A few months had passed since that day. The day the sky felt like it collapsed over Sakiko's head.
The day Uika, the woman who loved her the wrong way and trapped her in an invisible cage of obsession, was finally arrested.
That day was supposed to mark the end of all her nightmares.
But reality wasn't that simple.
Even though the world breathed a sigh of relief when Misumi Uika was taken into custody, the legal process didn't go the way many had hoped. The police and prosecutors prepared charges, but from the start... something felt off.
Despite months of intense investigatio. Digging into digital footprints, financial records, and field reports, not a single piece of solid evidence could link Uika to the Marigold crime syndicate.
No money trails.
No fingerprints.
No messages or calls.
The only charges they could make stick were kidnapping and assault on a police officer.
Nothing more.
Strangely, none of the major media outlets looked deeper into these oddities.
It was as if... everything had already been arranged. Controlled by an unseen hand.
---
Three months after her arrest, the first trial began.
The courtroom was filled with press, but no one could capture a clear image of Uika's face. She sat quietly, head down, long hair falling over her shoulders. Almost no expression.
Her posture was the same.
Her face, if you looked closely, still resembled the Misumi Uika the public knew. But there was something... off.
From the witness seat, Taki watched her closely.
She narrowed his eyes. That same unease had been gnawing at her since the day Uika was first brought in.
But during questioning, she never resisted.
She never spoke.
Even her lawyer, an elite international defense attorney from Germany, always stayed one step ahead of the police and prosecutors. They blocked every attempt Taki made to get close or ask personal questions.
"Who are you really?" she wondered.
But she couldn't tell Sakiko.
She knew how the trauma still haunted her. How she still woke up crying in the middle of the night, clutching her chest like she'd just escaped something terrifying.
---
Sakiko appeared in court as a victim.
For some reason, she never looked Uika in the eye. Not even once.
It was as if the universe itself was keeping their distance... so old wounds wouldn't reopen.
Still, her heart pounded the moment she stepped into the courtroom.
Something felt wrong.
She didn't know what.
"I just want this to be over," she whispered to herself, staring at the floor to hide her trembling.
---
The verdict came quickly.
Five years in prison.
A surprisingly light sentence for kidnapping and assaulting a police officer. But since no permanent injuries were caused and there was no evidence tying Uika to any criminal network, the judge gave a lenient ruling.
The public accepted the decision without much noise.
Only a few people raised questions.
Taki and Umiri were among them.
And then, just two weeks after the verdict, Marigold returned. This time, even more brutal than before.
---
Their new targets were international drug and human trafficking rings.
But what truly shocked the public was the murder of a police officer.
Detective Ichigaya Arisa was found dead in her car. Her head slumped forward, hands tied to the steering wheel. A broken police badge hung around her neck. On the windshield was a piece of paper that read:
"You protected the guilty. We don't."
Blood had pooled on the dashboard in a perfect circle. Internal investigations later revealed that Ichigaya was a double agent, secretly protecting the Russian mafia in exchange for an early retirement fund.
The news exploded across the country. But more than that. It made people realize something frightening:
Marigold was still alive.
---
"If Misumi Uika is in prison... who's leading them now?"
"There's no way Marigold could operate this cleanly without their leader."
"Is Uika giving orders from inside?"
Those questions filled the media for a while.
But eventually, the noise faded.
After all, Uika was locked in a high-security cell. Access was restricted—even most officers couldn't enter. So how could she possibly run a syndicate from there?
On paper, all the evidence pointed to one conclusion:
Uika was not the mastermind behind Marigold. Just a woman with a dangerous obsession for her ex.
Now, "Uika" was serving a five-year sentence. While the real Uika had vanished—completely off the grid.
---
Espoo, Finland.
A quiet two-story wooden house stood by a mist-covered lake.
Peaceful. Clean.
Too clean.
It looked like a retired couple's dream home.
But inside...
Misumi Uika stood at a large window, wearing a white shirt and soft linen trousers. Her blonde hair was neatly tied back. Her expression calm, but her eyes... burned with something unspoken.
Uika's phone buzzed on the desk.
She glanced at the screen. A message had arrived:
"Togawa Sakiko and Shiina Taki will be married this week. Private ceremony. Family only."
Suddenly, that quiet world cracked. The wine glass in her hand shattered. Red liquid spilled across the floor like blood.
"Saki-chan..."
She whispered that name like a spell. Like a wound that had never healed.
Staring at her reflection in the glass, her lips quivered... and then curved into a smile.
But it wasn't love.
It was something closer to madness.
"So... you're marrying her. But no ring can erase the traces I left in you."
She opened a drawer and pulled out a black velvet box.
Inside were:
Photos of Sakiko, sleeping, smiling, unaware
A lock of her hair, tied neatly
A USB drive filled with pictures and videos of her
All carefully kept. Treated like sacred offerings.
Uika lifted one photo and held it to her chest.
"I won't take you back yet," she murmured.
"But I'll come for you, when everything feels the safest. When you believe your life is finally at peace. That's when I'll take it all back, including you."
---
She walked to her computer and logged into a hidden network, accessible only with encrypted keys. Eyes scanned through reports from her agents, Marigold's operations, still running like clockwork.
She was still in control.
"Let them believe I'm gone. Let Shiina Taki think she won. But when I return. I won't just take Saki-chan. I'll destroy their world."
YOU ARE READING
Between Shadows and Longing
Mystery / Thriller(SEQUEL OF 'UNTIL YOU'RE MINE AGAIN') In a world where silence speaks louder than words, Sakiko drifts between loyalty and longing. Her heart still tied to Taki, yet her soul trembles at the whisper of Uika's name. Loneliness cracks the walls of her...
