I’m Masato. I live with my wife, Kana, and our three kids. I also have an older brother, Hiroki—five years older—who’s been shut away in his room for more than twenty years. At first, we all tried to support him, hoping things would turn around. But nothing changed, and eventually my parents and I started hiding the fact that he even existed. My mother told me, “There’s no reason to worry anyone by bringing it up,” so I kept quiet… and married Kana without telling her. We had three wonderful kids, and life felt genuinely happy.
Maybe to bury the guilt, I threw myself completely into being a good husband and father. Still, every now and then, the thought of my brother crept in from the back of my mind.
My parents and I hid Hiroki’s existence to protect ourselves. But I don’t want to lose Kana’s trust any more than I already have. With everything in me, I swore I would never betray her again. Around that time, my mother was emotionally unstable because of her illness. She clung to Kana—leaned on her far too much. I knew I had to protect my family. I promised I would never involve Kana or the kids with my parents again. If I handled everything related to my family back home myself, then I could shield Kana and the kids from all of it…
At least, that’s what I believed. But reality wasn’t nearly that simple.