Sachi woke up to a good and relaxing morning at Edo Hotel, but thanks to Ryo she could not sleep soundly last night. Every time she closed her eyes to sleep, an image of Ryo and Kaede, whom she has already seen on occasions but have never actually been introduced to, kept popping in her mind like it was on replay or something. She must have tossed and turned a hundred times on her bed last night before fatigue finally set in at around 3 or 4 AM.
Also, she knew that word spreads out quickly among the staff of the hotel. When she arrived at the hotel last night, some of the tenured staff who knew her were all surprised to see her and without a husband. She purposely came here instead of going back to her parent's home because she doesn't want to needlessly worry them, but she would not be surprised if word about her staying at Edo Hotel has already reached her father's ears.
She thought about going home, back to their suite, back to Ryo, but she was not ready to see and face him just yet. After all, she has just asked him for divorce. She was actually scared to know how and what his reaction was going to be. She only knew that he hates her, and her family, and that he's out to get his revenge.
But, when she thought about the recent weekend that Ryo spent with her and her family, she saw warmth and sincerity in him that she did not see before. She already knew that Ryo isn't actually an entirely cold-blooded bastard that he aims to be. He has some 'slips', moments of sweetness and vulnerability that he doesn't know are showing. And, how she knew about this is because, for the longest time, she has been observing him.
He's already caught her attention back in high school and although they did not interact much back in college, she remained interested in him. She did have other crushes yet she remained interested in him, she couldn't explain it.
Others probably see him as cold, calculating, manipulative and cunning, but she knew deep down inside he's like a wounded animal. Hurt and betrayed, untrusting, and scared. When she realized this about him she suddenly remembered the stray cat she has briefly nursed back to health when she was still in high school.
She found it at an alley, it was wounded and bruised that it probably sustained from another male cat during a fight. She found it, almost half dead, when she looked closely at it she saw that it was still breathing, so she brought it to the nearest animal clinic in the neighborhood and used up all her allowance to get it treated.
When its wounds started to heal and it gained a little of its strength back, she was permitted to take it home. Scared that her father will not accept it, she took it secretly home with her to her room. But, the cat would not let her touch him, it would hiss and growl at her, save only when it was hungry.
After only three days of hiding, she was discovered and was reprimanded, she begged her parents to let her keep it, she begged, negotiated and cried until they finally gave in.
However, the cat left her one day. When she came back from school one day it was already gone. It must have escaped on the unopened window in her room when she was away. It never returned to them. But, during the time that it was staying with her, it has grown to like and get used to her that it would already let her pet it, scratch its belly and sleep on her lap. That's why, she thought she could change him, turn all the hate into something else, but his hate was far greater than she had expected.
"What do I do, Kuma-chi?" she said to Kuma-chi whom she picked up and enveloped in a hug. She started crying again. "Be strong, just be strong, I can do this," she whispered to herself.
Sachi kept her phone on airplane mode and so she was able to just relax in her room without any distractions. She was also surprised that neither one nor both of her parents come knocking on her door to check up on her at Edo Hotel. She guessed that maybe, none of the staff has blabbed about her yet to her parents. She was able to enjoy a relaxing night watching movies in her hotel room.
Meanwhile, Ryo was miserable to find a 'Sachi-less' suite again. He just got home from his in-laws place to check if his wife already came home but he was told that they still have not heard from her. He hated the fact that because of this whole fiasco he's making his mother-in-law worry incessantly. And he was the one to blame for this and not Sachi.
His secretary said that he tried calling his wife's number but that it remained unreachable. He also got the framed copies of their wedding pictures and brought them home. He left the original in his office, and it was now displayed in the open for everyone to see. He then put its copy on the table next to his bedroom. He made a mental note to himself that once everything gets better between him and Sachi, he will ask her to take a new wedding picture with him. And by that time, he'll make sure to give his best smile to the camera, his happiest smile. He unwrapped the larger picture and decided to hang it in the living room area for everyone to see.
He grew sad when he thought about how he should have done this a long time ago and not now that she was already gone and even wanting to divorce him.
Ryo opened the door to Sachi's bedroom and scanned the room. He walked into the room slowly and sat on her bed, he laid down with outstretched hands. The sheets smelled like her and it enveloped him. It smelled like how she smelled back at the river bank in Knox when he got injured.
"Where are you?" he said. "Why are you not contacting me? Do you miss me? Have you eaten yet? Are you doing well? How are you? How are you feeling? Do you really want to divorce me?" he paused. "Do you not love me anymore?" tears came rolling down his eyes. In his thirty-two years of existence, this was the first time he cried over a girl other than his mother.
Ryo bolted up as a thought suddenly entered his mind. If he finds Sachi or if she comes back here and insists they go through with the divorce, what will he do? He knew that their marriage is causing her nothing but suffering at present, what if she doesn't give him any chance to prove to her that things can change between them? What should he do by then?'
More than anything now, he wants only what's best for her. He wants her to be happy. What will he do if that happiness no longer includes him? It probably never included him in the first place since he brought her nothing but sadness and hate.
He no longer wants to keep hurting her so that also means that he no longer wants to keep her caged, he wants for her to be free and able to enjoy life. But, he also can't bear to part with her. Not until he is able to show her that he has changed.
'So, what should I do?' he asked himself desperately. 'I know, I should find a way to stall the divorce. I may not be able to stop it and I can probably only stall it for some time, but, at the very least, I need to find a way where I can delay the divorce, and also be able to show her my love for her and that I've changed.'
