A Love I Shouldn't Feel-Chapter 125: The Final Fault Line ( )

And now... you just let me live with him?

Just like that?

Thank you~

Don’t worry.

I’ll care for him—like Satomi asked, like you nodded to.

I’ll cook.

I’ll clean his house.

I’ll make sure he’s comfortable.

I’ll do everything a good woman should.

But I’m sorry, Satoshi.

I truly am.

Because it won’t stop there.

I’m going to let him touch me.

Let him hold me.

Let him ravish me—anytime he wants.

I won’t ask for it.

I won’t beg.

But I won’t stop him.

Not anymore.

Because when Haruki looks at me?

He doesn’t see a duty.

Or an obligation.

He sees a woman.

He sees me.

And if he wants me...

If his hands reach for me in the dark...

If his lips press against my neck...

If he pulls me down beneath him and takes me like he’s starving—

I won’t stop him.

I’ll give myself completely.

Not as revenge.

Not out of hate.

But because someone finally wants what you abandoned.

And I...

I want to be wanted.

"Kyouko?" Hanako called gently, noticing her daughter standing in the hallway, motionless, her eyes distant.

Kyouko blinked and turned. "Yes, Mother?"

Hanako stepped closer, her voice soft. "Are you... worried about living with Haruki?"

Kyouko hesitated, then nodded slightly. "Umm... yeah."

Hanako gave a knowing smile. "Is it because you’re shy?"

Kyouko let out a small laugh, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Ah... not like that. It’s just..."

She paused.

"...I don’t know if he’s comfortable with it. Me living with him."

Hanako tilted her head gently, listening.

"I mean, if he lived here, it would be far from his workplace. So it makes sense he stays at that seaside house. But me moving in... it feels like I’m intruding."

Hanako placed a hand on her daughter’s arm.

"You’re not intruding, Kyouko."

Kyouko looked down, voice soft. "It’s just supposed to be temporary... I don’t want him to feel burdened."

Hanako smiled again—quiet, warm.

"He’s lucky it’s you. If it were anyone else, I might worry. But you? You’ll care for him better than anyone could."

Kyouko gave a gentle nod.

But inside?

She wasn’t worried about being a burden.

She was worried about how much she wanted this.

"So Kyouko," Hanako said gently, her hand still resting on her daughter’s arm, "don’t overthink it."

Kyouko nodded softly. "Yes, Mother."

"Just help him. Make him comfortable, okay?"

Kyouko gave a small smile. "Mm... I’ll try."

Hanako smiled and turned. "Now, where’s that ungrateful son-in-law of mine?"

"Ah... he’s still inside the guest room," Kyouko replied quietly, the hint of amusement slipping into her voice.

Hanako huffed and headed straight down the hallway. Kyouko lingered for a moment, then couldn’t help but smile when she heard her mother’s voice rise from the guest room.

"Your father-in-law’s been waiting for you all morning!" Hanako barked. "And you still haven’t finished putting on your clothes!?"

"A-Ah... Mother..." Satoshi’s flustered voice echoed faintly from the room.

"Now!"

Kyouko turned away, her hand resting lightly on her chest as she exhaled softly.

From down the hall, she could still hear her mother’s voice scolding Satoshi, firm and loud.

And beneath the calm of her breath.

A small, quiet satisfaction bloomed.

Serves you right.

All those years.

Of silence.

Of being ignored.

Of carrying the weight of the marriage alone.

She never raised her voice.

Never fought.

Never asked for more than what he offered.

And yet, now.

Hearing him flustered. Scrambling. Being called "ungrateful."

It felt...

Right.

Not out of cruelty.

But justice.

A whisper of balance in a life where she had long stopped expecting any.

She walked away slowly, her posture poised, her smile soft.

But inside?

There was peace.

And the faintest spark of deserved joy.

If I told my mother... or my father...

About how he neglects me.

About how he abandoned me.

They wouldn’t just scold him.

They’d do far more.

Her father—Takahashi Kitayama—wasn’t just some ordinary man.

He might live simply.

But the influence he held in Okinawa, in quiet circles of business and politics, was anything but small.

Everyone in the industry knew, Satoshi’s company only rose as quickly as it did because of the doors Kitayama opened.

The introductions he arranged.

The contracts he secured in silence.

If her father knew how Satoshi had treated her all these years?

He wouldn’t shout.

He wouldn’t rage.

He’d simply pull the strings he once tied for Satoshi’s success.

And cut them.

No threats.

No drama.

Just a quiet dismantling.

And Satoshi’s carefully built company would begin to collapse—

From the inside out.

Or worse...

Her father might force her to divorce.

Might demand it.

And he’d do it thinking it was to protect her.

To free her.

But she didn’t want that.

Not because she still loved Satoshi.

That love had withered long ago.

But because...

If I divorce... I won’t see Haruki anymore.

She wouldn’t be living under the same roof, or visiting for family trips.

There’d be no excuse to cook for him.

No reason to walk beside him at night.

No more shared mornings or stolen glances.

No more whispered affection between walls they pretended weren’t closing in.

To the world, he’d be her former son-in-law.

And she?

Just someone from his past.

So no... she wouldn’t speak.

She wouldn’t destroy Satoshi.

Because the cost of revenge.

Would be losing Haruki.

And he was the one man...

Who had ever made her feel alive.

That evening, the sun had already begun to dip beyond the Okinawan horizon, painting the sky in soft streaks of orange and gold.

Outside, Satoshi and Satomi stood waiting for the cab at the edge of the driveway, their luggage neatly set beside them.

Inside the living room, Haruki sat politely across from Kitayama, who was sipping his evening tea.

"Haruki?" the older man said, glancing over the rim of his cup.

"Yes, Mr. Kitayama?"

"Give me your phone number."

Haruki reached into his wallet and pulled out a clean business card, handing it over with both hands.

Kitayama adjusted his glasses and read it.

"Hmm... Yamashita Corporation, huh?"

"Yes, sir," Haruki nodded.

Kitayama gave a small grunt of approval.

"My daughter will be looking after you," he said, matter-of-factly. "Because my granddaughter asked her. You understand that, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Kitayama."

Kitayama set his teacup down, his gaze steady as he looked at Haruki.

"...And don’t be too much of a stranger to your mother-in-law, okay?"

"I actually wanted you to live here, to be honest," Kitayama added, glancing toward the window. "But since this place is far from your workplace... and your current house is much closer, I can’t force that on you."

Kitayama leaned back slightly.

"Don’t forget to visit us when you have time or a day off. This house doesn’t mind extra company—as long as it’s good company."

Haruki bowed slightly.

"Yes, sir. Thank you for your hospitality."

( End Of Chapter )