The Yakuza’s Mute Bride novel Chapter 61

Chapter 61

“GROWWLLLL…” My stomach growled.

Not a gentle sound. Not something I could hide behind a polite smile.

It erupted from my body with the force of a betrayed creature, echoing in the otherwise quiet bedroom like thunder rolling across a smooth lake.

I went still.

A second later, Tadashi threw his head back and laughed.

Not a restrained chuckle. Not the rare, subtle exhale he sometimes allowed when Yukito said something clever. No-this was real laughter, deep and unguarded, the kind that warmed every cold corner of the room and melted the sharp edges of the night we had shared.

I had never in my life heard him laugh like that.

My heart expanded painfully in my chest, because I knew even without him saying it- He only laughed like this with me.

“My soon-to-be bride is starving,” he teased in a warm, velvety tone. “Perhaps I should feed you before you collapse in my arms.”

I blinked several times.

Bride….

The word shimmered through the air like sunlight on water. I should have been shy or overwhelmed, but all I felt was a soft heat blooming in my chest-a sense of belonging I had never known in my life.

I lifted my gaze to him, still in shock. “Tadashi… did you just… make a joke?”

He raised a single eyebrow in answer, not denying it, not confirming it, just letting the corner of his mouth tilt upward in a way that told me everything I needed to know.

I burst into laughter-real laughter-but the movement pulled at my throat, and I immediately began coughing.

The moment the sound escaped me, Tadashi’s expression transformed. His amusement vanished, replaced with fierce

concern.

“Naomi.” He whispered my name with such tenderness that my chest tightened painfully.

He reached for a glass of water and supported the back of my neck with astonishing gentleness, tilting the glass until I could take slow sips. His touch was so careful, so reverent, that the cough faded even faster than I expected.

When I lowered the empty glass, he brushed a stray strand of hair away from my cheek and spoke in a quieter voice.

“You know… there are surgical procedures that could restore your voice. If you ever want it.”

I blinked, surprised-not because the idea was new, but because of the way he said it. He did not sound as though he disliked my broken voice or sound impatient. He sounded thoughtful. Hopeful even. Like he wanted me to feel comfortable in my own skin.

I smiled, even as my throat still tingled.

“I know… but the surgery is expensive.”

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12:53 Mon, Jan 12 TOG.

Chapter 61

The silence that followed was heavy and meaningful.

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He stared at me with an expression that said more clearly than words ever could: ‘Naomi, nothing about your wellbeing is too expensive for me.”

Before I could say anything else, my stomach growled again.

Louder.

Tadashi burst into another rich laugh, one hand covering his face as though he could not contain the amusement spilling out of him.

I had never seen him like this. Relaxed. Carefree. Unburdened.

It felt almost unreal, like I was seeing the true Tadashi Masayoshi-the one buried under years of duty and violence-finally stepping into the light.

He stood, stretching slightly, and pulled his clothes from the floor, slipping into them with a practiced ease that reminded me he was used to dressing quickly, as though danger always lurked nearby.

Then he lifted one of his shirts-a black T-shirt that looked enormous compared to my frame-and gently pulled it over my head, tugging it down until it swallowed my body completely.

I looked down at myself and groaned.

The hem nearly reached my knees. The sleeves reached my elbows.

Tadashi watched me with a smirk that said he liked the sight more than he could possibly describe.

But all humor drained from my mind when I glanced at the bed.

Blood stained the sheets. Blood streaked across the pillows. Blood had dried in dark, rusty patterns on the mattress.

My breath caught painfully in my throat.

Not my blood.

His.

I lifted the oversized shirt and stared at the dried crimson pattern across his abdomen. The bullet wound he had been ignoring-and just got it out yesterday-had torn open completely.

“Tadashi…” I whispered, horrified. “Your wound is open.”

He only shrugged, his expression infuriatingly calm.

His lips curled into a mischievous, shameless grin. “It was worth it.”

Is it worth it? Oh my God… My face burned so hot I thought I might faint.

I covered my face with both hands.

Oh no.

Oh no, no, no.

The maids would come to clean the room. They would see the blood. They would know exactly why the stitches tore.

I nearly died of mortification.

12:54 Mon, Jan 12

Chapter 61

Tadashi only chuckled quietly and reached for me again.

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By the time we left the bedroom-well, he carried me, ignoring every protest I attempted-it was nearly midday.

He was bleeding.

I was wearing his shirt.

We looked like the aftermath of a storm.

The moment the door opened and the clan members caught sight of us, pandemonium erupted.

Ai gasped so loudly she nearly toppled backward.

Yuka clutched her chest, eyes wide with horror.

Several guards froze mid-step.

One dropped his tray.

And Ota swore under his breath.

Yukito… Yukito looked like he had just watched a deity descend from the heavens and then stab itself.

“Tadashi-sama-your wound-your stomach-there is BLOOD-!” Yukito sounded distressed enough to cry.

But Tadashi ignored everyone.

Completely.

Instead, he carried me to the nearest sofa, settled me in his lap, and began feeding me carefully while blood continued to seep through his shirt.

Ota stared at us like his soul had temporarily left his body.

Ai covered her mouth so tightly her eyes watered.

Yuka whispered something that sounded like a prayer.

The guards exchanged glances, none daring to speak.

It was the first time they had ever seen Tadashi behave like this. Soft. Gentle. Deeply, devastatingly human.

And then Ai noticed the ring.

Her eyes widened as her breath stopped. “Naomi-san…” she whispered. “Is that-”

I lifted my hand, shy and glowing with happiness.

The emerald ring sparkled under the chandelier light-bright, striking, breathtaking.

“OH MY GOD!” Ai screeched so loudly the walls shook.

Yuka shrieked and flung her hands into the air.

Ota clutched his forehead and muttered, “I am too young for this amount of shock.”

Yukito simply sank onto the armchair, whispering to himself, “I definitely need a drink.”

12:54 Mon, Jan 12

Chapter 61

The guards-trained killers, disciplined men-actually cheered.

Tadashi only smirked deeply and wrapped his arm around me possessively.

He looked proud. Untouchable. And mostly radiant.

He looked like a man who had finally claimed the one thing he had secretly yearned for all his life.

His fiancée. His woman. His chosen future.

And for the first time… I felt like I belonged. Not as a burden. Not as a responsibility. Not as someone he had to protect.

But as someone he loved- deeply, fiercely, endlessly.

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12:54 Mon, Jan 12 G.