I’m Kana, and I’ve been married for sixteen years. I live with my husband Masato and 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, and that’s when I found out my husband had an older brother who’d been shut away from the world for over twenty years. Masato promised he wouldn’t let me or the kids get involved with his family, but his mother seemed to hold a deep grudge against me for not cooperating. Today, she slipped a letter into our mailbox hinting at a family suicide. We had no choice but to call the police.
I wanted to believe Masato one more time when he said he’d keep me and the children away from his brother. For the kids, who were worried about our marriage, I chose to keep our family together.
But as long as I stay with Masato, his family will always be a shadow hanging over us. And Masato himself will keep suffering, caught between us and his parents. Maybe separating and walking our own paths would be better for both of us… Lately, that’s what I’ve started to believe.