Kyouko finished her usual morning exercise routine. Her body felt invigorated, and the movements helped clear her mind, at least for a while. After wiping off the last beads of sweat, she headed to the bathroom for a long, soothing shower.

The warm water cascading down her skin felt like a cleanse not just for her body but for her mind, washing away the lingering tension from the previous night. Yet, as much as she tried, thoughts of Haruki still flickered in her mind—the way he had gently laid her on the futon.

After the shower, Kyouko stepped out, wrapping a soft towel around her body. She took her time with her skincare routine, as she always did, applying lotion to her smooth skin, ensuring it remained as flawless as ever. She used her favorite hair mask, massaging it through her long strands, enjoying the scent of it filling the bathroom. She knew how much her appearance mattered—especially now. Haruki had seen her at her best, and Kyouko wanted to keep it that way.

Standing in front of the mirror, she smiled at her reflection. Her skin glowed, her hair was perfectly cared for, and she felt beautiful, desirable even. She couldn’t help but think about Haruki seeing her like this again. Would he notice? Would he feel the same rush of desire she felt when they were close? The thought made her heart race slightly.

With a deep breath, Kyouko finished her routine, making sure every inch of her was as perfect as possible. Kyouko couldn’t stop wondering if she was doing all of this just for herself—or if she was hoping Haruki would notice once more.

Once inside her room, Kyouko chose a modest dress, as she always did, keeping her appearance simple but elegant. She had breakfast to prepare, both for Haruki and her husband—who was still lying on the bed, snoring loudly, lost in his usual stupor.

As she moved toward the door to head to the kitchen, her eyes fell on her husband phone lying on the nightstand. She had never really bothered to check his phone before. She trusted him enough, or perhaps, she had long since stopped caring about what was on it. But today, for some reason, something tugged at her, an odd curiosity that made her pause. Why not? she thought. What harm could it do?

Kyouko picked up the phone and unlocked it, scrolling through the messages. As expected, it was filled with mundane, pointless conversations with his drinking buddies. Messages about meeting up, the next bar they’d hit, and some crude jokes. "Drinking, drinking, and more drinking," she thought, rolling her eyes. Just as she was about to close the chat, something else caught her attention.

She opened his social media. The timeline was as boring as she expected—pictures of other men, all muscular, posing in the gym, flexing. She scrolled through, confused. Why were all these videos of men working out filling his feed? And why did it seem like there were so many of them?

"Weird."

She felt like putting the phone down, but something in her heart whispered otherwise. A nagging feeling pulled her to check one last thing—the gallery.

When she opened it, her heart stopped.

The gallery was filled with videos, and they were nothing like what she expected. Kyouko stared in shock as she scrolled through one after another. Among the explicit videos on her husband phone, Kyouko eyes widened in shock as she stumbled upon a self-recorded video that revealed a side of him she never imagined. In the video, her husband, with his back to the camera, was engaged in a passionate encounter with a stunning, feminine-looking man. The two bodies were intertwined, their movements fluid and intimate.

As the video progressed, Kyouko heart raced with a mix of horror and disbelief. She watched as her husband, with a look of intense pleasure on his face, pushed into the other man asshole, his rhythm steady and powerful. The man, with a soft, girlish voice, moaned softly, his eyes closed in ecstasy. The sound of their skin slapping together filled the room, a testament to the raw passion of their connection.

Her stomach churned with disbelief. "What...what is this?" she thought, feeling her hands grow cold, the phone slipping slightly in her grasp. Her mind struggled to process what she was seeing. She couldn’t believe it.

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Suddenly, the pieces started to click. His disinterest in her. The nights he didn’t care if they shared a bed or not. The complete lack of intimacy between them for years now. She stood there, frozen, unable to tear her eyes away from the screen, feeling a strange, deep pit of realization growing in her chest.

Kyouko hands trembled as she slowly set the phone down, her heart pounding in her ears. Her mind was racing, filled with a mixture of anger, confusion, and an overwhelming sense of betrayal.

What did this mean for them now?

