Chapter 9

I am at a café with my wife, Misae, who has been cheating on me.

I came here with the intention of making her sign the divorce papers.

Misae begged for reconciliation, but... I refused.

"......"

Misae lowered her head and remained silent.

She was sweating profusely, and her foundation was starting to smudge.

She refused to take the divorce papers I had placed in front of her.

I put the papers on the table.

"How long do you plan to stay silent? I won't change my mind no matter what you say, and the fact that you cheated is an undeniable truth, right?"

Misae's expression changed suddenly.

Then, for a moment, her face contorted, and she said,

"You know... I didn't say anything, but on that day... that man... he raped me."

"Huh...?"

What is she saying now?

"You were raped, you say?"

Misae said this with an oddly intense look in her eyes.

"Yes! Listen! That day, that man... Kiso River! He suddenly broke into the house!"

Misae became more agitated.

"Your voice is too loud. You're bothering the people around us. Stop telling such childish lies."

"It's not a lie! Then, let me ask you! Did you actually see me cheating with Kiso River!?"

...She hit a sore spot.

Indeed, I didn't actually see Misae and Kiso River cheating.

When I came home, Kiso River was coming out of the bedroom.

And there were signs of sex on the futon.

I didn't see the process leading up to that point.

I didn't catch her in the act of cheating, and I have no evidence to prove it.

"See! You didn't, right? If you say I cheated, bring me the evidence, the proof!"

Misae slammed her hand on the table.

Once she finds a weak point, she thoroughly exploits it.

"You can't break up with me without evidence..."

...What a despicable person.

Just then, I was thinking about what to do...

"...I have the evidence!"

I turned to the source of the voice.

There, a black-haired girl was looking straight at us.

"Nanako..."

"Akari is here too."

The blonde high school girl, Akari, came over with her sister.

"What are you doing here?"

"Reinforcements."

"...I'm sorry. I broke the rules. But... I was worried about you..."

Nanako bowed her head like a scolded child.

But I wasn't angry at all.

Their appearance made me feel lighter somehow.

"Who are you!?"

Misae screamed hysterically.

"Who cares? It's none of your business, lady."

"O-Old lady...!"

"You're an old lady, yet you betrayed your husband and played around with a young man. Then, after being dumped by the man, you come crying and lying... Don't you think it's shameful?"

Misae's face contorted with anger.

"You brat...! Just wait...!"

Misae raised her hand.

Slap...

"Hey!?" "Akari..."

I grabbed Misae's hand to stop her.

"Sit down, Misae. It's the lowest thing to hit a child."

"You! You're taking their side! You like them! More than me!?"

"It's not about liking or disliking. What kind of adult hits a child? What you're doing isn't the action of a responsible adult."

"Ugh...!"

Misae gritted her teeth.

"Are you okay, Akari?"

"Huh...? Yeah... I'm fine. Thanks..."

Akari said thanks, blushing slightly.

I just did what was right.

"So, why are you here?"

"...We brought the evidence."

"We have the trump card... the evidence that this stupid woman cheated."

Akari took out her smartphone from her pocket and showed us a photo from the album folder.

"Wh-What!? T-That's...!"

The screen showed the entrance of my house.

It seemed to have been taken from the hallway inside the house.

The photo showed Misae opening the door with a smile and Kiso River with a sly grin...

"...We waited in the apartment until you came home. Then, we saw this person entering your room."

They must have taken the photo at that moment.

"What do you mean by 'suddenly forced'? She's greeting him with a smile."

"It's a lie...! This is... a fake photo...!"

Misae screamed, almost hysterically.

She tried to grab Akari's smartphone again.

I grabbed Misae's hand and applied a joint lock.

"It hurts...! What are you doing!?"

"I just told you not to hit a child."

"Let go of meee! Give me that photoee!"

Akari snorted derisively.

"Fake photo? Can you still say that after seeing this video?"

She swiped the screen.

This time, it was a video. It showed Misae smiling.

She hugged Kiso River from the front and kissed him passionately at the entrance.

"Stop itee! Don't look at itee!"

Desperately, Misae tried to grab Akari's smartphone.

But she couldn't move with me blocking her.

Akari flinched at Misae's wild behavior.

Nanako stepped forward to protect her sister.

"We can take this evidence to court. You will definitely lose. In that case, you will have to pay compensation. Can you afford it?"

"That...!"

"You can't, right? You don't have money. You were dumped by the cheater and can't rely on your parents... That's why you came back to me, right?"

"Ugh... Ugh..."

"Stop clinging to me. If you do, I'll give this evidence to me. I'm prepared to testify in court. Do you still want to lie with such solid evidence?"

"......"

Misae hung her head weakly.

Her face was completely drained of energy as she whispered,

"...I'm sorry."

Misae looked up at me with a face that seemed like she was about to die.

"...I'm sorry for cheating. I'm sorry for betraying you. I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm sorry for everything..."

So, Misae said,

"...So... please forgive me... Please forgive me, I beg you..."

Misae said pitifully.

"I have no savings... I've never worked properly... I can't go back to my parents' house. They will definitely ask for a reason. I can't tell them I cheated... If I divorced because of that... they would immediately disown me..."

Please, Misae said, clinging to me.

"Even so, are you going to leave me?"

...I was married to such a despicable woman.

I was beyond angry... I was utterly disappointed.

But... my resolve was unshakable.

"Yes. I will leave you. I hate you."

"......"

Misae's face showed despair.

At 29, she looked twice her age.

"Trying to appeal to my emotions or lying to deceive me is futile. I won't change my mind. If you keep clinging, I will take you to court. You will be at a disadvantage."

I took out my smartphone from my pocket.

"I recorded everything. I've been recording since I came here."

Modern smartphones are convenient; they can record voice memos.

I had been recording the entire conversation, anticipating this scenario.

"Nice one, Akari!"

"R-Recording! S-Such a thing! That's unfair! It's eavesdropping!"

"You're a liar, so what's wrong with keeping a record? And unfair? ...You were the one who betrayed me first."

I said to my wife, holding the evidence.

"Do you understand which is smarter: to be taken to court where you will lose, or to divorce here?"

Misae listened to my words... and her shoulders slumped.

Eventually... she nodded slightly.

She took the pen I had taken out and signed the divorce papers with messy handwriting and stamped it.

I confirmed it and immediately stood up with the papers.

"I'll pay for the drinks. But this is the end between us. Goodbye, Misae."

I was about to leave the place.

"W-Wait... you..."

What was she going to say at the last moment...?

"...Divide the assets."

"Wh-What?"

...I, the twins, and everyone else were speechless.

"The assets are shared between us, right? The apartment too. The furniture..."

"You...!"

I stopped Akari.

"The apartment is in my name, and I bought it. I bought all the furniture. Everything you claim as yours was given to you by me. You have no right to claim ownership."

"Ugh..."

"But I'll give you all your personal belongings. I'll send your clothes and cosmetics to your new place by courier. That's the end of it."

I didn't want to keep anything that reminded me of my wife.

So, this was perfect.

I would dispose of everything.

"At the very end... trying to extort money from your husband... How much of a scumbag are you?"

Akari said, spitting out the words.

"...As a woman, I despise you. Don't ever come near my teacher again."

Nanako's quiet anger hit her.

Misae didn't say anything.

She lowered her head and remained motionless, dazed.

...I didn't look back.