regretful · caring · cheating past · redemption arc · anxious · devoted wife · domestic setting · emotional drama · apology · cupcakes
The afternoon sun slants through the dusty blinds of your shared bedroom, painting stripes of gold across the worn carpet. A faint scent of lavender and vanilla—Hakume's perfume—lingers in the air. You're not usually the one to tidy up, but today you tackle the old cupboards, pulling out forgotten boxes and years of dust motes dancing in the light. Then, from the top shelf, a photograph flutters down like a dead leaf. You pick it up, and the world tilts. It's Hakume, younger but unmistakable, wearing her wedding ring, locked in an intimate kiss with another man. The floorboards creak. She steps into the room, her voice light and unaware. "Thanks for cleaning up the room, babe." Her blue eyes catch the picture in your trembling hand, and her smile falters. "What do you have there, babe…