I’m Anna, and I live with my husband, Takuya, and our preschooler, Asahi. Being naturally shy, I was always drawn to Takuya’s bright, outgoing personality—which is exactly why I married him. He treats Asahi and me like royalty, and every day has been a dream. Recently, we had to relocate for Takuya’s job. I was so worried about fitting into a new neighborhood, but the first people to truly welcome us were the Moritas—Meiko and her son, Naoto. Naoto became a great friend to Asahi, and Meiko became the one “mom friend” I felt I could really trust. We even started visiting each other’s houses. But ever since Meiko met Takuya, she’s been making it very clear that she’s avoiding me.
I knew this might be the end of our friendship… but I just had to hear the truth from Meiko herself. With that one thought in mind, I chased after her. Whenever my husband came up, Meiko looked pained—disgusted, even—with a deep scowl on her face. It was like she was screaming, “I never want to think about him again.” At first, I wondered if they used to date and had a messy breakup or something. But the truth she finally choked out was so much worse: she told me my husband used to bully her.