Chapter 25

TRIGGER WARNINGS: mentions of burning, blood, trauma, assault, emotional roller coaster, mentions of dark past, forced marriages, self harm and death. If uncomfortable skip!

The scent of burnt sugar and spices still clung to the air, a faint echo of the dinner we'd just finished. Kenji's offer to stay the night had been accepted almost without thought. I needed to be near Diamond; we both needed it. We are sitting on the futon beside her bed, the silence felt thick, heavy, like the pages of the diary that lay between us. The memory book too, its innocent pictures a stark contrast to the turmoil roiling inside me.

"Do you think we should go through the rest?" Diamond's voice, usually bright and sharp, was low, raspy, like she'd been crying. Her gaze was fixed on the worn leather of the diary.

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat refusing to shift. I knew it was wrong, invading their privacy like this. But I couldn't shake the feeling, the burning need to know what had happened. If we were to bring down Endeavor, we needed answers. I nodded, the motion barely perceptible.

We grabbed the diary and the yearbook, settling onto the bed. Flipping through the memory book first, most of what we saw were casual snapshots: school trips, beach days, family gatherings. Nothing unusual…until we got to that photo. The one of Rei, Inko, and Diana, all dolled up in lace, posing almost provocatively with Endeavor. Even in that innocuous setting, the unease it stirred was like a physical ache in my chest. Maybe that was all, I thought, a small breath of unfounded hope.

But then we opened the diary. My heart plummeted. It wasn't just Diana's journal. It was theirs. It was a shared space, a collaborative tapestry of their lives, signed by Inko, Rei, Diana, and Hana. I recognized Hana's distinct cursive, the delicate flower she always drew at the end of her name.

But something was off. The book had 400 pages. So, if divided equally, wouldn't each women have signed 100 pages? I started counting. Inko had 95, Rei 98, Hana 93 and Diana, an even 100. The other pages had ripped or frilled edges. They weren't empty, they were missing. My gaze fell to the diary's worn pages. Inko's and Rei's were adorned with intricate designs, flowers and hearts filling the edges. Hana's and Diana's pages, however, were marked by tiny burns, smudged red lines, and jagged tears. It was like looking at two different books, two different realities.

Diamond's blue eyes were clouded with tears, her breath hitched in her chest. I felt a pang, that familiar protectiveness rearing its head. I pulled her into a hug and murmured quiet words of comfort, telling her to sleep. She did, eventually, her breath coming in shuddering sobs. I knew I could be cold, distant, but those I cared about held a special part of me, a place of softness that cracked through the ice.

I cracked my knuckles, the low pop slicing through the silence. There was no sleeping tonight. I needed answers, and I would find them. Starting with page one, written by Inko. She filled the page with delicate script, each word a whisper of optimism and joy.

A garden of dreams, where friendships bloom, Like vibrant petals, chasing away gloom. A heart in flutter, a secret to keep, Love's gentle whisper, while others slept. With laughter and tears, our bond takes flight, Basking in sunshine, our futures bright.

My lips curved into a smile. My mother was so pure, so full of love. But as I turned the page, and then the next, and the next, each entry felt like a shift in the weather, from sunshine to rain to a violent storm. Happiness, sadness, anger, despair, regret, they all wrestled for dominance on each page.

It was 3 AM when I reached page 125, and the change was like a punch to the gut. Hana's words were a raw, open wound, bleeding onto the page.

Regret, a serpent, coiling, tight, A love misplaced, shrouded in night. A heart betrayed, a promise broken, By choices made, my own, unspoken. Pain, a constant companion, a heavy toll, Manipulation's chains, taking control. Guilt, a shadow, forever near, Lost in darkness, consumed by fear.

My heart simply stopped. The vulnerability, the pain, it was all so vivid, so palpable. I turned the page, and Rei's words washed over me like a wave of fury, a maelstrom of righteous anger and bitter resignation.

Forgiveness sought, though wounds may linger, A twisted truth, a bitter finger. Enji's wrath, a burning pyre, My parents' greed, my burning ire. A life dictated, a price to pay, Bound in tradition, come what may. My blood, their burden, my fate entwined, a marriage decreed. In this cruel puppet show, my heart bleeds.

My blood boiled. How could they force her? How could they do this to her? More hours blurred by in a haze of reading, and I felt like I was drowning in the depths of their collective pain, their trials, their tribulations. Finally, with a growing sense of dread, I arrived at the end. Two pages were left, but it was Inko's and Diana's words that shattered me.

We are broken, battered, and torn, Our spirits fading, our bodies worn. The monster lurks, a shadow so vast, From his cruel grasp, there is no way to be free, not at last. His twisted game, a relentless chase, No escape found, in every space. He steals our joy, our peace, our very ground, In dance of his twisted hand, we are always found.

Tears streamed down my face, silent, hot. They had suffered so much, so silently. And then came Hana's final page, the last entry in the diary.

Everything is gone, my friends, my freedom, my everything, He caught me, I let them escape, my wings clipped. He owns me, I belong to him, I am his captive, I did it, Mom and Dad, are you proud of me? I'm married at 17 after all, just like you, Mom I hope you're happy, signing out, forever Hana...

The page was scarred with burns, smudged with dried blood. I had to hold back the sobs that threatened to tear me apart. They had all gone through such hell...and Hana? She did all she could to protect her family, and this is how she gets rewarded.

I wiped my tears away, looking at the clock. 5 AM. My chest was heavy with an unbearable ache as I realized my mother, diana and hana went through all of this. There was no way I could sleep, not with this burden, not with this pain. It felt wrong, selfish even, to rest when they had been hurt so badly.

My mind was a whirlwind. What could I even do? The past was done. There was no way to change it. I miss my father, I wished he was awake, he would know what to do. I felt lost, helpless, like falling down while looking at the stars.