Sinner and a Savior

Ch. 8 - A Mother's Broken Heart

You and Toji had a successful first outing. When you returned to the Zenin estate, those there seemed to have no second thought about your return. It seemed as though all had gone as planned! Although, you did understand the caution that was needed to continue those types of outings. 

With two full weeks of caring for Megumi under your belt, you decided to utilize some of your time away. Just like outings with the baby, you had to send your need for time off to be approved by the Zenins. They mentioned five hours per week, so it was no surprise when your application for time off was approved. 

You were desperate to visit Tsumiki, so you took a bullet train home. You could hardly keep yourself together during the ride. Both anxiety and excitement were bubbling about your brain as you made your way back home. 

As soon as you made it to the front door to the apartment you shared with your estranged husband, you fumbled to get your key in the door. But before you could even turn the lock, the door opened suddenly.
What appeared to be a bombshell stood before you; large breasts, gorgeously blonde but obviously dyed hair with her black roots coming in, full face of makeup, and a certain snobbish look on her face. She looked you up and down before turning back inside the apartment to call for Masaru. "Did you order some kind of cleaning service?" She called out. 

You were entirely speechless. Your suspicions that were already validated were confirmed even further. Masaru lightly jogged into view from a different room with a panicked look on his face. Panic turned to horror as soon as he saw you.

"Y/N!" He gasped, gently pushing his mistress out of the way. She gave a little, angry "hey," as he moved her. "What are you doing here...unannounced?"

"Unannounced," you scoffed, "to my own home. Where's my daughter?" You asked seriously. "I came here to see my daughter."

"Y-yeah," he nodded quickly, moving out of the way to let you in. "She's right over there," he motioned toward the living space where she happily played in her playpen. 

"Mama!" She exclaimed with sheer joy as soon as you walked in, coming to her feet clumsily. You rushed to her side and picked her up in a big hug. 

"I've missed you so much, Tsumiki!" You snuggled her close, a moment of peace from the complete anger you felt at the door. You were quickly and easily reminded of what you were there for, why you had taken the job you had. 

With pain in your heart, you did your best to keep a smile for her. You spent the time that you had playing with her, making sure to give her a small souvenir of a stuffed animal from Tokyo as a way to keep you in her mind when you were away. 
Meanwhile, your husband and his mistress kept to themselves considering the awkwardness of the situation.

"I plan on coming when I can," you assured Masaru as you stood on the other side of the door again to leave. 

"Can you..." Masaru's face looked awkward and ashamed as he asked, "can you please let me know beforehand? So I can prepare?" 

You glared at him for a moment. "Yeah," you replied coldly, feeling a knot begin to form in the base of your throat. "And please...limit her time with Tsumiki. I don't appreciate you bringing strange women around our daughter. We'll discuss what's going to happen between us later."

He gave an awkward nod in response and a slight wave to say goodbye. He shut the door gently and you remained standing in front of it for a short time, processing everything that you just experienced. 
The knot in your throat grew to be unbearable and you just had to let the tears out. You put your back to the door and slid down to the concrete. With your face in your hands, you allowed yourself a moment to your emotions. 

Somberly, you made your way back to the Zenin estate. You were in a daze as you continued your routine in getting Megumi ready for bed. It was around eight in the evening when you were finally changing his diaper for the last time before putting him down.

"Hey there," a familiar voice appeared in the open shoji door's threshold. 

You jolted out of your trance at his sudden appearance, making sure to keep a hand on Megumi so he wouldn't roll off the changing table. "You're early," you sighed, your free hand on your chest to prevent a heart attack. "Also, I thought our outings would prevent these night visits."

"Yeah, well...I lied," he shrugged and further stepped into the room, now taking over your job of changing Megumi. A pleasant surprise...

You stepped back and crossed your arms over your chest as if to keep warm from the cool night air. "So what brings you here?" You asked, your voice a little shaky from the day's earlier happenings.

"Just a visit," he answered dully. "What's wrong with you?"

You were taken aback by his question. Was it really that obvious? "What do you mean?" You tried to play dumb as Toji picked a newly changed Megumi up from the table. He was now in a pajama onesie, a snoozing panda decal on its front. 

"Your face, it's red and your eyes are swollen. You've been crying," he pointed out the obvious as he hushed Megumi to sleep, the baby gently resting on his shoulder while Toji rubbed his back. Though he was right, you gave an offended expression.

"Nothing," you replied quickly but then realized your defensiveness was even more telling. "It's nothing..." you reassured him with a slower tone, watching as he meandered over to the crib to put Megumi down. 

"You think I'm going to believe that?" He scoffed. "Did my uncle do something? Or was it my wonderful brute of a brother?" He asked with his own set of crossed arms, his stature one of confidence while yours looked like one of defense. 

"No, it wasn't your family," you answered, avoiding eye contact. "I went home today...to see Tsumiki."

"Oh, so you just miss her," Toji released his crossed arms. "Got it. I'll keep out of your business." 

You suddenly became a bit angry with his assumption. "No!" You said a bit too loudly, causing Megumi to stir for just a moment. "I went home and my husband had another woman there..." you continued a bit more quietly. It was as if Toji had used a tactic to get the information out of you.

"There it is," he smiled and placed his hands on his hips. "Now, was that so hard?" He teased. You pouted and chewed on your cheek before continuing.

"And I don't want her around my daughter," you sniffled, beginning to feel choked up again. "Tsumiki, she looked happy... I don't want that woman to make my daughter happy." 

Toji's casual, cool gaze softened and he bit the inside of his cheek in protest of his uncontrollable change of expression. He audibly sighed before speaking up. "She was happy to see you, not happy about the bitch in your place." You stared at him in silence as a warm tear found its way down your cheek. "She's two, she probably doesn't give two shits about the stranger her dad brought home. But you, she knows you're her mother."
You gave a light smile to his encouragement and he quickly turned to look out of the open shoji door to avoid your appreciation. 
"I can...take care of them. If you want," he offered, back still turned toward you but his head cocked in your direction. 

"What?" It took you a minute to process exactly what he was trying to say. "No! No, definitely not that," you chuckled as if what he said was completely ludicrous and impossible. 

"Offer's always on the table, I'd even do it for a discount," he chuckled and stepped back outside. "Catch you later," he gave a small salute of a wave, two of his fingers extended, before slipping away into the night. 

"Yeah...catch you later," you mumbled to yourself.