The Shape of Happiness: A Family Crumbling Due to the Mother's Infidelity, a Wounded Middle School Daughter, and a Struggling Father Finding a New Form of Happiness. - Episode 46

Sunday, 4:30 PM—

A woman stepped out of an old wooden apartment and walked quickly toward the train station. It was Akiko. She was dressed in a faded pink sweater, a long black skirt, and a beige-and-cream checkered scarf—an outfit that kept her warm against the harsh winter cold.

Her expression was complicated. As someone who had made the unforgivable mistake of abandoning her own daughter, Misaki, Akiko was deeply grateful for this chance to meet her. She was truly happy. But at the same time, she knew that this might be the last time she would ever see Misaki.

Shinichi had already remarried. Not only that, but he was now living with Akiko’s own mother, Saori, at her family home. There was no place for Akiko in their lives anymore. In other words—

—Today might be the day she completely loses her connection to Shinichi and Misaki.

She wanted to see them as soon as possible. But at the same time, she didn’t want to see them at all. Her emotions were in turmoil as she made her way to the meeting place.

“Maybe Shinichi will say, ‘From now on, you can see Misaki regularly.’”

“Maybe Misaki will say, ‘Mom, you finally came to your senses! I’ve wanted to see you!'”

She had never missed a single payment—neither the compensation nor the child support. Maybe, just maybe, her remorse and apology had finally reached them.

That was why Akiko refused to give up hope. Even if the chances were slim, they weren’t zero. Holding onto that thought, she hurried to the seaside park.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

6:00 PM, Prefectural Seaside Park—

The sky was painted in a beautiful gradient, where the last light of dusk blended with the darkness of the night. Against this backdrop, the large Ferris wheel slowly turned, its red gondolas swaying gently.

Even though it was a Sunday, the usual crowd had thinned out by this time. During the day, the Ferris wheel had been bustling with people, but now, the area was nearly deserted. Akiko stood alone, waiting for Shinichi and Misaki to arrive.

(Please… Please forgive me… Please…)

She continued to pray.

“……Huh? W-Why are they…?”

In the distance, she saw four figures.

Shinichi, Misaki, Akiko’s mother Saori, and Ryoko—the woman Shinichi had remarried, who was also the ex-wife of the man Akiko had an affair with.

It wasn’t just Shinichi and Misaki. Her entire former household had come.

Akiko was startled, but she noticed something odd about them. Normally, she would have rushed to Misaki’s side, but she couldn’t. The atmosphere around them was different.

She had expected anger or hatred in their eyes, but instead, all four of them stood still, staring at her with unreadable expressions.

“A-Ah… It’s been a while…”

Not knowing what else to do, Akiko bowed deeply to them. But even when she lifted her head, their expressions didn’t change.

“Akiko, it’s been a long time,” Shinichi finally spoke.

“Shinichi… san…”

With his new wife present, she couldn’t bring herself to call him by name alone. She added the polite honorific.

“You want to talk to Misaki as a mother and daughter, right? Take the Ferris wheel and talk while you go around once.”

“Huh? One round… That’s only fifteen or twenty minutes… C-Can’t we talk a little longer—”

“Are you going to ride or not?”

Shinichi cut her off. Akiko had no choice.

Slowly, Misaki started walking toward her. But she didn’t stop in front of Akiko. Instead, she walked past her, stepping onto the metal stairs of the Ferris wheel platform. The sound of her footsteps echoed.

(Shinichi hasn’t forgiven me… Then at least… at least Misaki…)

One small hope Akiko had held onto—Shinichi’s forgiveness—was already lost.

Now, inside the small gondola of the Ferris wheel, would she be able to gain Misaki’s forgiveness?

Trying not to let her last glimmer of hope fade away, Akiko took slow, careful steps toward the Ferris wheel platform.

The ride lasted about fifteen minutes.

The Wheel of Fortune kept turning—slowly, steadily, unchanging.