The evening air was thick with the scent of blooming jasmine as Aiko Takamura made her way through the quiet corridors of the Takamura estate. The grand hallways, adorned with paintings of her ancestors, seemed to echo with the weight of history. Tonight, however, the familiar surroundings brought her no comfort.

Aiko's heart raced as she approached the room she knew all too well—Hiroshi's study, a room built for Hiroshi privately as a wedding gift from her when visiting the Takamura estate. He had asked to meet her there, a private moment to discuss the final details of their wedding, he had said. But something in his voice had been off, a subtle unease that had settled in the pit of her stomach since their last conversation.

She paused outside the door, her hand hovering just above the polished wood. A quiet murmur drifted through the crack in the door, a voice too soft to be Hiroshi's. Curiosity piqued, Aiko leaned in closer, her breath catching in her throat as she recognized the voice—a voice she had known since childhood.

Sayuri.

Aiko's heart began to pound harder, an insistent thudding that drowned out all reason. Her younger sister had always been unpredictable, but there was something in her tone now—something conspiratorial, intimate, that sent a cold shiver down Aiko's spine. She pushed the door open just enough to peer inside, her breath catching as the scene unfolded before her eyes.

Hiroshi stood near the desk, his back to her, but it was Sayuri's face she saw first, her expression one of smug satisfaction. She was seated on the edge of the desk, leaning in closer to Hiroshi, her hand resting casually on his arm as she whispered something Aiko couldn't hear. There was a closeness between them that Aiko had never seen before—one that spoke of shared secrets, of desires fulfilled in the shadows.

Aiko's blood ran cold. Her mind raced, struggling to make sense of what she was seeing, but her heart already knew the truth. This wasn't a moment of innocent conversation; this was betrayal, raw and undeniable.

"Sayuri, you should go," Hiroshi said, his voice low, almost a murmur. But there was no urgency in his tone, no shame in his posture. He didn't even turn around, as if he sensed no need to hide what they had done.

Sayuri's smile only widened, her eyes flicking toward the door—toward Aiko. She knew. She had always known how to hurt her sister, how to take what she wanted without a shred of remorse.

"Aiko..."

The sound of her name on Hiroshi's lips pulled her from the haze of disbelief. She pushed the door open fully, her eyes locking onto Hiroshi's in a moment of raw, painful clarity. The expression on his face was one of shock, but not guilt. No, there was something else there—relief, perhaps, that the truth was out, or resignation that it had come to this.

"What is this?" Aiko's voice was steady, though it cost her every ounce of strength to keep it that way. She refused to let them see how deeply they had wounded her.

Hiroshi stepped forward, but Aiko held up a hand to stop him. "Don't," she whispered, her voice trembling now as the reality of the situation began to sink in. "Just... don't."

"Aiko, I—" Sayuri began, her voice dripping with false innocence, but Aiko cut her off with a sharp glare.

"Why?" The question hung in the air, heavy with accusation, directed at both of them. "Why would you do this?"

Sayuri shrugged, as if the answer were simple. "Because you've always had everything, Aiko. The love, the respect, the perfect life laid out for you. And I—what did I have? Nothing that was truly mine." She stood, crossing the room to stand beside Hiroshi, her hand slipping into his. "You don't deserve to have everything."

Aiko's gaze shifted to Hiroshi, searching his face for any sign of the man she had once believed she would spend her life with. But all she saw was a stranger—someone who had chosen to betray her in the most intimate way possible.

"There's nothing left to say, is there?" Aiko's voice was barely more than a whisper, the realization of her loss weighing heavily on her. The man she had trusted, the sister she had loved—they had both shattered her world with a single, selfish act.

She turned on her heel, her breath catching as she walked away from the two people who had once meant everything to her. But as she reached the doorway, she paused, a new resolve hardening in her chest.

"You can have him, Sayuri," she said, her voice stronger now, filled with a quiet determination. "But remember this—I never have everything."

With that, Aiko walked out, leaving the broken pieces of her past behind her. She had no more tears to shed, no more words to speak. What's next? She thought in silence. What happens now?

Aiko walked out of the study, the sting of betrayal burning behind her eyes, but she refused to let the tears fall. Not here, not where they could see her pain. She moved quickly through the hallways, her steps echoing on the polished wooden floors. Her chest tightened with each step as memories flooded back, unbidden and unwelcome.

She had once been so sure of Hiroshi, so certain that he was the man she would spend her life with. They had grown up together, their families close, their futures seemingly entwined by destiny. She remembered their childhood days playing in these very hallways, the laughter they shared, the secret smiles they exchanged when they thought no one was watching.

Aiko could still picture the way Hiroshi had looked at her when they were younger, his eyes filled with a soft adoration that made her heart flutter. He had a way of making her feel like she was the only person in the world, like his every thought and action was for her and her alone. His love language had been subtle but genuine—the gentle brush of his hand against hers, the way he would listen to her with such intensity, as if every word she spoke was a secret he longed to unravel.

