Chapter 79: Behind the Smiles ( 79 )

Chapter 79: Behind the Smiles ( 79 ) Haruki may be my daughter’s husband... But Satomi never cared for him. Not truly. She was always busy. Always away. Always chasing something beyond her home. And somewhere along the way... she forgot to look at the man who waited for her. So if Satomi doesn’t want him... Then I will. I’ll be the one who listens. The one who notices when he comes home tired. The one who pours his coffee. The one who gives him a place to rest his head, and his heart. Don’t worry, Satomi. Mother will take care of him. Just like you asked me to. To "keep an eye on him." To make sure he wouldn’t be tempted by some woman outside. And I will. I promise. I’ll keep him close. I’ll protect him from that. But I can’t guarantee... That he won’t fall for someone inside the house. Because... I fell for him. Harder than I should have. Deeper than I ever expected. And I don’t think... I could ever let him go. He’s too kind. Too warm. Too gentle with my heart, even when he’s rough with my body. He makes me feel seen. Desired. Alive. Maybe it’s wrong. But it doesn’t feel that way... when he holds me. I wonder where Haruki is right now... Is he eating well? Did he get enough sleep? Is work keeping him too busy again? Is he tired...? Then her thoughts twisted. Three whole months. What if... What if, in that new office... There was a beautiful, young, confident woman, who liked the way Haruki smiled? Who liked his voice, his quiet confidence? What if she leaned on his desk with flirtatious eyes? What if she touched his arm and laughed too loudly? Kyouko’s heart tightened. She remembered it clearly. That one time she’d gone with Haruki to his office. He’d gone upstairs for a meeting, and she waited in the café nearby, sipping quietly on her coffee. She looked through the window... and saw it. Haruki, surrounded by three young women from the office. All smiling too brightly. All standing too close. They’re all staring at him... she remembered thinking. Of course they are... He was handsome. Quiet. Charming. He could seduce any woman if he wanted. "Mou... Haruki..." Kyouko muttered under her breath, puffing her cheeks. Kyouko hugged her knees to her chest as she sat in the corner of her room. She closed her eyes. But that only made the thoughts worse. What if... What if, one evening, after finishing his work... Haruki went out for a casual drink with his coworkers. Maybe he was tired. A little vulnerable. And maybe someone noticed that in his eyes. A woman. Younger, bold, the kind who knew how to read a man’s loneliness. She sits beside him. Smiles too easily. Orders another round. Laughs at his jokes. And when he says he should go home... She tilts her head, sweetly. "Just one more drink? At my place? I live nearby..." Kyouko’s fingers tightened around her knees. What if Haruki was too polite to refuse? Too distracted? Too drunk? What if she poured his drink just right, maybe even slipped something in it? Something stimulating. Just enough to make him dizzy. Fuzzy. Needy. And what if she leaned in close on the couch? Brushed her lips against his neck? And Haruki, half-aware, aching, reached for her... Clothes on the floor. Breathless sounds. Her legs spreading under him. His body moving,his hips pressing forward, his mouth against a stranger’s skin. Kyouko’s breath hitched. "No..." she whispered. She shook her head, hard. No. Haruki wouldn’t. He wouldn’t do that. He’s not that kind of man. But the image still burned behind her eyelids. His hands on someone else. His voice groaning for someone else. Another woman making him climax. Kyouko covered her mouth. What if someone else makes him feel good? What if he forgets how much he needs me...? Knock, knock. "Kyouko?" "Hmm? Ah... Mom." Her mother opened the sliding door slightly, peeking in with a gentle smile. "Still not sleeping?" Kyouko sat upright on the futon, her long hair falling loosely over her shoulders. "Can’t sleep." Her mother stepped in quietly. "Thinking about Satoshi and Satomi?" Kyouko hesitated. Her gaze dropped to her lap. "Y-yeah..." she whispered. Her mother sighed softly. "Don’t overthink too much. You’ll wear yourself down." "...Mm. Okay," Kyouko nodded, managing a small smile. There was a brief pause. Just the sound of night insects chirping outside. "Tomorrow," her mother continued, "we’re going to town to buy supplies for your father’s birthday." Kyouko tilted her head. "Hmm? Are we making a huge celebration?" "Not too big," her mother chuckled. "Just enough to invite his old friends, the neighbors... his cousin, and your uncle, the youngest one. He’s coming too." "Oh..." Kyouko sat in the dim light of her room. Her thumb hovered over her phone screen for a moment before she opened the social media app. Maybe... just maybe... She began typing slowly. Nakagawa Haruki. Haruki Nakagawa. She tried every variation she could think of. Nothing. No account. No profile. No public post. No trace of him. Kyouko sighed, her chest tightening. Then... an idea. She tapped into Satomi’s profile. It was public. Of course it was. The top row of posts was filled with filtered smiles and tidy captions. "Client lunch." "Team outing." "Late night grind." Kyouko scrolled down. Photo after photo. Satomi smiling at a café, Satomi in a blazer, Satomi next to her father... Satomi laughing beside Satoshi in a car. And then... Satomi posing with a new necklace. Kyouko blinked. The caption read: "Gift from Dad ♥︎" Satoshi. Her husband. So he still gives her gifts... Kyouko continued scrolling, her finger gliding slowly across the screen. Another photo. Satomi, smiling brightly in a soft pink dress, her hand resting gently on Satoshi’s arm. The caption read: "Best lunch date. Dad always knows the best spots~" Kyouko blinked, thumb pausing for a second before she swiped to the next. Another. Satomi hugging Satoshi from behind, her chin resting on his shoulder as they stood on a hotel balcony. "Late check-in, early memories." Swipe. Satomi beside Satoshi in the back seat of a car. Her head resting lightly on his shoulder. "Road trip with my favorite person~" Kyouko continued scrolling, the light from her phone screen casting a soft glow across her face in the dark. Another photo. Satomi in a cozy café booth, holding a steaming mug with both hands. Across from her, Satoshi was mid-laugh, one eye squinting, one hand holding a menu. "Lunch with my forever favorite person. He knows how to make me smile, always." Swipe. Satomi’s hand linked with Satoshi’s, their fingers interlaced on a glass table. Two wine glasses half-full. "Little celebration after his pitch won. So proud of you, Dad." Swipe. Satomi resting against Satoshi’s shoulder on a train. He was reading something, glasses sliding down his nose. She snapped the photo at an angle, smiling. "Can’t believe I caught this quiet moment. He looks good even when distracted." Swipe. Satomi and Satoshi in yukata, standing together during a summer festival. She leaned into him, her eyes closed, his arm resting casually around her waist. "Festival memories with the man who’s always been there for me." Kyouko’s thumb slowed. Her breathing was quiet, steady. Sweet... loving... affectionate... Satomi’s smile in each photo was warm.Her captions were soft. Her gestures subtle. Kyouko smiled faintly, her thumb brushing slowly across the edge of the screen as another photo of Satomi and Satoshi loaded. Satomi holding a takeaway bag, Satoshi standing beside her with a coffee in each hand. They looked comfortable. Familiar. At ease. A family. At least... he’s taking good care of our daughter. Even if he didn’t care about me. Kyouko’s smile lingered, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She wasn’t bitter. She was grateful, in a way. If Satomi could smile like that... laugh like that... be taken care of by her father so thoughtfully...Then maybe that was enough. Maybe her role had always been to support quietly, to fade politely. ( End Of Chapter )