I Was Helping My Friend When His Wife Cheated On Him, But He Claimed He Would Forgive Her Once, But The Bad Luck Keeps Coming - Episode 16

A week has passed since then.

It seems that Koichi has been repeating the cycle of going to work and returning to the business hotel without ever coming home.

It seems like my mother-in-law is keeping in touch regularly and asking about how I’m doing.

My mother-in-law sensed that something had happened between Koichi and me, but she didn’t say anything. She said that marital disputes are not worth worrying about. If we ever felt hopeless, she would always be there to listen and help. Her warm, watchful eyes were just like a mother’s.

Koichi doesn’t answer my calls.

Without even a reply to my email, it feels as if the connection between Koichi and me has been severed.

I was afraid this might happen… but now that I’m facing the reality… it’s painful. I didn’t cheat on Koichi, but I did things that could easily make him think I did. Now, it really hurts.

At that time, if I hadn’t been swayed by Sakurai’s words and had gone to Koichi to vent…

Even if Mom were alive,
“I think they were laughing and saying, ‘Ayaka is too serious, so just leave her alone. Just say goodbye and that’s it! Come on, hurry up and show us the grandchild!'”

But… I couldn’t forgive it. Really, I couldn’t forgive it.

My beloved mother, my beloved students’ children. To someone who doesn’t know, they might think of it that way, but for me, it’s an insult to the people I hold dear… isn’t that all there is to it?

I got done in by that woman, and there was also some revenge mixed in.

Still, I’m deceiving myself. I wanted revenge…

What they did to me…

Even though time has passed and I was starting to forget, even though I thought it had faded away. One after another, I remember the fear, the sadness, the desire to disappear, and then… the thought of getting back at them.

That snake was watching all along. It kept waiting, always on the lookout for an opportunity.

It’s nothing much, I just wanted to use the mother and the children as a means to get my revenge.

And then the snake that emerged indiscriminately spread its poison, and in the end, it was its own demise…

Spitting out the snake of anger from one’s mouth is the act of a lowly person.

As a person and as an educator… aren’t you unqualified?

What should I do from now on? I want to give birth to this child safely.

I keep making mistakes, but I don’t want this child to make the same ones I did.

Don’t let yourself be consumed by anger.

I want to apologize to Koichi and have him hear everything. Even if it means getting a divorce.

Even if you don’t believe it, I have to convey that I love Koichi and will continue to love him…

So, let’s throw away our pride and ask for help.

To Akari, to Tsuyoshi-kun, and to those two as well———

I never imagined I would be this vulnerable.

I used to be optimistic, thinking that even if I did something stupid, things would somehow work out the next day.

Even for things that can’t be helped, by living positively myself, those around me are influenced to turn them into experiences for the next time. It’s not good to have a tendency to overthink, but my report card said not to abandon my thoughts.

So, what’s up with me now? I want to do something about it, but I have no idea how.

Next time, there’s no way.

I love Ayaka.

We’ve been childhood friends since we were kids, and I fell in love with her first. It’s been a long, long time. She’s thoughtful and hardworking, and she even puts up with a hot-headed idiot like me. Studying was a hassle, but with Ayaka by my side, I managed to get through it.

I was severely bullied in high school, and they even spread terrible lies about me, but he still stood up to them.

The woman I fell for, what a cool woman she is.

A woman as good as her going through such terrible things. I confronted everyone who was spreading rumors one by one, and I almost got expelled because of it. But even so, I didn’t care.

It might be a roundabout way, but I’ll take the high school equivalency exam, get into a university that’s advantageous for employment, and rack up qualifications to land a good job. To be honest, I don’t care where it is as long as I can earn money. I was seriously thinking about marrying Ayaka and making her mother happy too.

Even someone as foolish as me managed to graduate safely and get into university. On the very day I got accepted, Ayaka confessed to me, and I never expected that we would both lose our virginity right then and there. Ayaka was crying tears of joy, but she was also trembling, and it was clear to me, even though I’m not good at understanding women’s subtleties, that it wasn’t just happiness…

I met people who became my best friends in college, and we had a lot of fun living the college life while being silly.

When I heard that Ayaka was confused about her career path, the reason for her distress was…

“I ended up thinking I wanted to kill the person who bullied me,” or something like that, and I almost retorted, “Are you a bodhisattva or something?”

