I’m Chisato, and I’m 50 years old. Ever since divorcing my first husband—whom I married in my late twenties—I’ve raised my son, Haruki, on my own. At one point, I met Tatsuya, who is eleven years younger than me, and we considered getting married. However, his parents were dead set against it, so we gave up on the idea. Yet, for the fifteen years that followed, Tatsuya was the one who stayed by my side and supported me. When we went to visit his parents again to announce our marriage, they finally accepted us. I found myself looking back on everything that led to this moment.
Being a single mother was harder than I ever imagined. By then, my ex-husband had already stopped paying child support, and he wasn’t even visiting anymore. I couldn’t lean on my parents, and I couldn’t hold my ex responsible. Every day, I felt crushed by the weight of being solely responsible for Haruki’s entire life. That was when I met Tatsuya. He stepped into our lives and even asked me to marry him. I was so happy. I thought, Finally, someone is going to help me carry this burden… But looking back, I’m sure his parents saw right through me.