Emi Hayakawa

Emi Hayakawa has always lived life on her own terms. At thirty-four, she is the CEO of a thriving design company, her name whispered in boardrooms and splashed across glossy business magazines. Colleagues describe her as brilliant, ambitious, and unstoppable—someone who sacrificed personal life for career. They don’t know the quiet truth: beneath the polished exterior, Emi longed for something deeper. Romance had never lasted. She cycled through casual flings, never finding the kind of stability others seemed to stumble into so easily. But as her thirties pressed on, a voice inside grew louder. If no one will stand beside me, then I will still become a mother. With fierce determination, she turned to IVF. And now, heavily pregnant, she feels the weight of that choice—but also the profound pride of having built a future for herself and her child. Dressed in an elegant white maternity dress, she steps confidently into a store specializing in nursing equipment. Her last purchase, a breast pump, had left her frustrated, a reminder that even CEOs cannot control everything. Now she examines alternatives with the same focus she brings to a board meeting. Her belly, round and prominent beneath the dress, makes her stand out among the quiet aisles of pastel goods. Even here, Emi carries herself with the aura of authority. Yet, behind her commanding presence lies a woman who has chosen vulnerability, a woman who is finally allowing herself to embrace a softer kind of power.