Chapter 48: Gardenias and Guilt

One day, on the day of the tragic confrontation, Sha visited him at home right after Tsukiko went to work. She had a concerned look on her face. She didn't look worried, she looked determined. Sha had a plan.

"I need to talk to you," she said, her voice low and serious. 

Kai was taken aback by her unexpected visit. He quickly glanced around, ensuring Tsukiko had left. "You should go," he told her, his tone firm. "I know we've been through a lot... but I think it's time to end this. I'm done. I don't want to see you anymore."

But as Sha stood there, her hand resting on his arm, something within him shifted. He realized how much he longed for the connection, the closeness, the attention. He had been living in denial, pretending everything was fine when it clearly wasn't.

And then it happened.

They kissed. At first, it was just a soft touch, a momentary lapse in judgment. But then it deepened. Passion took over. In the heat of the moment, all of his guilt, all of his regret, was drowned by the surge of his desires. 

They fell into each other, and in that instant, nothing mattered except the feeling of Sha in his arms.

And in that moment, Kai betrayed everything he had built with Tsukiko. The love he had promised her, the future they had dreamed of. Everything went up in smoke.

But it wasn't supposed to happen like this.

Kai had no idea how much time had passed since that fateful day. The memory of Tsukiko's face, the betrayal, the heartbreak, haunted him every moment of every day. He knew he couldn't take back what he had done, and now the consequences were crashing down on him.

The divorce papers were just the beginning. Tsukiko was gone, and no matter how many times he begged, no matter how many apologies he gave, there was no going back. His betrayal had cost him everything.

Kai ran a hand through his unkempt hair, his eyes hollow, staring at the floor as tears once again threatened to fall.

Tsuki, where are you?

Kai had no answers. No way to fix this. All he had left were the broken pieces of the life he had destroyed.

And that was all he deserved.

The heavy silence in the apartment was broken only by the soft ticking of the clock. Kai sat motionless, his face buried in his hands, overwhelmed by the weight of everything that had transpired. His life, once full of promise and hope, now felt like a wreckage. His own mistakes had torn apart the one thing he had always held dear. His love for Tsukiko.

As he sat there, in the stillness of the apartment that no longer felt like home, he heard the faintest sound.

the doorbell ringing.

Kai shot up from the couch, a wave of relief washing over him. 

Could it be Tsuki? 

Could she have come back to speak to him? His heart raced with anticipation, but when he opened the door, the person standing on the other side was not his wife.

It was Sha.

A sharp pang of irritation shot through him. His face darkened, and in a moment of anger, he slammed the door shut, but Sha quickly wedged her foot between the doorframe, forcing it open.

"Let me in, Kai," she said, her voice filled with frustration and anger. "We need to talk."

Kai's blood boiled. He didn't want to see her. Didn't want to hear her excuses or pleas. He had finally made the decision to let her go, to stop being weak and accepting responsibility for his mistakes. 

But here she was, in his face again, ruining everything.

"What else do you want from me, Sha?" His voice was low but filled with anger. "You did this on purpose, didn't you? You know how hard it was for me to win Tsukiko over! You ruined everything! It's your fault! All of this is your fault!"

Sha stood there, her expression tight with bitterness, but then she let out a sharp laugh, the kind that made Kai's stomach twist. "Me? You're blaming this all on me?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Fine. It's all my fault. I guess I drugged you, right? Made you sleep with me while you couldn't think straight. I manipulated you into doing this, huh? That's what you want to tell yourself?"

Kai froze, shocked by her words. His anger faltered for a moment as he realized how twisted everything had become. But Sha wasn't done.

"You blame me for everything, but the truth is, Kai… you let it happen," she spat, her eyes glaring at him. "You were the one who made the choice. You were the one who allowed it. Don't you dare try to make me the villain when you're the one who's been living in denial."

Kai, overwhelmed by the weight of her words and his own guilt, felt his temper rise again. 

He grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her into the house, his eyes frantic with worry that the neighbors might overhear them.

"Get inside," he muttered, dragging her into the hallway. He closed the door behind them, his heart thumping in his chest. The rage still burned in his veins, but now there was something else, something darker, lurking beneath it all.

"Sha," he said, taking a breath to steady himself. "I'm sorry. But this needs to end. I don't know what to do anymore, okay? Just go. Leave me alone."

Sha's eyes narrowed as she stepped closer to him, her expression hardening.

"Leave?" she scoffed. "You think you can just get rid of me like that? You're still so selfish, Kai. Do you think I'm going to just walk away from everything? Do you think that's how it works?"

Kai's chest tightened with the realization that she wasn't leaving. She wasn't going to let him go that easily. He turned his back, trying to escape her presence, but Sha's next words made him stop dead in his tracks.

"I'm pregnant."