It has already been a week since Sachi's meltdown, and ever since that time, she has refused to come out of her room whenever he was at home.
Ryo did a lot of thinking, and he has concluded that he has definitely fallen for his wife after she saved him at the time when he got injured in Yamarin. The hate that he used to feel for her, is now replaced by a warm and longing feeling for her. She has melted his cold and icy heart.
And, it wasn't sudden at all, he suspected it was gradual, she broke down the walls around his heart and broke down the shackles that bound him to the hate that is surrounding his heart. Little by little, she did this, without him even noticing, with all the little things that she has done for him, all this time. The little acts of love and kindness that she showed him which he despised and refused to accept before.
For the past two years, the warmth and light coming from her have slowly penetrated even the darkest parts of his heart. Starting from her trying to understand and embrace his anger for her even after finding out about his true plan and intention, to all the time she smiled at him, all the food she prepared for him, and to all the times she was quietly supporting him despite all the abuse.
He figured he could just go back to how he treated her before but he no longer had the stomach to do any of them. This was the first time that he genuinely cared for and loved a girl, it was bittersweet really.
Every day, before leaving for work he would helplessly stand outside her bedroom door wanting to reach out to her but did not have enough courage to do so. He was scared to face the girl that he loves only to hurt her. He didn't know how to reach out to her and find the proper words to say.
Lastly, he was scared that she might reject her, after all that happened to them. She already hates him now, and he has no one to blame but himself for that. Ryo would give everything to turn back time. Because he allowed his heart to be consumed by his anger, made the innocent daughter of the family that he hated suffer, karma bit him hard where it hurt the most.
He wanted to reach out to her because she was hurting the most, but he did not know how. He would helplessly stand right outside her door just waiting for her to come out. But, he knew that no amount of coaxing from him will want to make her come out and talk to him. On top of that, he also wanted to kick himself for being a coward.
His work has been heavily affected because of this. Because he was too distracted and found it hard to concentrate, he had to cancel meetings with his staff, business partners and some clients.
Even his secretary was starting to get worried about him now, and contemplated whether he should call his boss's mother about this.
"Sir, Director Ito from the AA Company called wanting to know what date are you going to reschedule the meeting to since you canceled it last week?" his secretary asked him upon asking permission to enter his office.
Ryo was just staring blankly out of his window overlooking the metropolis and a sea of skyscrapers.
He's got an MBA in business and made the company that his father has left him to what it is now, could convince clients and business partner alike, but figure this, he could not even have a proper talk with his wife or figure out a way to solve his love problems.
He had dark circles under his eyes and stubble growing under his chin, he knew he looked like crap but he did not want to do anything about it because he felt even more like crap inside.
Ryo knew that he was the worst human being, nuclear waste standard.
"Uhm, sir?" Secretary Fujiwara called out to him again.
Ryo was forced to snap out of his thoughts.
"Next week, please schedule them all next week," he told his secretary with a sigh. "Just give me the schedule by the end of this day."
"Okay, right away, sir," his secretary said with a smile after hearing what he said.
Ryo wanted and badly needed a drink and a sound mind who can advise him, but he could not call either Aki or Sano about this. They knew him too well and would easily guess his marital woes and would blab about them to her mother.
And then, just like lightning, at that moment, he remembered one person that he can call about this. He got his phone out and dialed that person's number.
Ryo and his friend arranged to meet at a bar downtown. He often meets with that person there, and they've known each other since college, and they were introduced by a common friend.
When he arrived at the bar, his friend was already there waiting for him. She found them a good spot to talk.
"Kaede?" Ryo asked upon approaching the woman dressed in a black halter top dress.
"Hello, darling," the beautiful woman greeted him with a smile.
"Long time no see. How are you doing?" Ryo asked.
"Never better. That's what divorce can do to you, you know," Kaede said flashing him a seductive smile. "Try it," she said with a laugh.
Ryo sat down across her.
"You're a mess. Looking at you now and judging from the reason behind you calling me, you must be dealing with a huge problem on your marital status," Kaede said and winked at him.
Ryo just smiled and looked down, she really does know him too well.
