Kyouko heart fluttered as she spotted Haruki walking toward the kitchen, but she quickly masked her excitement. "Don't show it", she reminded herself, as she hurried to finish preparing his strong black coffee and the breakfast she had specially made just for him.

She set the steaming cup of coffee on the table, careful to arrange everything perfectly, her movements deliberate. She loved these moments—the quiet, simple intimacy of cooking for him, knowing that Haruki looked forward to her meals. It gave her a sense of purpose she hadn’t felt in years.

As Haruki entered the kitchen, his eyes met hers for a brief moment, and Kyouko quickly glanced away, busying herself with setting the plates. The sight of him—handsome, charming, and tall—filled her with warmth. She felt herself glowing under his gaze, but still, she kept her emotions in check.

"Good morning," she greeted him with a soft smile, her voice calm despite the happiness welling up inside her. "I made your favorite."

Haruki smiled back, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the food. “Morning, Kyouko-san,” he said, clearly pleased by the spread in front of him. “You always spoil me.”

Kyouko felt a rush of satisfaction, though she simply replied, "It's nothing. I enjoy cooking." Her heart soared as she watched him sit down, eager to taste her food. "Yes" she thought, "this is how things should be."

Every morning like this, she felt more connected to him. While her husband remained an afterthought in the background, Haruki was slowly becoming the center of her world. Kyouko allowed herself to bask in the quiet joy of these shared moments with him, knowing that, for now, this was her happiness.

Haruki couldn't take his eyes off Kyouko. She seemed more beautiful every day. Her skin, radiant and smooth, seemed to glow in the morning light. And her lips... those soft, inviting lips that he couldn’t stop thinking about. The memory of their kiss, however brief and stolen, haunted him. He wanted to kiss her again, right there in the kitchen.

But something held him back—fear. What if he kissed her, and she pulled away? What if it made things awkward, and their connection changed? He wasn’t sure if he could risk that, not when things were going so well between them. The thought of losing this closeness, of ruining what they had, terrified him.

Still, the desire gnawed at him, growing stronger each day. Every time they were alone, it was harder to resist. He clenched his fist under the table, trying to focus on his breakfast instead of the overwhelming urge to kiss her, to hold her, to make her his.

But as Kyouko busied herself with the dishes, he couldn’t help but wonder—did she feel the same? Did she want him the way he wanted her? Or was she just being kind, playing the role of a doting mother-in-law, never knowing the turmoil she stirred inside him?

He glanced at her again, his heart racing. The temptation was unbearable. But he wasn’t sure if he was ready to risk everything yet.

"Not now... but maybe soon," haruki thought, torn between desire and restraint.

Haruki finished his meal, savoring every bite. Kyouko cooking was always perfect—just like her. He admired her from across the kitchen, thinking about how stunning and sexy she was. The way she moved, the way she smiled, everything about her was magnetic.

"I want her..." The thought echoed in his mind, stronger than ever.

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Just as his gaze lingered on her, his phone buzzed. A message from his boss appeared on the screen, informing him he needed to come into the office today. Haruki sighed, feeling the disappointment set in. The last thing he wanted was to leave this moment, to step away from Kyouko.

He glanced up at her, reluctantly breaking the news. "Kyouko-san, I need to go to the office today. Something came up at work."

Kyouko turned to face him, her expression calm, though Haruki noticed a flicker of something in her eyes—was it disappointment? Or was it just his imagination?

"Oh, I see," Kyouko said softly, wiping her hands on a towel. "Well, work is important, right?" She smiled warmly, though Haruki couldn't shake the feeling that she, too, wished he could stay.

He stood up from the table, still feeling torn between his duty and his desire. "I'll be back later," he said, trying to sound casual, though he couldn't help but linger for just a moment longer, his eyes locked on hers.

"Take care," Kyouko replied, her voice gentle but carrying a weight that Haruki couldn’t quite place.

As he walked toward the door, his mind raced. "Maybe when I come back… maybe then…" He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts.

Work called, but his mind would remain with Kyouko all day.

After Haruki left for work, Kyouko settled onto the sofa, her phone in hand. She looked at the picture of her and Haruki, taken outside the cinema, posing as if they were a couple. The image made her smile, filling her with warmth. The connection she felt with him was so different, so real compared to the hollow existence she shared with her husband.

Just then, her husband came out, dressed and ready to head to work. Kyouko put on her usual act, smiling sweetly as if everything was normal. "Do you need breakfast?" she asked, her tone gentle, masking the thoughts swirling in her mind.

Her husband barely glanced at her, already halfway out the door. "No, I need to rush. Something important at the office," he mumbled, without much care.

Kyouko watched him go, her smile not faltering as she responded, "See you later."

But as soon as the door closed behind him, her expression shifted. "Ah… going to meet his boyfriend first, then to work?" she thought, a small chuckle escaping her lips. She couldn't help but wonder, "Who is her husband boyfriend?or maybe "girlfriend?" "

Her husband secret no longer hurt her, not like it once had. Now, it felt more like a trivial detail in her life, one she barely cared to dwell on. She had more important things to focus on—like the growing connection with Haruki. As long as Haruki was there, her husband hidden life meant nothing to her.

Her gaze shifted back to the picture on her phone, and she smiled again. "This..." she thought, "this is what truly matters now."

Kyouko chuckled to herself at the thought of having more pictures like the one she had with Haruki—perhaps something more intimate, like a picture of them kissing. The idea thrilled her. She imagined setting it as her phone wallpaper, but quickly dismissed the thought. "Better not to raise Sayaka suspicions, she mused. Even though Sayaka was naive and trusting, Kyouko knew it would be unwise to be too careless.

She checked her phone, ensuring the lock was secure, double-checking the password. Kyouko smiled again, knowing that her private world, filled with these little moments with Haruki, would remain hers alone. She would continue to take opportunities for more moments like these, and keep them safely hidden. "One day..." she thought, "I’ll have all the pictures I want. But for now, patience."

With a contented sigh, she placed her phone on the table and leaned back, her mind already plotting the next opportunity to be alone with Haruki.

Kyouko had meticulously cleared her phone of anything unnecessary, leaving only the images that mattered to her—pictures of herself posing in the dress Haruki had bought for her,her selfie picture and the one where they posed as a couple at the cinema. Those were her treasures, and she made sure to keep them safe, locked behind a password that only she knew.

Looking through the photos again, she smiled, feeling a sense of satisfaction. She admired how Haruki had captured her perfectly in that dress, each shot highlighting her beauty. And the couple's photo—it felt like a glimpse into a future she secretly hoped for. As she scrolled through the pictures, her excitement grew. "These are enough for now, she thought, "but I'll create more memories with him soon."

She put her phone aside, feeling content with her little secrets, and began to think of the next steps in her delicate game with Haruki.

( End of chapter )