Sinner and a Savior

Ch. 15 - A Father's Retribution

AN: Just a chapter warning as there is a brief discussion of child abuse and a bit of an argument, no graphic violence.

The weeks went by. You and Toji went out on regular outings with Megumi, making sure to shove Megumi in Toji's lap whenever possible. When you would go to visit Tsumiki, Toji would also tag along, continuing to play the role of "Matteo." It was almost like the two of you had a transactional relationship: you'd let him see Megumi without argument, he'd cover for you as a boyfriend figure in an attempt to humiliate your ex-husband. You were grateful to have him around, he made a good partner in crime. 

Before you knew it, autumn had arrived. Megumi had gotten much bigger and was nearing his first birthday. Tsumiki was well into two years old at this point as well. The two of them were growing at the speed of light!

You hadn't really noticed it right away, but things were slowly changing at home. When you would visit, things were a bit darker than the last visit. Counters were dirty, toys and un-laundered clothes left on the floor, flies would accumulate at the kitchen sink when the windows were left open, and you began to notice empty pill bottles left in the trash can. You tried your best to think nothing of it, that perhaps your ex-husband was going through a bit of depression from the divorce. You knew you had some of those emotions, too. For some reason, you were still trying your best to see Masaru in a good light.

"Ready?" You looked over at Toji as the two of you left the train station for another visit to see Tsumiki.

"Ready as always," Toji sighed and began to follow you as the two of you headed toward your former apartment. 

At the current moment, the Zenin estate was your full-time residence. Your room there had overflowed a bit with the things you had moved out of your old home. You figured that you'd be able to start looking at flats in Tokyo soon, your ultimate goal -- saving enough to last until Tsumiki started preschool and then getting a job to continue your lifestyle in the city.

The two of you continued on, knocking on the front door and waiting for an answer. It took longer than usual for your ex-husband to get to the door.
When he finally did, he looked rough -- as he had been for the past few visits. He had dark circles under his eyes and wore his work slacks and a white, stained tank top. To top it all off, the man wreaked. He smelled like garbage mixed with cheap, feminine perfume.

"God, Masaru," you furrowed your brow immediately and shoved past him, "you're disgusting."

"Hello to you, too," he rolled his eyes and followed the two of you in. The place was dirty, as usual at this point.

"Where's Tsumiki?" You looked around, usually able to find her playing in the living area.

"She's...in her room," Masaru answered, yawning in the middle of his statement.

"Ugh," you scoffed at him and made your way to the back of the apartment where Tsumiki's room was. It was just as much of a mess as the rest of the house, but luckily there only appeared to be a mess of Tsumiki's toys and none of the other garbage you knew about.

Toji had followed behind, something within him boiling as he saw the state of the place. The boiling had been brewing for some time after a few of these visits. He hated seeing what Masaru was doing to the place, letting your daughter live in squalor with random women coming in and out.
He admitted to himself that he wasn't much different, but he at least made the smart decision to protect his son from that kind of lifestyle. It was weird to think that someone else could stoop somehow lower than him, killing aside.

"Hey, baby," you happily greeted when you found her happily playing with her toys...alone. You wondered just how much time she spent alone.