A Love I Shouldn't Feel
Chapter 164: Choosing What Matters ( 164 )

Chapter 164: Choosing What Matters ( 164 )

They arrived at the dining area shortly after the rest of the family had gathered.

The soft hum of conversation, clinking tableware, and the scent of grilled seafood filled the air.

Haruki walked calmly, freshly dressed, casual but tidy.

Kyouko followed beside him, looking as elegant as ever in a soft, long-sleeved blouse and flowing skirt.

But her steps were just a little slower.

A little more careful.

Hanako looked up from the table.

"Kyouko?" she called gently.

"Hmm?" Kyouko turned with a composed smile.

"What’s wrong?" Hanako asked, frowning slightly.

"You’re walking... a bit oddly."

Kyouko’s cheeks warmed, but she didn’t flinch.

She gave the softest laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Ah... it’s nothing, Mom."

A pause.

Then she added quickly, in the most polite tone possible—

"I just finished... using the bathroom."

Hanako blinked.

Then nodded slowly.

"Ah... I see."

Kyouko quietly took her seat beside Haruki, folding her hands delicately in her lap.

Only Haruki caught the tiniest twitch of her lips as she sat.

Everyone had taken their seats. The server arrived, offering menus with a polite bow, and the family began placing their orders one by one.

Kitayama was already deep in discussion with Kazuma and Kenji.

Haruki sat quietly, relaxed, as he glanced toward the other end of the table.

Kyouko, Keiko, Hitomi, and Hanako were seated together—looking around the restaurant, softly chatting about the decor, the presentation, and what desserts might be good later.

Haruki smiled.

Because right now—

Sitting with this family.

Listening to the comfortable rhythm of parents and siblings, laughter and old stories—

He really felt it.

This is what a real family feels like.

Haruki glanced down the table, where Riko and Daichi sat side by side, their heads tilted toward their phones, fingers tapping rapidly in their game.

They laughed softly together—sometimes teasing, sometimes focused.

Haruki’s gaze lingered on them, his smile faltering slightly.

Inside his mind—

I hope one day...

I’ll have children like that.

Someone to talk to.

To share quiet dinners with.

To watch fall asleep on the couch after playing too much.

He wanted that life.

He’d always wanted it.

And he tried.

He tried so many times.

He had asked Satomi.

Gently.

Earnestly.

He’d invited the conversation.

"Maybe we should start thinking about a family."

"Don’t you want kids someday?"

"We don’t have to rush. I just... I want to plan for something real."

But her answers were always the same.

"I’m tired."

"Not ready."

"Too busy."

"We’re still young."

He respected her.

Respected her body, her pace, her timing.

But deep down...

He felt it.

She didn’t want that life with me.

And now—

Sitting here, watching two bright, happy children laugh across the table—

He knew.

He had stopped asking long ago.

Long before he agreed to move into her parents’ house.

At first... he’d hesitated.

When Satomi suggested they move into her parents’ home, it caught him off guard.

It felt awkward. Strange.

It wasn’t just the house.

It was her world.

A father he barely knew.

A mother who barely showed her face.

And Satomi... slowly slipping further into her career, her ambition, her distance.

But she’d insisted. Said it would be easier. That they wouldn’t be alone. That her mother could keep him company when she was busy.

He had agreed, because she seemed happy.

He didn’t want to get in her way.

He wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, things would get better.

But from the moment they moved in, his life began to change.

Not because of Satomi.

But because of her mother.

Kyouko.

The first time he saw her, he was stunned.

She looked younger than Satomi.

More radiant. More elegant.

More beautiful than Satomi.

More graceful.

More composed.

More feminine.

She didn’t wear flashy makeup.

She didn’t dress to impress.

She didn’t speak loudly or demand attention.

She just... existed.

And every part of her radiated something Haruki hadn’t known he was missing.

They became close, slowly.

Little conversations over coffee.

Quiet glances, soft laughter over shared silences.

She noticed him.

Listened to him.

Cooked for him when Satomi didn’t.

Spoke to him when no one else did.

They started spending more time together.

They crossed the line.

He didn’t plan it. Neither did she.

But once it happened—

Everything changed.

Not just because she was tight.

Not just because her body was perfect—curvy, smooth, so soft that he sometimes lost his breath just pressing against her.

It was because he finally felt alive.

After years of cold silence...

Years of sleeping beside someone who barely touched him...

Years of hearing "I’m tired," "Not now," "Tomorrow"...

Kyouko welcomed him.

With her eyes.

With her body.

With her heart.

And now, as he sat at the dining table, surrounded by this family—

Warmth.

Laughter.

Plates of food and soft chatter—

Haruki looked at her.

Kyouko quietly chatting with her sister and mother across the table, smiling despite the ache she was probably still feeling from earlier—

He knew one thing for sure:

He could never go back to that cold, quiet life again.

Just as he was about to take another sip of tea,

Haruki’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

He reached down casually, not wanting to draw attention.

The screen lit up.

Satomi.

He stared at the name.

For a moment, he didn’t move.

He didn’t feel like answering.

Didn’t want to hear that same flat voice.

That emotionless tone.

The way she always sounded distant... distracted.

Before he ever moved into her parents’ house—

she never called.

Not even to ask how his day was.

Not to check if he’d eaten.

Not even to say goodnight.

And now?

Now, after everything?

He looked across the table.

Kyouko was smiling gently, brushing her hair behind her ear as she spoke to Keiko and Hanako.

There was a lightness in her face. A softness that Satomi never wore.

He glanced down at the phone again.

Still vibrating.

Still ringing.

Still her.

Haruki pressed the side button.

Silenced it.

And placed the phone face-down on the table.

He didn’t need her voice breaking this moment.

Not now.

Not when he finally felt like he belonged somewhere.

Not when the woman who truly cared about him was sitting just a few feet away.

( End Of Chapter )

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