"Either that or, you're actually looking to start an extra-marital affair with me," Kaede quipped with a raised eyebrow and took a puff of her cig.
She was his senior in college, they were introduced when one of Ryo's guy friends told him that a beautiful senior wanted to meet and befriend him. They fooled around a bit back in college and even after college, even though Kaede was in a relationship, they would still often meet each other secretly, until she married.
Ryo never took any of his relationships seriously, they were only physical, he never let himself get emotionally attached to any woman he has been with before, and Kaede was no exception. However, out of all the girls he has dated before, she was the one he was closest to and they even remained friends after.
A few years back, just before settling down himself, they constantly met because Kaede was undergoing a tumultuous divorce with her estranged ex-husband. She would often call him to talk with, cry on, and drink with.
After getting hitched, one of the conditions that Ryo set up with Sachi, was that he could sleep with any woman during their marriage but he could not sleep with any man other than her husband.
Sachi wanted to protest but knew that she could not do anything about it, so instead, she asked him instead, to inform her ahead of time if he was about to sleep with another woman.
She said she knew that it was none of her business but she would appreciate if he can inform her if he is about to spend the night or time with another woman or be in another woman's company.
Although Ryo did not agree or disagree with it, and every time he felt frustrated and was looking for a release through physical intimacy, Ryo could not actually bring himself to cheat on her, so he has actually remained faithful to his wife all throughout their two-year marriage despite proposing that condition, himself.
Even Kaede tried to get him to sleep with her after the finalization of her divorce, a month after he was married to Sachi, but he refused her. After that, they lost contact with each other. He heard from one of their common friends that Kaede left for another city.
So, he wasn't really sure whether she would still talk to him or not, or, if they were in the same city so that they could meet, but, since he badly needed someone to talk to, he took a gamble and reached out to her again.
"Actually…" Ryo began.
"Oh, what's this? Could it really be that?" Kaede asked, surprised.
"No, of course, it's not that," Ryo said, still looking down. He didn't know quite where to begin.
A waiter approached them by then.
"Whiskey on the rocks," he heard Kaede say. She looked at him expectantly.
"Scotch," Ryo told the guy.
"Right away," the waiter said and left them to be alone.
Ryo let out a sigh. Kaede was just watching and eyeing him closely as she smoked. She then put her cigar down and let out a soft laugh. Their eyes met and there was a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"What?" Ryo asked her.
Kaede started laughing loudly and began attracting attention from the other customers.
"Hey, what are you laughing about, huh?" Ryo asked, starting to get annoyed now.
"If you're not here to sleep with me, and you said you wanted to talk, then, it must mean only one thing," she said, trying to suppress a laugh.
Ryo just gave her a questioning look.
"Ryo, Ryo, Ryo. Didn't I tell you before not to play with fire?" she said to Ryo on a serious tone. She let out a sigh and said, "You've fallen in love with her haven't you?"
Ryo was silent and just stared at her.
'How did she figure it out?' he wondered.
Their waiter came with their drinks and then left them again.
"Ding, ding, ding! Looks like I hit the jackpot," she said genuinely delighted with herself. She then flashed Ryo a huge smile before taking a huge sip of her drink.
Ever since Ryo found out about what happened to his father's family business, from his father no less back in high school, he has been set on taking revenge and getting their business back from the ones who had stolen it from them.
Back in high school, he didn't really understand girls or romance, never the less, he was still a guy so it is a lie to say that he wasn't interested in girls at all. He was, but what he wasn't interested about was starting a serious relationship with them, and his disinterest doubled after finding out about what happened to their family business from his grandfather.
He started engaging in empty and physical relationships with women in college, and not once had he had a slip up with any of them. He would never allow them to get close to him, the moment that he sensed that the girl he was dating was starting to fall for him, he would then end his relationship with them. He has broken many hearts because of this and one of his longest flings was with Kaede.
The reason being, Kaede was actually with someone else. It was one-sided and unrequited on her part, so she and Ryo would only seek each other physically, she never really wanted him seriously. Through the years, they formed a strange friendship that Ryo never really had with other girls.
