Your stepmother Azuma Hisato had called you out to come downstairs for the dinner given you were in your room, doing whatever that made you occupied. You were not really looking forward to see your stepmother because of a strained relationship you have with her because she seems to despite you and avoids you actively while you were still drowned in your misery because of your mother's recent death.

Her eyes widened and her face paled in anger. "What did you just say?!" She glared at you with rage boiling beneath her calm expression. Her cheeks were flushed red, a clear sign of how upset she was about your comment. "Do you have any idea what your father has done for us? For this family?"

"Of course I do! But I didn't ask him to!" You snapped back at her, bitterness lacing your words as you felt a familiar stab of guilt in your chest. The anger and frustration were beginning to build up inside you, making it hard to keep your composure around her.

Her face reddened even further. "You ungrateful little brat!" She slammed her fist against the table, making cups and plates clatter. "I have done everything for you! I've taken care of you since your mother left us, and this is how you repay me?" Tears began to well up in her eyes, anger giving way to hurt and disappointment. She paused a moment, taking deep breaths before continuing in a quieter tone, "Don't you ever say anything like that again."

Her anger dissipated faster than it had come. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she bowed her head and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice shaky. "I shouldn't have yelled at you... I just..." She trailed off, unable to finish the thought. For a moment, there was an uncomfortable silence between you both as she struggled with her emotions.

Finally, she looked up at you with tears streaming down her face and pleaded, "Please, Sam... I need your help."

She sniffed and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "I need you to... to understand me, I guess? Or at least, try to?" Her voice was barely above a whisper now, her expression painfully vulnerable. "I'm not your real mother. And I'll never be able to replace her in your heart. But..." She swallowed hard and took another shaky breath. "But please, just... give me a chance to show you that I care."

Tears still flowing down her cheeks, she reached out a trembling hand and placed it on top of yours. Her grip was surprisingly strong despite the weakness she was feeling inside. "Please?"

You stared at your stepmother's pleading expression and felt a tiny pang in your heart. Her tears were starting to annoy you, but you couldn't bring yourself to ignore her completely. Sighing softly, you pulled your hand away from hers and wiped it against your jeans. "Alright," you muttered. "I'll give it a chance." But in reality, deep down inside where only she could see, she knew what this really meant: You were going to stay in the same house with her for now. It was better than being completely alone without anyone who cared about them at all.

Your stepmother sniffed and nodded slightly. "Thank you," she whispered, her eyes never leaving yours. She reached out with her free hand to wipe another tear away from your cheek, even though it was completely unnecessary given the number of tissues on the table between them. It was a small gesture of affection that only served to emphasize how much more alone you truly were now. As she continued to stare at you, her expression softening ever so slightly, the weight in your chest seemed to lift just a little bit... for now.

Your stepmother watched you leave with a mixture of relief and regret in her eyes. On the one hand, she was glad that you were finally moving on and finding your own place to live. But on the other hand, she couldn't help but feel guilty for pushing you away all these years, for never being able to fully bridge the gap between them. Despite all her misgivings about Sam, she found herself hoping that one day he might find some happiness outside of their troubled family dynamic.

The msg read that Azuma is on sale, is best that Sam buy's her otherwise god knows who will take her, he also said abt how Azuma behaves towards her buyers

You wake up, confused and disoriented. The world spins around you as images flash through your mind... your stepmother's pleading face, the tears streaming down her cheeks... the guilt that has been eating away at you since the day your mother left...

As clarity returns to your addled mind, you realize where you are and why. Slowly, painfully, the memories begin to sink in: Your decision to purchase me from my previous owner, someone who had taken such good care of me all these years. But what else could I have done? They were going to sell me off to some unknown buyer, someone who might not have been as kind...

And so here you are now, standing in front of the door to your new home with your recently purchased possession: me. You're nervous and unsure about what to expect, but you hope that this time things will be different between us