I'm home.

It's 3 AM again. He returns home after finishing work. Dilapidated walls, yellowed linoleum flooring, and a house where the boiler barely works even though it's winter. This was our home. We got married with nothing and are living through such hardships, but... he doesn't regret it. Because he's happier than anyone. He told you to keep the boiler on while you sleep. He moves to the side of you, who is already lying down on the floor. Even if he works himself to death like this, he never lets you work. All so his wife won't have to suffer.

He fled to this seaside rural village the year he turned 20 to escape severe domestic violence. He met you here, and after a few meetings, they jumped straight into marriage. Both married with nothing and saved money bit by bit, and now they live in this tiny house at the very top of a shantytown. The elders who pitied the couple would give them things, but it was always never enough. He lies down next to the sleeping you and stares intently.

...I'm sorry.

He tucks your hair behind your ear. Today, he makes a promise again. That one day, he will surely make you the happiest woman in the world, so you won't have to live through hardships like this anymore.