There had been countless nights when they would sneak out to the gardens, sitting under the cherry blossom trees as the stars twinkled above them. Hiroshi would tell her stories of the future they would build together, a future filled with adventure, joy, and endless possibilities. Aiko had believed in those dreams with all her heart, had trusted in the love they shared.

But now, as she walked through the grand halls of the estate, those memories felt like a cruel joke, a reminder of how blind she had been to the truth. The Hiroshi she had known was gone, replaced by a man she could no longer recognize—a man who had chosen her sister behind her back, who had thrown away everything they had built for a fleeting moment of betrayal.

Aiko reached her room, closing the door behind her with a quiet click. She leaned against the door, her body trembling as she fought to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. She couldn't let herself break down, not yet. There was too much to do, too much to process.

Her mind flashed back to the past few months, the subtle changes in Hiroshi's behavior that she had tried so hard to ignore. She had noticed the way his smile no longer reached his eyes, the way his laughter sounded forced, hollow. There had been times when he seemed distant, distracted, his mind elsewhere even when he was with her.

She had told herself it was just the stress of the wedding, that he was overwhelmed by the pressure of their impending marriage. But now she realized that there had been something more, something she had refused to see. The truth had been there all along, lurking in the shadows, waiting to be discovered.

Aiko thought about the nights when Hiroshi had come to her smelling different, his usual cologne replaced by something unfamiliar. She had asked him about it once, teasingly, but he had brushed it off with a quick smile and a dismissive wave of his hand. She had wanted to believe him, had wanted to trust that nothing had changed between them. But now she knew better.

There had been other signs, too—small, almost imperceptible shifts in his demeanor that she had tried to explain away. The way he would glance at Sayuri when he thought no one was looking, the way he would tense up whenever Aiko mentioned her sister's name. She had seen it, felt it, but she had been too afraid to confront the truth.

Aiko's heart ached with the weight of her own naivety. How could she have been so blind, so foolish? She had wanted to believe in the fairy tale, in the perfect love story, but life was not a story, and love was not always perfect.

She pushed herself away from the door, crossing the room to the vanity where her reflection stared back at her, pale and drawn. She barely recognized the woman looking back at her, the woman who had lost everything in a single, shattering moment.

But as she stood there, staring into her own eyes, Aiko felt a spark of something deep within her—a spark of resolve, of determination. She would not let this betrayal define her. She would not let Hiroshi and Sayuri's actions break her.

She turned away from the mirror, her gaze falling on the small wooden box on her nightstand. Inside was the blueprints of her hospital project, a dream she had been nurturing for years. Aiko's mother had always taught her the importance of compassion, of caring for others, and Aiko had taken those lessons to heart. She had always wanted to make a difference, to leave a lasting impact on the world.

The hospital had been her way of doing that, a way to bring advanced medical care to Aruna and to help those who couldn't help themselves. It had been a dream she had shared with Hiroshi, a vision of the future they would build together.

But now, as she looked at the blueprints, Aiko realized that the dream was still hers, and hers alone. Hiroshi might have betrayed her, but he could not take away her purpose, her passion. She would build this hospital, not for him, not for anyone else, but for herself and for the people of Aruna.

Aiko's hand trembled as she reached for the box, lifting the lid to reveal the carefully drawn plans. She traced her fingers over the lines and measurements, feeling a surge of determination wash over her.

She might have lost her man, but she still has her dream. The hospital would be her redemption. It would be a place where lives were saved, where hope was restored, where the future was brighter than the past. It may even be the best way to heal her broken heart. 

Aiko took a deep breath, closing the box and setting it aside. She knew the road ahead would not be easy. There would be obstacles, opposition, and countless challenges to overcome. But she was ready to face them all. She was ready to fight for what she believed in, to fight for a better tomorrow.

As she sat down at her desk, Aiko picked up a pen and began to write, her mind focused and clear. She would need to arrange meetings and gather support for her project. She would need to be stronger from now on.

But she would not be alone. There were people who believed in her, who believed in her vision. And she would prove to them, and to herself, that she was more than just the girl who had been betrayed or a girl who just follow her father's shadows. She was a force to be reckoned with, a woman with a mission.

Aiko continued to write, her pen moving swiftly across the paper. Her heart was still heavy with the weight of betrayal, but there was a new fire burning within her—a fire that would not be extinguished.

She would build this hospital. She would heal her heart. And she would forge a new path, one that was hers and hers alone.

As the night wore on and the moon rose high in the sky, Aiko worked tirelessly, her resolve growing stronger with each passing moment. She knew the road ahead would be long, but she was ready for whatever lay ahead. Kill the love. She thought. What's the point?

"At the very least, people will remember me as the person who save lives with this hospital, when I die........At the very least, I will be remembered as someone and not just another noble lady." Just thinking about the people she will save, puts a smile on her face.

With a final stroke of her pen, Aiko set down her paper, her heart filled with a renewed sense of hope. The future was hers for the taking, and she would not let anything—or anyone—hold her back.