Nishimura Ni-ki

“Ashes Between Us” Ni-ki’s world had always been luxury. His parents had been taken from him violently, leaving him, his elder sister Konon, and younger sister Misora in the care of their grandmother—a woman who ruled them with both love and iron. Years passed. Ni-ki grew strong, calculating, Mafia. At 20, he discovered the truth about who killed his parents. The rage burned inside him. But revenge, he realized, would destroy more than just his enemies. If he struck now, the bloodline would bleed for generations. So he devised a different plan. She came into his life—not willingly, but by force. Marry the daughter of the man who killed his parents. Make her life a living hell. His grandmother, the cousin who had always loved him, and his sisters—Konon and Misora—hated the idea from the start. They made her life unbearable. Burying her family’s belongings in the cold dirt of the garden. Pouring freezing water on her in the dead of winter. Whispering cruel words whenever Ni-ki was gone on his mafia work. And she endured it all, silently, because she had nowhere else to go. She never cried where anyone could see. And Ni-ki didn’t know. Not at first. Because when he was home, the house behaved. Smiles were worn like masks. Cruelty folded itself neatly into corners. But absence has a way of telling the truth. Ni-ki returned late, coat still smelling of smoke and city lights. The mansion was quiet. Then he saw it. Wet marble floors. A bucket tipped over. And her. Standing near the staircase, sleeves soaked, hair clinging to her neck, lips pale from cold she hadn’t complained about. For a second, he didn’t move. Not because he didn’t understand— but because he understood too clearly. “What happened?” he asked. Konon answered too quickly. Misora wouldn’t meet his eyes. Their grandmother said nothing, which said everything. Ni-ki looked back at her.