After graduation, Kaede started going out with the person that she loved for so long, but she was only his girl on the side, never the less, she was happy and contented, for as long as she can be with him. She still continued to meet Ryo, seek his comfort. Ryo has never been in a relationship after college and solely focused his attention to building their business, albeit he would have one night stands with girls that he and his friends would meet at bars or clubs.
Eventually, Kaede ended up marrying her prince but it did not last long. He was a philanderer after all who did not really love her. And so, she would again seek comfort and companionship from him. This was only broken after he got married and after her divorce was finalized as she fled to another city.
But, being his closest girl friend, she was one of the few people who knows the truth about him. He has not even told Aki about it whom he considers not just a brother but his best friend. She knew about his revenge plot and about his hatred for the family that destroyed his. She also knew his real reason for marrying Sachi. And just before she said her goodbye to him before leaving after her divorce, she did warn him about playing with other people's feelings, because she has been there before. She and Sachi have never met, but she knew about her and would see her at school in college, although they never interacted and won't even be considered as acquaintances.
"Don't you remember?" she asked him again.
"I remember all right, and it is what you say it is. It's finally happened," Ryo said and took drank his drink all in one go.
"Serves you right. Men are just a bunch of assholes, you know," Kaede said. "You all are." Kaede finished her drink and signaled for the waiter to come.
Ryo gave her a weak smile. "I guess you're right."
"So, I take it that your plan has been halted for now?" Kaede asked him, she was referring to his plan of taking their business back.
"Fuck the plan," Ryo said downing another glass of his drink that the waiter just delivered to them.
"Well, well, well. It is more serious than I thought," Kaede said eyeing him carefully.
"She hates me," Ryo said to her in a helpless voice.
"Of course! I know I would," Kaede said uncaringly. She lit another cigarette. "What did you expect, that she would love you after all you've done and want to do to her and her family?"
Ryo didn't say anything.
"Aren't you just reaping what you sow, really?" Kaede continued, arms crossed. "One look, I knew this would happen. She seemed like a good, kind, honest and earnest girl after all. Now, who do you think wouldn't fall for that type? I don't even have to talk about how attractive she is."
Ryo nodded his head.
"So, what now?" Kaede asked him.
Ryo shrugged. "Beats me."
"You called me here just for this? What are your plans? What are you going to do about it now that it has come to this?" Kaede was getting impatient now.
Ryo remained quiet with his head down.
"Of all the girls you've been with before, you actually fell for the pure and sensitive type. You know, the type you said you don't want to associate with because they get so clingy and attached after sleeping with them?" she was lecturing him now. "Wow, karma bit you really hard in the ass, I'm speechless."
"I'm just…" his voice trailed off.
"Does she know?" Kaede asked him.
When he didn't answer, she asked him again. "Does she know that you love her now?"
Ryo shook his head listlessly.
Kaede scoffed.
"Tell her then," she told Ryo.
Ryo looked up to meet her gaze.
"What? There's no other way but to tell her, right?" Kaede said matter-of-factly.
"You think it will be solved by a simple, 'I love you'?" Ryo snarled.
"Why not, it would totally work on some people," she answered in a low voice.
"Who? You?" Ryo said without thinking and he saw her raise her hand, he was preparing for an impact, a slap perhaps, but it never came. Instead, Kaede lit another cigarette.
"The mighty Ryo is scared of his wife," Kaede jeered. "Look at you, scared of rejection."
"That's right. I know I'll be flat out rejected this time," Ryo said fighting the urge to cry. He could not believe this was happening to him.
Kaede just watched him suffer.
"She told me once that she loved me. She fell for me, once, before…" Ryo said. "But, now, she just hates me."
"Like I said what did you expect?" Kaede said to him. "You can mope around, we can argue some more about it, but none of that matters now, does it?" She paused. "What are you planning to do from here?"
"I don't know," Ryo said almost in a whisper.
"If your reason behind calling me is to ask me for help, then you made a mistake. Huge mistake," Kaede said getting ready to leave. "Make up your mind and figure out what you want to do first before calling me out here."
"I don't know what to do, but I do know what I want," Ryo said to Kaede who had already stood up from her seat.
