I dated Satoru back in college, but after we broke up, I married my senior from work. We had a daughter named Ran, who was my absolute world—my treasure. But when she turned three, I ran into Satoru again and couldn’t fight my feelings. My husband was a workaholic who never helped with the house or the baby. I started to regret everything and eventually walked out on them. I wanted to take Ran with me, but I didn’t want to burden Satoru… It was a gut-wrenching choice, but I didn’t truly grasp the weight of what I was doing back then.
Ren’s words hit me like a ton of bricks. How could I have been so selfish? I never once considered Ran’s feelings; I just kept twisting things to suit my own narrative. I realized then that I have no right to see her, let alone apologize. I’ll have to live out my remaining days with this regret, but accepting that burden is the only way I can atone for what I’ve done. All I can do now is pray for her happiness from afar.