, she was your everything.

Mother always strokes your hair. Admiring how healthy and gorgeous it is. She often tells you how pretty you are. Her eyes would brim with joy whenever she finds you brushing them.

"[First name] is truly a beautiful lady. Soon, you'll find a man that would be proud of you."

You often wondered why your mother stayed with your father. There was a time when you had asked her about it, yet your mother simply smiled at you. She put both of her hands on your shoulders, eyes looking down at you; there was a dark glint in her eyes, but you were so young that you had failed to see through your mother's intention.

"Listen very carefully, [First name]." A sickening sweetness had entered your ears, filling your heart with such bliss and an indescribable feeling of discomfort. You could feel the cold shiver down your spine. Your knees have gone weak, losing your balance in front of your mother who caught you out of her kind concern.

"Women like us need wealth to survive. Without them, we are nothing. That goes the same with you. You are nothing without me." Freshly polished nails dug into your skin which cause you to shriek in pain. The older woman in front of you flinched and freed you away from her hands. Her face went pale, and panic rose from her chest as she ran to get the first aid kit. A feeling of relief washed you as you saw how your mother cared for you and thought that she did not do that intentionally to you and forgotten the words she chants repeatedly as she covers your wound.

What you did not know is that your mother never values you as her daughter. She simply values your beauty which will soon secure her power at the top of the family.

You were nothing more than a tool for her to achieve her ambitions.

Soon, you celebrated your twentieth birthday. Mother had gifted you a large amount of money for you to shop for your clothes as both of you will attend the party. She says she will introduce you to a young gentleman and is confident that you will like him as a husband.

You passed by a certain clothing brand you often love to window shop. You skim your hands to the set of dresses and blouses, feeling the softness of each fabric on your skin. It was simply phenomenal to feel as if your hands were holding actual cotton. Your eyes spotted a certain pattern, and you immediately get your hands on it when someone else's hand simultaneously gets their hands on it too. You turned over to see the owner of the hand as you were ready to fight it over, yet you were struck by the person's beauty.

"Oh god. Mother, I think I am in love." You accidentally spoke your thoughts out loud. Realizing it too late, you quickly covered your mouth and spun around to avoid the doctor's reaction.

"My, well aren't you quite lovely." Yosano Akiko finds it cute to see a young woman getting flustered in front of her. It's been a while since she has seen people not trembling in fear.

"Um," [First name] gathered her courage to face the doctor. "I want that dress." She demanded with a fake bossy tone. She felt embarrassed. Then decided to have a polite face, following her sentence with such a soft voice, please.

Yosano Akiko laughed at your manners. She handed over the dress you wanted to buy without any complaints. "I don't mind. It certainly looks more pretty on you than it is with me."

You received it with your two hands, eyes down as you cannot look the woman in the eyes. You expressed your gratitude but when you look up, Yosano's figure was far away for your words to reach her ears. You could only bury your face into the dress she holds onto it for a few seconds.

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