On the following day, Yuki's father called her into the living room, saying that someone would like to meet her. Upon entering the room, Yuki was astonished to discover that it was no other than Tatsuo, the man whom she met on the street on the previous day. In fact, Tatsuo came from an aristocratic family which had gone bankrupt. Having heard about Yuki long ago, Tatsuo coveted her extreme wealth and was determined to marry her in order to save his family's financial condition. Even the encounter on the previous day was no coincidence, instead it was planned in advance.
Yuki, who was oblivious of all this, was so surprised to see Tatsuo again that her heart almost skipped a beat, deeming that it must have been destiny which had joined their paths together. At the age of 18, Yuki still did not have any suitors despite her extraordinary beauty. Her father very well knew the cause to be his daughter's disability and, after sensing her affection for the young man, agreed on their marriage. Yuki was absolutely ecstatic on the night before her wedding. She could not have imagined in her wildest dreams that a man like Tatsuo would fall in love with a deaf mute like herself. Nevertheless, her ignorant bliss would soon end with painful realization.
A few months after their initial acquaintance, Tatsuo married Yuki. Nevertheless, after their marriage, Tatsuo stopped showing any affection for his wife. In fact, he had never loved Yuki. He only married her for her money. Whom he truly loved was Yuku's maid - Haru, with whom he began to have a secret love affair behind Yuki’s back.
One cold winter night a few months after the couple were married, Yuki woke up and discovered that Tatsuo was not in his bed. Quietly, she got up and walked into the corridor only to discover that Haru's room was illuminated.
"What's Haru doing up at this time of the night? And where is Tatsuo?" wondered Yuki as she peeked through a crack in the door. Nevertheless, Yuki was devastated to perceive Tatsuo and Haru in bed together!
Haru said to Tatsuo: "Yuki is deaf mute and look how handsome and talented you are! She's not good enough for you! You should divorce her and marry me instead."
However, Tatsuo replied: "I would love to marry you, my true love. But I can’t divorce Yuki because I need her wealth to save my family's financial condition restore our reputation. Our relationship cannot go public yet and I will only be able to marry you when Yuki dies."
Despite not being able to hear their conversation, what Yuki saw was enough to leave her absolutely astounded. Tiptoeing back to her room, she covered her face with her duvet and wept herself to sleep.
After receiving Tatsuo's reply, Haru began to loathe the presence of Yuki.
"How dare her stand in my way of happiness!" thought Haru as she began to curse Yuki everyday using an ancient Japanese ritual, making the latter grow terminally ill. No doctor could diagnose her disease.
~To be Continued~
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