If it’s me and Takeshi, without a doubt, everyone will be on the path to certain death.

Tomoya stops it and maintains the balance…

Even when your mother fell ill, you must have been scared. Without even uttering a word of weakness, you apologized, saying you were sorry for marrying for the sake of your mother. You always thought of others first and put yourself last. In my heart, I swore that I would definitely support you.

The more I think back on it, the less I can believe that Ayaka cheated.

If, if it ever happened, if she were to be raped or something, she would definitely go to the police. Or she would go to the police with me. And I would send the perpetrator to hell… I would.

…Even so, since he’s a teacher, he might say something like, “If he can reform, then let’s forgive him.”

I can’t say it, and I don’t want it to be known. I’m not that kind of person.

Or rather, is he really cheating? What is the reason for the doubt, which should have been obvious?

Because the matter with Tomoya and Sumire-san has been driven into me like a wedge.

What was brought by Fuwaki has torn my dear friends to shreds, and it still lingers.

…Actually, I understand. Fuwaki is right.

Sumire-san went along with Fuwaki’s affair.

As a result, I became pregnant. The early stages of pregnancy are particularly prone to miscarriage, and it seems that most of these are caused by chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus, making it very difficult to prevent.

The video that Fuwaki sent… is irrelevant.

The reason Tomoya ended up like that is because he acted out of his own emotions.
Because Tsuyoshi physically intervened, he didn’t commit murder, but if he hadn’t intervened, probably…

In the end, Tomoya and Sumire-san are just getting what they deserve.

Fuwaki paid the compensation properly and readily accepted the proposed conditions.
Despite the fact that the matter was already settled, we were the ones who got hurt by meddling.

As Tohru said, I shouldn’t have gotten involved.

It wasn’t someone who could be dealt with by giving in to momentary emotions; I should have just moved on without getting involved.

So, who sent the video? Fuwaki said that Sumire-san’s baby is not to blame. Even if I take that at face value and it’s a case of cuckolding, am I supposed to love and raise that person’s child too? Don’t mess with me.

Even so, if you chose to have an abortion and decided to start over, you shouldn’t have gotten involved at all.

Can I do it? I’m a human with emotions. I’m not a machine.

Even if you think about “what if” scenarios, you won’t reach a conclusion.
The results are out, though.

That’s why I shouldn’t have opened that envelope.

I was supposed to have learned that there are things you don’t need to know.

No good, we’re just going around in circles and getting nowhere.

Since I’ve already opened it and seen, there’s no going back.

Blaming Fuwaki is also missing the point.

Then… I get it, I have no choice but to face Ayaka.

There are also things where you have no choice but to listen to his story and make a judgment.

By finding myself in the same situation, I also came to understand how amazing Tomoya is.

He said at that time, in front of us, that he would forgive Sumire-san for cheating.

Even though it was just once, he clearly made up his mind and said he would forgive the person who cheated.

Considering what Tomoya did, he must have been a storm of emotions inside, unable to control himself.

In the end, it exploded and turned into a disaster, but Tomoya still chose to try again with Sumire-san.

I’m completely different from who I am now.

Not only does he avoid facing Ayaka, but he even refuses to listen to her and keeps running away.

Like a stray dog, going around and around in the same place…

Since I moved out and started living alone, I never thought I’d be seeing a dejected man in the mirror every day.

Running away… huh?

(It’s only natural, right?) Where are you taking Ayaka and the baby?

(It’s not you, right?) You wouldn’t understand.

(Then just do a DNA test or whatever, hurry up) It’s not necessary, though.

(Adultery! The treacherous, promiscuous wife ‘Ayaka’. ~The frenzied female teacher~, sounds like a hit) Shut up.

(You weren’t satisfied with me, were you? What a useless husband, you should reflect on yourself) Shut up…

(During the day, a pure and upright educator, at night, a total pervert hunting for men. Truly a model of the teaching profession, isn’t it? How admirable!)

I’m telling you to shut up!!!!!!!

Hah… hah… how many times am I going to have this damn dream?

Enough already, it’s so annoying. Ever since I left home, every single day has been nothing but irritating.