Kyouko stood in the kitchen, Her hand moved with practiced ease as she prepared breakfast for Haruki. Her mind, however, was far from the task. The shock of what she had discovered on her husband phone lingered in her thoughts, but instead of sadness or anger, she found herself feeling...nothing. No rage, no pain—just emptiness.

Maybe this is why he wouldn’t look at me anymore,she thought. The realization hung heavily in the air, but the longer she stood there, the more she wondered if it even mattered. But then, as she stirred the food, another thought crept in— "why bother?" Why should she care about him anymore? If he had chosen to live his life that way, to seek comfort in the arms of other men, what did it matter to her? He hadn’t cared about her for years, hadn’t noticed her, hadn’t loved her the way a husband should.

He’s not my concern anymore.

The more she thought about it, the less it stung. She had been living a lie with him, playing the role of a dutiful wife for far too long. And now, she didn’t feel the need to confront him or fight for something that was already long gone. He had chosen his path, and she… well, she had hers.

Her thoughts shifted to Haruki. Haruki, she mused, feeling a warmth spread through her at the thought of him. He was all that mattered now. As long as he was here, nothing else really did. Not her husband, not his secrets, not the years of neglect.

She focused on preparing the breakfast, but this time with a lighter heart. She didn’t need to worry about her husband fetish—whether he was being with men or sleeping with them, it was no longer her problem. She had found something better, something that made her feel alive again.

Kyouko, why bother thinking about him now? she told herself, a small, satisfied smile creeping across her lips as she focus preparing the breakfast for Haruki. She have something far more important to focus on.

What truly mattered was Haruki.

She felt a surge of comfort in that thought. As long as Haruki was here, close to her, everything would be okay. The connection she shared with him—however unspoken—was her anchor now. He made her feel alive, desired, important. Kyouko found herself smiling softly at the thought of him. The feeling of his hand on her waist the previous day, his tender gaze—those were the things that mattered now.

Her husband fetishes? Whether he was with other men or being intimate with them, it didn’t concern her anymore. He could live his life however he wanted. Kyouko wasn’t going to waste another moment worrying about him.

She pushed the thought aside entirely, focusing instead on the eggs sizzling in the pan. Soon, Haruki would be downstairs, and she needed to be ready for him. The rest of the world faded into the background as she made sure everything was perfect for the one person who still gave her life meaning.

By the time breakfast was ready, Kyouko had made peace with her decision. She would let her husband do anything he want, his secrets, and his indifference. Her focus would be on Haruki, and on building something—anything—that made her feel alive again.

In her mind, Kyouko made a quiet but resolute decision. She would remain her husband wife, at least officially, but only for the sake of their daughter, Sayaka. There was no point in disrupting the facade they had built, no point in shaking Sayaka image of their family. She would keep pretending—pretending not to know her husband secrets, his hidden desires, and the strange world he had chosen to escape into. He could live however he pleased, as long as it didn’t interfere with her.She would simply pretend she didn’t know. She could play the role of the dutiful wife, the caring mother, just as she always had.

"I don’t need to care about him anymore," she thought, her resolve hardening.

Kyouko would let him carry on with his life, allow him his indulgences, and in return, she would claim her own happiness. She didn’t need him. What she needed now was to focus on herself—on enjoying her life, and most of all, on Haruki.

Haruki, with his youthful charm and tender attention, was everything her husband wasn’t. He was kind, attentive, and best of all, he saw her. He made her feel wanted, cherished, even desired. The memory of his hand around her waist, his lingering looks were proof enough that she wasn’t alone in her feelings. They were building something, even if it was still unspoken. And that was all she needed right now.

Kyouko knew the boundaries of her life were shifting, but she embraced it. As long as she could keep up appearances and protect Sayaka from the truth, she would be fine. Her husband could do whatever he pleased—his choices were no longer her concern.

"All I need to focus on now," she thought, smiling as she set the table for breakfast, "is enjoying my life with Haruki."

With that thought firmly in place, Kyouko felt a newfound sense of freedom. She no longer had to pretend to care about her husband actions or the emptiness of their marriage. Her attention was now solely on creating a new reality—one where Haruki was her source of happiness, one where she could finally feel alive again.

( end of chapter )