I’m Kana. I live with my husband, Masato, and our three kids—Yuma, who’s in junior high, Rei, who’s in fifth grade, and Takuto, who’s in second. The five of us had a cheerful, happy life together, and I often thought how lucky I was to have married him.
Then one day, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with a serious illness—and that’s when I learned something shocking. My husband, whom I believed to be an only child, actually had an older brother who’d been shut away from the world for over twenty years. We’d been married sixteen years, and he’d hidden it from me the entire time. It felt like I’d been conned. I was crushed.
The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became. Back when we got married, I saw Masato’s initiative—how he handled all the arrangements—as a sign of reliability. But now, I realize he probably just didn’t want me to find out about his brother. That thought made me feel betrayed all over again.
What worried me most, though, was the kids. I couldn’t let them ever be forced to take care of their uncle someday. But whenever I tried to talk about it, Masato would brush me off with, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” and refuse to have a serious discussion. I hadn’t told the kids anything, so I couldn’t let them sense the tension between us. Still, finding a quiet moment alone with Masato to talk things through felt impossible, and that left me trapped in days of growing frustration.