This Warmth Of Yours

Chapter 31 - The Woman With A Broken Heart

The woman in green slid out of her sheets. Due to the fire in her own bedroom, she had to sleep in a guest room. She always liked green, it highlighted her emerald eyes amidst the black hair she always found so drab. It wasn't the sort of black you'd find on the night sky, glittered with stars. It was the colour of soot, the sort that made her look old and aged. Her ex-husband's hair had been far more charming than hers, a soft pink that mimicked the sky of the rising sun.

When they first met, long ago, he told her her hair was beautiful. That the colours she covered it up with was beautiful too, she could do anything with her hair, or do nothing at all, and it would still be beautiful.

She caressed her long, straight hair in front of the mirror. She gazed upon the woman in the mirror, a woman she couldn't say she recognised anymore. How long had it been like this? Her expressions had long since faded away.

She stepped foot into the bathroom, the sight of the bath recalling her to the past. A little baby, no bigger than the sink. It barely owned a head of hair, but the pink was clear to see. This small thing that was undoubtedly hers... why was she tasked with cleaning its body?

Her hands froze, the child in her hands suddenly seemed so vulnerable, and the depths her saviour. The devil had whispered in her ear, the temptation deeply ingrained. The child's head was slowly lowered. Little by little, its body was being submerged beneath the water level.

"W- waah!"

Her hand quickly pulled away, hurriedly grabbing a towel and drying the baby off. It was crying, she had forgotten how it sounded like, given how little it cried.

Wh- what am I doing? Am I crazy? Murder, that's murder!

The woman couldn't bear to spare a single glance towards that thing. She was sure that if she did, she wouldn't be able to stop herself again.

...

Once, the little girl had begged to go to the fireworks festival. She kept complaining how uncomfortable the mask was to wear all the time. It was cumbersome, she wouldn't shut up. "Make the girl quiet already, won't you!?" yelled the man next to her. She saw the man raise his hand again, her blood levels spiking to record-breaking degrees. She grabbed the child's hand and left the house that instant.

Now that she was out, she didn't know what to do. She meant to flee on her own, after all. She wasn't sure why she brought the pest with her. The girl was holding tightly onto her hand, the warmth could barely be felt, it was so small.

... It couldn't hurt to check out the festival.

The crowd was huge, stalls of games and souvenirs lined the streets, people dressed in traditional clothing and casual clothing alike mingled in the same area. It was like a night market of sorts. The atmosphere had been something she hadn't felt ever since...

She felt a slight tug on her hand. The little girl was enamoured by the view. Unconsciously, the woman tightened her grip on the girl's hand. There was a lot of people around. She followed the girl's gaze to a little stall selling hair clips for little girls. The little white bunny clip had taken her interest.

... It couldn't hurt to go there too.

They somehow managed to push their way through the crowd, ending at a preferable location to view the fireworks. Chiyo felt... like she was a little girl again. Her eyes sparkled as the very first lights shot up into the sky, accompanied by cheers and drunken laughter. A long time ago, she had sneaked out to see this view too. She would've never been allowed to have such luxury, all she was allowed to do was study, study, study.

And for what?

For her to get pregnant, so that her family would tell her to leave everything behind since the man was the one required to provide for the family?