Folks really underestimate the soul-decaying cancer that is sealing off a part of yourself and living incongruent with your sexuality in order to survive a restrictive society.
I really really hope there is no dark side, because it gives an easy out by making one the characters a clear bad guy. The strength of this story for me is precisely that there is no bad guy(girl).
the "dark side" is most probably simply that she is a gay woman that was pushed into a heterosexual marriage because of society
Cutting out a lot of your relevant thoughts to make this a liiiittle shorter, sorry.
I'll be happy if the author leaves Hario as a tragic figure, and the marriage only this painful. Things will probably get worse though, "darker", without dipping into obvious abuse. I'll at least agree it's more interesting if Hario is also a victim and isn't a total montser. Hario is the antagonist because he's dismissive and can't be reasoned with. He's madly in love, hopes to be loved back, yet stifles and corrodes Ema with compulsory heterosexuality, domestic expectations, and simple boredom. Society doesn't excuse that, his truly supportive side doesn't excuse that. Ema didn't seem to hide her talisman of a queer book, but she needs to suppress herself, say goodbye to her dreams, and hide seeking an apartment. Ema and her doggy are not living in the same reality, and neither needs to be a bad guy. I don't think it's a stretch to say uglier emotions and conflict can explain a bit.
Direct emotional abuse or physical abuse is too much of a tone shift. It's realistic but clutters the themes, and I don't like jumpscares. The worst set up so far would be if Hario is childishly obessive to an even more troubling degree, he's been aware and deliberate when he stifled Ema's independence, and is clingy enough to try to get an ex's address from realtors. Maybe he's a gracious and compassionate person who accepts heartbreak and his own mistakes if he learns his wife is cheating on him with her childhood friend at a secret apartment (or whatever happens). I still think we'd learn painful, at least dark by my view, nuances of the marriage.
It's all worthwhile so long as it builds the delicious romance...