"That's it!" he cried as he thought of the perfect plan. He laid down on the bed again and rolled on it happily. "I'm going to sleep here tonight!" he declared happily to himself as he pulled the quilt over his head and kept smelling it.
Day 2 of escapade at their hotel and she was enjoying it, a life without Ryo or not having to think about him at all. Although, that last part was a lie, because right now, he was her biggest problem after all.
Kuma-chi was taking a nap on the sofa while she was having her lunch when the door to her hotel room suddenly opened without a warning, it made her heart jump she almost choked on her food.
In came Kinosuke with a huge smile on his face.
"Ha ha found you!" Kinosuke said, his right hand formed into a gun and pointed at his sister.
"This jerk!" Sachi cried but relief flooded through her, she thought it was Ryo. "I almost choked."
Kinosuke just laughed at her.
"How did you know I was here?" Sachi asked.
"I have my means," Kinosuke said looking all smug and confident.
"Impressive," Sachi said sarcastically.
"I know right?" Kinosuke said pretty pleased with himself.
"Idiot. I was being sarcastic," Sachi argued.
"Well, I did find you, you know," Kinosuke said.
"Why aren't you at school?" Sachi asked him with a raised eyebrow. His brother is a sophomore in college currently taking a double major in business and accounting.
"How about you, why are you not at home with your husband?" Kinosuke retorted.
"I have my reasons," Sachi countered.
"Just go back and make up already," Kinosuke said in a more serious tone.
"Did he make you do this? Is he with you right now? Is he outside?" Sachi asked, heart pounding.
"Don't get your hopes up, woman," Kinosuke said with a smile. He knew how much his sister likes Ryo.
Sachi became silent.
"Listen, he's always trying to reach you but can't seem to call you. He's very worried and checks up on us EVERY hour, asking if you already went home or if you've contacted any of us. He's been coming to our house at the end of his day. Not only him, but mom is starting to get worried as well that she's lost her appetite to eat," Kinosuke ranted.
"Okay, okay, I get it," Sachi said. 'She did not mean for it to escalate this way.'
"Aren't married couples supposed to talk things out?" Kinosuke asked her.
Sachi scoffed. "Like it's that easy. If diplomacy is all there is then why do we have wars?"
"Shut up, you married woman," Kinosuke said to his sister. And then they both broke into a laugh.
"Really, I'm no longer 'The Loveless or the Inexperienced Woman'?" this was what Kinosuke used to call her before whenever they fight.
"Well, you are married, aren't you?" Kinosuke said to her with a smile.
"More or less," she said cryptically.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kinosuke asked her.
"You're right, you're right," Sachi said changing the topic.
Kinosuke sat down on her bed beside her.
"So, what's he's done?" Kinosuke asked his sister with attention.
"Nothing important," Sachi said and patted his brother affectionately on the head.
"If it was unimportant or just nothing then why'd you have to run away?" Kinosuke said to her.
When she didn't answer, Kinosuke asked her again. "Tell me, what did he do?"
'You don't want to know,' Sachi answered inside her head. As a reply, she messed up his brother's hair and replied, "Stop being so nosy."
"You're avoiding the question so this leads me to believe that the reason for your fight is third party. That's enough to make any wife leave," Kinosuke said smugly.
Sachi avoided his gaze.
"I knew it!" Kinosuke said like he's won the lottery.
"Do you have to be that happy?" Sachi said, irritated. Kinosuke laughed.
"It's not impossible but brother-in-law doesn't really seem like the cheating type. Although, I can tell that he's really experienced with girls," Kinosuke said.
"How?" Sachi asked with a raised brow.
"He's scored a virgin like you in such a short time. You guys only courted for six months that everyone thought it was a shotgun marriage," Kinosuke said laughing.
Sachi felt her blood pressure rise and her blood boil. She has enrolled in jiu jitsu class four years ago and she was planning on using everything that she learned on her brother now.
She grabbed hold of Kinosuke's arm and twisted it.
"Aw, aw, aw!" Kinosuke cried in pain.
"What did you say?" Sachi asked in a menacing tone.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry," Kinosuke said. Sachi released him. "Geez, I was only kidding." He was massaging the arm that Sachi just twisted.
However, Sachi was more concerned about another thing. "Did everyone really think that?"
"Huh?" Kinosuke asked.
"That it was a shotgun marriage?" she asked in a sad tone.
Kinosuke did hear people talking about it before and when their suspicion did not bear any fruit, he heard some people say that maybe his sister had an abortion after the marriage, but she doesn't need to know about it. Seeing her sad reaction he felt guilty now that he said it to her.
"We never… I didn't…" Sachi struggled for the words. 'Was that how people really saw our marriage? Just a convenient marriage? Was I really not worthy of Ryo's marriage proposal unless a baby was on the way? Is that it?' These questions flooded in her mind.
"Snap out of it, doesn't suit you at all," Kinosuke said, this was his way of cheering his older sister up. "I skipped one of my classes just to come here today. Talk it over and make up with your husband already, otherwise, he'll just get taken away. Stop making mom worry and go home."
"Really Kinosuke, you're not even mad that he may be cheating on me with another woman? You're not mad for me? What kind of fraternity or brotherhood do men really have that they can just ignore that?" she said after his brother who already closed the door behind him.
"And, call us when you get home," Kinosuke opened the door and briefly poked his head into her room again.
Sachi nodded her head and just waved him goodbye.
"I love you!" Kinosuke said and shut the door.
"He's right. Just, what am I doing?" Sachi asked herself. 'Running away,' she heard her inner voice say.
***