It's been two years since I married Takashi, when we realized we had actually remarried. He was extremely passive, and before I knew it, he started taking time off work—eventually quitting altogether. City life had become suffocating, so we decided to move to Tohoku, where my father-in-law lived. My father-in-law turned out to be much rougher and more rugged than I'd imagined, reminding me strikingly of my former husband. There was something eerily similar in his manner and demeanor, and it stirred up a burning sensation deep within me...