Chapter 40: Our Wedding Week — And Her Return

The early morning sun filtered through the curtains of the quiet Tokyo apartment as Ren pulled Aoi closer in bed. Their wedding day was only days away now. The calendar was packed: family dinners, dress and suit fittings, last-minute floral selections, and of course, the arrival of their parents from Hokkaido.

Aoi, buried under the warm covers, nuzzled his chest with a sleepy smile. "Do you think they'll like the venue?"

"They'll love it," Ren said, brushing her bangs aside. "It's simple but meaningful. Just like us."

But despite the joy in her heart, Aoi couldn't shake a growing unease. Her possessive instincts were flaring up again—maybe because the moment she'd dreamt of for so long was finally here. She was getting married to Ren. Her Ren. And the thought of anyone else daring to interfere now made her blood simmer.

On the other side of the city, someone else had their own twisted thoughts brewing.

Saki stared from the window of her small but elegantly furnished apartment, conveniently located near Ren's company headquarters. She had returned to Japan quietly, without even informing her family. No fanfare. No attention.

Only obsession.

She had transferred back and rented this place just to be close to him. She knew where he worked. She knew the path he took every morning. She had memorized the time he left his building. It wasn't stalking—no, not to her. It was watching over the man she loved. The man she still believed could be hers.

Despite her accident, despite being gone for months, the moment she saw Ren again—when he came to the hospital to check on her—it was enough to ignite the fire again. A fire that had never really gone out.

They're getting married?

She laughed softly to herself, fingers trailing the edge of her teacup.

"Not yet," she whispered, eyes narrowed.

The days leading up to the wedding felt like a blur—filled with laughter, nerves, and more family than either Ren or Aoi had seen in years.

At the hotel in Shibuya, both their families had checked in. Aoi's father, surprisingly emotional, shook Ren's hand firmly.

"I'm trusting my daughter to you. Don't make her cry, boy."

Ren bowed deeply. "Never. I promise."

Aoi's mother and Ren's mother had already hit it off, bonding over the absurd amount of preparations—flowers, cake, seating charts, guest lists. The night before the rehearsal dinner, they all gathered in a quiet rooftop restaurant that overlooked Tokyo's glittering skyline.

Aoi, dressed in a soft cream kimono, leaned into Ren during a rare quiet moment on the terrace. "It's happening… I still can't believe it."

Ren took her hand, squeezing gently. "Yeah. After everything… we're almost there."

She closed her eyes, listening to the city breeze, the soft music from inside… and her heart. Then she felt it—that pang again. That subtle sense of being watched.

Meanwhile — Somewhere Nearby

Saki adjusted the lenses of her tinted glasses from across the street. She stood beside a coffee shop near the restaurant, having followed Ren's car earlier that evening.

Her heart beat like war drums in her chest as she saw Ren smiling with Aoi under the dim lights.

They look happy, she admitted, but that happiness isn't real. Not without me.

Her fingers tightened around the smartphone in her coat pocket. She had already drafted the anonymous message. The one she'd send to Aoi's work, subtly implying Ren was having an affair. Another one was being written for Ren—cryptic enough to make him question Aoi's trust.

She wouldn't send them yet. But they were there. Ready.

And her plan was only beginning.

Back at Home

Later that night, Aoi and Ren returned to their apartment. Aoi sat down to remove her heels while Ren made tea in the kitchen. She looked at the ring on her finger—the one Ren had slipped on just months ago beneath that quiet bridge.

But tonight, that soft glow of joy in her chest was mixed with something darker.

Aoi's thoughts were spinning.

"Ren," she called.

He walked over, two cups in hand. "Yeah?"

She took one, paused, and asked, "If someone… tried to ruin this week, would you still marry me?"

Ren frowned. "Of course I would. What are you talking about?"

"I just… feel like something's not right. Like someone's lurking around."

Ren set the tea down and knelt in front of her. "Aoi, we've been through everything. High school. College. Family. Even Saki."

Aoi twitched slightly at the name.

"I'm not letting anyone come between us," he said. "And neither are you."

Her eyes shimmered with emotion, and she hugged him tightly. "Then… never leave me. Ever."

"I won't," he whispered.