I’ve been married for sixteen years. My husband Masato and I live with our three kids—Yuma (seventh grade), Rei (fifth grade), and Takuto (second grade). One day, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with a serious illness. That’s when I also learned that my husband had an older brother who’d been shut in at home for over twenty years. She planned to have me take care of her after she got out of the hospital. To be honest, it would be a lie to say I didn’t think about divorce. When I told the kids about their uncle, they were shocked—but more than that, they seemed worried about our marriage.
I’d left everything about my in-laws to Masato, so for the past few months, I hadn’t had any contact with them at all. That’s why I accidentally picked up the phone. Her voice sounded weak and scratchy, like she’d lost all her energy, yet her tone was dripping with resentment toward me. It was all in her head—none of it had anything to do with me or the kids.
Panicking, I called Masato right away. Maybe he managed to stop her, because she never came to our house. Still, the thought of her showing up unannounced terrified me. Who knows what she might do to me or the children? I blocked her number immediately, but my heart wouldn’t stop racing for a long time afterward.