Interlude 6 Ex-Wife's Shattered Illusions
Ex-Wife's Shattered Illusions
It’s been about two months since I visited his family’s home.
Life has been smooth and peaceful every day.
Yet, the uneasy memory of that visit still lingers in my heart…
Whenever I recall it, an uncomfortable, hazy feeling creeps in—but he always manages to dispel it.
—Ah, I’m so happy.
Relishing this happiness, I stood in the kitchen, washing the dishes.
I glanced at him sitting on the sofa, carefully writing down baby name ideas with a calligraphy brush.
Fufu.
Taa-kun always gets ahead of himself~.
Watching him, I couldn’t help but smile softly.
He’s kind, he has money…
I can only see a bright future ahead of us. There’s nothing more I could ask for.
As I was lost in these thoughts, Taa-kun turned his gaze to me and smiled warmly.
“Hey, Aya.”
“What is it, Taa-kun?”
“I was thinking we should move again soon.”
“Eh, again?”
Surprised, my voice rose unintentionally.
But it couldn’t be helped.
After all, we’d only just moved into this house, and I had no complaints about it.
When we returned from that family visit, the moving preparations were already complete, and now we’re here.
Even if it’s just a whim of the wealthy, moving is exhausting… Honestly, I’d rather not keep doing this.
“Hey, Taa-kun. I was wondering, why did we move last time too?”
“Like I said before, Dad was against our marriage, right? So this is my way of taking action.”
“But…”
“Think of it as a late rebellion. So, help me pack again, okay?”
“Alright…”
I didn’t understand why we needed to do this.
Tilting my head in confusion, I must have looked puzzled, because he walked over to me and gently patted my head.
His tender gesture left me feeling dazed.
Huh…?
My eyes wandered down to his pants pocket, where I spotted a familiar brown envelope peeking out.
“Taa-kun, is that envelope…”
“Of course, it’s money.”
“Wait, is that the money I was given…?”
“No, no. It was given to us, so we should accept it gratefully. You can never have too much money.”
“Oh my~ Taa-kun, you shouldn’t do that!”
“Fufu, sorry, sorry.”
His innocent, childlike expression made me chuckle despite myself.
“Still, your father hasn’t approved of our marriage yet, has he?”
“Nope.”
“What should we do? We really need his approval…”
“It doesn’t matter. You can get married without parental consent.”
“That’s true, but…”
Without supportive parents, we wouldn’t get financial help!!
I can’t bear the thought of marrying only to struggle with money later!!!
Wait, no.
If I complain too much and end up being dumped, that would be a disaster.
I need to keep my grievances to myself…
But it’s hard not to vent at least a little.
I mean, he won’t approve even though we’re having a baby!
Considering the size of their house, they must care about appearances. Couldn’t he at least take responsibility for… wait?
A strange thought struck me.
At the same time, his stern-looking father’s face resurfaced in my mind.
Strict, rigid, overbearing… and yet, he’d seemed exhausted.
Before I realized it, my mouth moved on its own,
“Did you tell him about the pregnancy?”
I asked Taa-kun.
He smiled sweetly.
“The baby? Of course not. If he found out, he’d oppose us with everything he’s got. He’s obsessed with appearances. If he knew, he’d definitely go all out—but I won’t let that happen.”
He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Huh… am I the one who’s wrong here?
Why is he just shrugging it off…?
His usual smile.
That smile, which usually soothed me, now sent a strange chill down my spine.
“Seriously, the law is such a pain. I hate that my birthday is so late. I still need my parents’ consent to get married.”
“…What does that mean?”
“Oh, but it’s no big deal. Just a few more months and it’ll be fine. Spending the last of my teenage years with you, Aya—it’s bliss~.”
“Ahaha… Taa-kun, you make it sound like you’re still a college student. I don’t like bad jokes like that.”
“A joke?”
“Yeah, because you’re working now, right~?”
“Haha, no way. I’m a 19-year-old college student.”
He casually dropped a bombshell.
My jaw dropped at the sudden revelation.
Wait, WHAT?
What does he mean…?
Taa-kun is a student?
No way… Then where did all that money come from?
I can’t keep up.
And yet, despite how serious this sounds, how is he so calm…?
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.
He tilted his head, as if wondering why I looked so confused.
Hoping desperately that this was some kind of joke, I decided to revisit what I had dismissed as nonsense.
“So… then, what your father said…”
“It’s true.”
“But if you’re a college student, you wouldn’t be able to see me every day, right?”
“College? Oh, I dropped out. There’s no point in going there anymore.”
“What… Then what will you do now?”
“Do? Is there really anything to worry about? As long as I have you, Aya, and our baby, I don’t need anything else, right?”
“What about our livelihood…?”
“As long as we’re together as a family, that’s all that matters. Isn’t that the ultimate happiness?”
“Ultimate happiness…”
“You left your ex-husband to marry me, didn’t you? There’s nothing to hesitate about. With me, you’ll find ultimate happiness, true love—things you couldn’t get from him. That’s what you said, right, Aya?”
What is he even talking about?
Love and life can’t exist without money!
That’s not what true love is!!
And yet, he says it like it’s the most normal thing in the world.
So… could it be that I’ve just been blind to this until now…?
Or was I deceived all along?
What should I do?
I can’t just run away—not with a baby in my stomach…
“Like this, we can’t possibly get marri—”
“I won’t allow that.”
His gentle smile vanished, replaced by an expressionless gaze that locked onto me.
Then he put his arm around my shoulder.
Not long ago, it might have seemed affectionate, but now I felt like I was being threatened, as if he were saying, “I could strangle you at any moment.”
My life was in his hands. A chilling fear consumed me.
As if to deepen my dread, he began to speak.
“Was it all a lie? Those words about loving me—were they all lies? Even after everything I’ve done for you?”
“No, of course not…”
“Right? It wasn’t a lie, was it? There’s no way you’d just use me for my money… right?”
“No, never. I love you, Taa-kun.”
The words came out instinctively, and I managed to keep my voice steady.
With this, there’s no need to worry about him finding anything strange.
This guy is dangerous…
Every alarm in my head was blaring.
How did I get fooled by someone like this…?
But regretting it now won’t change anything.
Although I’m in a very difficult and dangerous situation, it’s precisely at times like these that opportunities arise.
So I won’t give up.
I’ll find a way out of this mess and seize my happiness!
Looking up at him with feigned affection, I wrapped my arms around his neck and whispered in his ear.
“I love you, Taa-kun. I’ll always be with you.”
“Yeah. Our love is real. True love is unshakable. Ah, I love you too, Aya. Stay by my side forever.”
“Of course…”
I played the role of a woman basking in happiness.
Responding to his gentle embrace…
—That night.
While he slept, I slipped out of the house.
“Haha… idiot. I’m not going to let you control me.”
With those parting words, I walked away from the house I had been trapped in.