Chapter 927: Yuko’s Japan Nightmare Revealed
I decided it was ti to wrap up the performance, letting the carefully built tension reach its peak before releasing it. With a weak, ragged cough that rattled through my chest—wet and pained, making the monitors spike just a little—I stirred under the thin hospital blanket.
My eyelids fluttered slowly, as if fighting against heavy sedation, then cracked open to the sterile glow of the room. The world blurred at the edges, but I focused on the faces around , my voice erging hoarse and cracked.
"Aunt... Julie..." I rasped, each syllable laced with feigned exhaustion, like speaking alone drained what little strength I had left.
Yuko’s head snapped up from her slumped position against the bed, her eyes—red-rimd, swollen from hours of crying—widening in a mix of sheer disbelief and overwhelming relief. She froze for a heartbeat, lips parting on a silent gasp, before the words tumbled out in a frantic, broken rush.
"Jack...? Jack... oh god, you’re awake... you’re really awake..." Her voice cracked like glass under pressure, tears that she’d barely held back spilling over anew.
She scrambled closer on her knees, hands hovering inches from , trembling as if touching
might shatter the miracle.
"I... I’m sorry... I’m so sorry... I misunderstood everything... everything... I thought you were lying, betraying us... but please, please don’t break up with Haruna because of ... because of what I did... She loves you so much... it would destroy her... I can’t... I can’t let that happen..."
Her sobs hitched higher, body shaking violently. "Don’t worry... I’ll... I’ll kill myself to atone... I swear... I’ll end it all right now if that’s what it takes to fix this... just don’t punish her for my stupidity... my rage... please, Jack... please..."
I didn’t respond imdiately, letting the silence stretch just long enough to make her words echo in her own ears. Instead, I turned my head slowly—wincing theatrically, clutching at my bandaged chest as if the movent sent fresh pain lancing through —and looked at Julie and Marina, my expression a mask of weary vulnerability.
Julie’s face lit up with perfectly tid surprise and relief, her eyes misting over as she stepped closer. "It’s good you’re awake... thank god, Jack... you scared us half to death. Marina—let’s go call the doctor right now. He needs to check you over imdiately."
She paused, shooting Yuko a final, piercing glare—cold and unforgiving, her voice dripping with controlled fury.
"If Jack doesn’t forgive you before I co back... be prepared. I won’t let you walk away from this. Not after you stabbed him, watched him bleed, and then sat here like you deserve pity. I’ll make sure everyone knows what you did—Haruna, the police, everyone. You won’t escape the consequences."
Yuko didn’t argue, didn’t even lift her head to et Julie’s eyes. She just nodded once—small, defeated, as if she’d already surrendered to whatever fate awaited her. Her shoulders slumped further, tears dripping steadily onto the floor, a picture of utter resignation.
Julie and Marina exchanged a quick, aningful glance before hurrying out, the door clicking shut with a finality that left the room feeling even smaller, heavier. The silence that followed was thick, broken only by the steady beep of the machines and Yuko’s quiet, ragged breaths.
She finally looked up at —eyes glassy, lips quivering, her whole face a canvas of raw devastation. "Jack... I... I didn’t know you were just pretending to be Marina’s boyfriend... I thought... I thought you’d betrayed Haruna’s feelings... that you were deceiving us all along... playing with her heart like it ant nothing... that’s why I... why I lost control... why I hurt you like that... I couldn’t see past my own anger... my own fears... I’m so sorry... so, so sorry..."
Her voice dissolved into fresh sobs, hands clenching into fists against her thighs. "I never wanted this... I never ant to go that far... but I did... and now... now you’re lying here because of ... bandaged and broken... and it’s all my fault... please, Jack... yell at ... hate ... anything... I deserve it all..."
I let my expression soften into sothing deeply sad, wounded—not angry, but hurt in a way that cut deeper than rage. "Sister Yuko... I’m not angry at you..." I paused, then coughed again—sharp and pained—clutching my chest harder, my face twisting as if invisible knives twisted inside. "But... I... ahh..."
Yuko lurched forward instantly, panic flashing across her features. "Jack—are you okay? Does it hurt too much? Should I call the doctor right now? Aunt Julie went to get one—don’t worry, just hold on... please... don’t push yourself... I can’t watch you suffer more because of ..."
I shook my head weakly, forcing the words out through gritted teeth. "I didn’t expect... Sister Yuko... that you had this low an opinion of . You didn’t trust ... not even a little... After everything... after I’ve tried to show you... to prove to you... that I care about Haruna... about you... it hurts more than the knife ever could..."
The words struck her like a physical blow. She recoiled, fresh tears flooding her eyes, her whole body trembling as sobs wracked her fra.
"No... no, Jack... please don’t say that... I..." She choked, gasping for air between cries. "You’re right to bla ... you’re right to hate ... but I do trust you... more than anything... more than anyone... it’s just... because of sothing... sothing from my past... I beca like this... twisted and suspicious... always expecting the worst..."
She swallowed hard, voice dropping to a haunted whisper, eyes distant as old mories resurfaced. "When I was in Japan... Soone... a man I thought I could trust... he tried to harass ."
"He cornered , grabbed ... he didn’t succeed... but it broke sothing in ... from then on, I’ve hated n. I don’t trust anyone... I see betrayal in every shadow... every kind word feels like a trap... and when Marina’s grandmother said you were her boyfriend... I thought..."
"I thought you’d betrayed Haruna the sa way... that you were just another monster using her... I couldn’t hold back... the rage took over... but now I see... I see how wrong I was... how I let my pain blind ... and I hurt you... the one person who didn’t deserve it..."
Her sobs grew louder, more desperate, her hands reaching out tentatively toward mine. "Please, Jack... forgive ... or don’t... just know I never wanted to be this person... this monster who stabs the man her sister loves... the man I... I..."
I let real anger flicker across my face—not at her, but at the ghost of whoever had scarred her so deeply. I know that he and his whole family are already dead, but I still pretended to be in anger, and my voice ca out low, dangerous, protective.
"Who...?" I demanded, my jaw clenching despite the "pain." "Who touched you? Tell
his na... I’ll make sure he pays... no one hurts you like that and walks away..."
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