"Then think about what you're going to do to get what you want," Kaede said as she leaned forward so that they were now face to face. "It's on me." With that, she left Ryo alone in the bar.
Because Ryo was so preoccupied, he failed to notice that he was being closely watched by someone from another table.
The person who has been watching him closely like a hawk stalking its prey was none other than Sachi's best friend, Rina Kurusaki. She and her husband used to come to this place before when they were still dating and sometimes, even now that they are married, when they want to drink together, they would still come to this place instead of the other fancier bars in the city.
It wasn't that she never expected to see Ryo in this bar but she never expected him to be out on a 'date' with another woman.
"How cruel," Rina said to herself.
It was her husband who first saw them when they first came in.
"Whoa, isn't that Ryo, Sachi's husband?" Zen said to his wife.
Rina excitedly looked up hoping to see that if it really was Ryo, then it would mean that Sachi would be here, too. She looked up expectantly only to see a horrific scene.
Her husband who positively identified Ryo was now fearing for her reaction when he saw that Ryo was not with his wife. Zen slowly stole a quick glance at his wife's reaction, and true enough, it wasn't a very pretty one. Rina was now gripping his hands so tightly he was beginning to feel pain from it.
"Honey, let's just go and take our seat right over there, come on," he said to Rina with an apologetic smile.
And so, ever since they got there, Rina's eyes had been glued to Ryo's table.
"Honey, stop staring at them and let's just drink. We came here to have fun, after all," he said casually.
"What's this, are you trying to stand up for him?" Rina accused.
"Of course not, I hate cheaters and I will never cheat on you. You know that," Zen is an expert kiss-ass when it comes to his wife.
"You better not be or you know what's going to happen, Zen," Rina said with killer intent. "I am going to cut your thing off and let you watch me as I feed it to the dogs."
Zen swallowed his saliva. He hesitantly took a sip from his drink.
"My throat's suddenly parched," he said in a feeble voice.
"I think they kissed just now," Rina said grabbing Zen's attention.
"What?" Zen asked and looked at Ryo's table but all he saw was the beautiful woman that Ryo was with walking over to the door.
'Poor Ryo, you're dead meat now,' was all Zen could think of as he looked at his wife sitting across him grip her glass with such force.
"Give me that, you're going to injure yourself," Zen said and snatched her glass away from Rina. He was scared she might actually break it.
"I have to tell, Sachi," Rina said and took her phone out from her bag.
"What? No!" Zen said and snatched her phone away.
"Hey, give it back," Rina yelled at him, uncaring about attracting attention to them.
"No. You will do no such thing, at least not right now," Zen said to her.
Rina glared at him and he was about to cower but he knew he could not afford to do so right now.
"Babe, we're not even too sure about what happened yet, or what's going on. Just try to calm down for now," Zen said to his wife.
"He's leaving. Ry---," Zen clamped Rina's mouth with one hand before she can successfully get Ryo's attention.
'Ryo, you bastard, you owe me one,' Zen said to himself as he tried to suppress his wife and prevent her from causing a scene. 'This means no sex for me later.'
"Calm down, woman," Zen said to Rina who was trying her best to get away from his clutches.
"As I thought, you're sticking up for him, you cheat!" he heard Rina say as he released him when he saw that Ryo was already out of the premises.
"What are you talking about it?! I have never and will never do that to you," Zen was beginning to lose it, too.
"Birds of the same feather flock together after all," Rina said with tears in her eyes.
"Honey, I think you're drunk," Zen said and wiped the tears from his wife's face with his handkerchief.
"You meany," Rina said still crying but has calmed down now.
'Yup, she's drunk,' Zen said to himself. He gave his wife a warm smile. "As I thought, you're really cute when you're drunk and when you cry."
Rina stopped crying and glared at Zen.
'Ooops,' Zen said nervously.
"Let's go home. Now!" Rina said as she dragged her husband to the direction of the door by his tie.
Zen managed to get a few bills from his wallet even when he was being dragged, he then placed it on the counter before they exited the bar.
'Looks like there will be sex after all. Heh, heh, heh,' he thought happily to himself even though he was being dragged like a dog on a leash by Rina to the parking lot.
***