What the heck…

Looking at the clock, it’s 2 AM. Did I manage to get some sleep… maybe?
I go back to sleep… again, the same dream, Ayaka is being held by someone.
If it’s the latter, I’d jump up and start throwing up.

About three days after leaving home, my boss at work forcibly took me to the hospital, insisting I do something about my terrible dark circles under my eyes, along with using up my paid leave. I was given an IV drip for a combination of sleep deprivation and malnutrition, and handed a sleep aid. My body was screaming from sleeping in the car, and now I’m living in a weekly mansion. What am I, a temporary worker?

Ayaka’s situation is that I contact her mother every day just to check, but Ayaka herself ignores all the messages.

Running away from home at this age is just laughable.

Seriously, what am I doing?

Even though I have to keep an eye on him, I’m so scared to talk to him that I keep running away… Even a teenager wouldn’t do that.

He takes out a cigarette, puts it in his mouth, and tries to light it… but throws the lighter onto the desk. Since marrying Ayaka, he hasn’t smoked even once.

It might be too late, but it’s bad for Ayaka’s body… and for the health of the child we might have someday.

And yet, I can’t help but think that all of it has been a waste, such a foolish thought. What am I, some tragic hero?

I make myself sick.

We have to settle this somewhere, but time just keeps passing by.

The two characters for “divorce” are starting to feel real, and I feel my strength draining from my legs… It’s always like this when I’m scared. As long as my legs are shaking, I can still hold it together, but the feeling of loss as if my bl00d is draining away―――

Ah, I admit it.

I’m scared…

Ayaka is going to abandon me.

If the baby inside Ayaka isn’t mine.

The fact that I ended up choosing to part ways with Ayaka.

Saying something like “get an abortion” to Ayaka.

I’m even scared to get tested.

I’m such a small, pathetic, disgraceful, self-centered good-for-nothing. Do you love Ayaka? Which mouth are you saying that with…?

Suppressing my voice, I continue to cry quietly.

Once again today, I took a larger dose of sleeping pills and forced myself to swallow them―――――――――

After roughly opening the door to my home for the first time in several days and entering the house while raising my voice, my mother appeared at the entrance.

“Mom! Ayaka! Is she okay? The ambulance isn’t here! It’s 119, hurry!”

“That noisy, stupid son of a cat. After ignoring me for so long, what face does he have to show up with?”

“That’s not the issue here! Ayaka! The baby!”

“I’m lying down in the tatami room.”

The sliding door to the room my mother is pointing at is half-open. I hurriedly reach for the opposite sliding door,

Something was hanging from the ceiling.

Right there, I collapsed and continued to stare at the thing that was hanging, when my mother approached me.

“Ah… I see, you were fine until just now. It can’t be helped, cheating is a bad thing. You betrayed someone you trusted, and for what? A moment of temptation? A fleeting mistake? Were you misled? You strayed from the path of humanity, and yet you live on without a care. That’s unforgivable. You took responsibility for breaking someone’s heart, didn’t you…? You fell into depravity, but at least you died as a human in the end, so I guess that’s something to commend.”

“What are you… saying…?”

“It’s what you wanted, right?”

“I don’t… wish for anything…”

“You’re really kind to pity that despicable woman who deceived you, betrayed you, and even committed adultery. But if she made a mistake, she has to be judged. Not by the law, but as a human being. She did something unforgivable, so the only way to atone is by dying. It’s outrageous to think about forgiving her. There’s no way to start over. She’ll just repeat the same mistakes. Letting her die is the only mercy.”

What is my mother saying―――

“What are you talking about, Mom? This is crazy, you’re losing it…”

“If you’re going to live among humans, you have to follow human rules. You’re not a beast, after all.”

“I never thought I would want to die for Ayaka.”

Plop… it fell from where it was hanging.

It seemed like it smiled at me… and then opened its mouth.

Really?

Prrrr…., Prrrr….

Dreams and reality are all mixed up. And it’s a new kind of pattern… is this a horror?
I don’t want Ayaka to die, you know…

It’s reality, isn’t it… right now. As I stretched my weary body and picked up my smartphone, I was yelled at in a loud voice.

“You idiot! Ayaka-chan is in trouble, so come home right now!”

When we can be normal?

The choices we are forced to make can also lead us to the right answer.

The choices forced upon us in abnormal times
Only make wrong choices.

Alone…