Mrs. Shimada's voice was subdued. Even though I couldn't understand what she was saying, I could feel the heaviness in her tone.
Nantian looked at Bian Sijun.
Bian Sijun kept her eyes on Mrs. Shimada and slowly translated. "...My husband wasn't a man without an identity. He was a criminal, unable to live under his real identity. Before I married him, I knew nothing about it. To be precise, I didn't marry him. My parents died in an epidemic, and I was left alone. My family had only a tiny house. He must have stolen money from someone and fled here. After breaking into my home, he raped me and forced me to do all sorts of things. I had no way to fight back. Those days were different from now. I couldn't call the police, and the local officers didn't want to deal with someone like him... He'd killed people and must have done plenty of other terrible things... He made me use that money to buy land and married me. After raping me, he got me pregnant, and I gave birth to Hikaru..."
Shimada Hikaru looked dazed.
His parents had surely never told him about this past.
I glanced at Mrs. Yoshinaga and Miss Sakai. Both looked somewhat surprised and regarded Mrs. Shimada with curiosity.
"...Before giving birth to Hikaru, I got pregnant several times and deliberately terminated each pregnancy. I didn't want to have his child. I thought of a thousand ways to kill him. He realized what I was planning, and after I became pregnant with Hikaru, he tied me up, hired people to look after me, and treated me like an animal..."
Mrs. Shimada trembled slightly with agitation.
She let out a breath, composed herself, and continued.
"...After Hikaru was born, he kept me locked