The office clock ticked past 9 p.m.
For once, I was leaving work early. Normally, overtime chained me until 11, but tonight the paperwork ended sooner. The thought of going home early and seeing Miyuki's smile made the exhaustion fade from my shoulders.
Maybe she'll be happy I'm back early, I thought, stepping into the cool night air.
But instead of wgirlfe night gifted me despair.
On my way home, I cut through the red-light district. Neon lights glared against puddles, and laughter from drunk businessmen echoed in the alleys. That's when I froze.
Up ahead, beneath the glow of a streetlamp, I saw her.
Miyuki.
Her hand clutched Souta's, their fingers entwined with the intimacy of lovers. She leaned into him, smiling the same gentle smile she once reserved only for me.
And Souta my best friend since childhood, the boy who once called me "brother" was looking at her like she belonged to him.
My chest tightened. My breath caught in my throat.
No… this has to be some mistake.
With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone and snapped a photo. Proof. Evidence. My head screamed at me to call her, to confirm this nightmare.
I dialed.
"Haruto?" Miyuki's soft voice answered. "Mm… sorry, I'm resting at home right now. I'll call you back later, okay?"
My grip tightened around the phone. Resting at home? She was standing right there, with Souta's arm wrapped around her waist.
"…I see," I forced out, voice shaking.
I ended the call. My chest burned as though something inside me had cracked.
___
I didn't confront them there. Not yet. My rage was simmering too violently.
By the time I reached home, I was no longer the same Haruto who left work. I called them both, my voice steady but filled with fury.
"I know everything. Come to the house. Now."
___
The door opened with a slam. Souta walked in first, his usual cocky grin plastered across his face. Miyuki followed, her head lowered, guilt shadowing her expression.
"So," I spat, clutching my phone, "how long? How long have you been laughing behind my back?"
Miyuki trembled. "Haruto… I--I never meant"
"Don't you dare lie!" I snapped.
I raised my hand not to strike, but to demand an answer but Souta shoved me in the chest, sending me stumbling.
"Don't you dare touch her," Souta said coldly. His usual playful tone was gone, replaced by venom.
I glared. "You… my best friend… why?"
He laughed bitterly. "Why? Do you even know what it felt like? To always be compared to you? To always come second?"
"What…?"
Souta's eyes narrowed, his voice dripping with years of resentment.
"I was the ace of the soccer club. I was stronger, more athletic, more handsome. Yet everyone praised you. Teachers, classmates even Miyuki. She was my crush first, tge gurl which i had a crush from preschool, Haruto. But she looked at you with those starry eyes, and I… I couldn't take it."
. "You… what are you saying…?"
He smirked cruelly. "So I took her back. To prove you were nothing."
My breath faltered. My best friend my brother in all but blood had envied me all along.
Miyuki's lips trembled, but she didn't deny anything.
"Why, Miyuki…?" My voice cracked. "Why him? Why Souta of all people? I gave you everything I had. Was that not enough?"
Her hands ball into fists, her eyes brimming with tears that weren't guilt, but frustration.
"You don't understand, Haruto. You never did.We womens doesn't always need love, we expect somethings from husbands which you never gave me not even once, but souta... "
I staggered back. "Then explain to me!"
She looked at Souta, then back at me, her voice breaking.
"You were kind… too kind. But kindness doesn't keep a woman's heart alive forever. You were always busy with work, always chasing some dream. Meanwhile, Souta was there. He listened. . He gave me passion you never showed."
My chest caved in. "And all the promises we made? The nights you swore we'd grow old together? Were they lies?"
Miyuki bit her lip. Tears finally slid down her cheeks. "They weren't lies… I did love you. But then… you just became so dull, so predictable. With Souta, every moment was fire. With you… it was like living in shadows."
Her words didn't just pierce me they shredded me apart.
Souta smirked, pulling her into his arms in front of me.
"See? Even she admits it. You were never enough, Haruto."
I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms until blood welled. "So I was nothing more than a stepping stone? A mistake in her life?"
Miyuki lowered her gaze, whispering like a curse:
"…Yes."
The sound of that single word was the final hammer to my heart.
"And then," Souta's grin widened, "I realized something. Your mother… she's still beautiful for her age. Elegant, graceful. And more importantly, she was yours. That's when it hit me if I really wanted to crush you, I had to take everything. Your love. Your family. Even her."
My world spun. "No… no, you wouldn't…"
And then a voice. Soft. Familiar. Cruel.
"Enough shouting already…"
I turned.
From the hallway, my mother appeared. She walked in slowly, placing her hand on Souta's shoulder with an ease that shattered what little hope I clung to.
My throat closed. "M-Mom…?"
Her smile was warm—too warm. Not the smile of a mother, but the smile of someone who had already chosen to stand against me.
"Haruto. You were always so much like your father."
Her words cut sharper than Souta's.
"Your father was always too busy. Always working. Always distant. I spent years without warmth, without touch,. Souta… gave me everything which i wished for." Her cheeks flushed faintly. "He take care of me while Mrs kurogane was busy."
My knees buckled. I shook my head violently. "Stop… stop it!"
But she wasn't finished. Her voice dropped to a mocking whisper.
"Do you know what it feels like, Haruto? To finally be seen and supported? Your father couldn't. But Souta… he listened. He understood. He gave me the care I had longed for."
I staggered back, bile rising in my throat.
Souta smirked, pulling her closer. "Face it, Haruto. I've taken everything from you. Your wife."
"No… no…!" My chest burned, my vision blurred with tears.
Miyuki looked away, shame on her face, but she didn't deny it. Not a word.
Their laughter filled the room. My mother's voice, soft and mocking. Souta's grin, twisted with victory.
Something inside me broke.
I stumbled out the door, into the rain. My legs carried me aimlessly, my chest heaving with each ragged breath.
"Why… why me?" I muttered into the storm.
Headlights cut through the darkness. A truck barreled toward me, horn blaring, brakes screaming against the wet road.
I didn't move. I just smiled.
Finally… it's over.
And then silence.
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't on the street.
The ceiling was white. A calendar hung on the wall.
My eyes widened. The date it was nine years ago. My first year of high school.
My trembling hands gripped the desk.
Fate had given me another chance.
This time… I won't forgive.
This time… I'll make them pay.