Love On Duty : A story of love and responsibility

Part 22

Mrs. Hoya sat in the living room, sipping her tea, but her mind was anything but calm. Her carefully crafted plan had fallen apart. Not only was Y/n still alive and well, but Shu seemed more devoted to her than ever. She clenched her teacup a little tighter, an icy resolve settling in her eyes. In her mind, Y/n and her children would never be part of this family.

Suddenly, she spotted Shu emerging from his room, dressed sharply. She called out to him.

Mrs. Hoya: Shu... Are you headed to work so early?

Her voice held a practiced calm, but when Shu looked at her with a gaze colder than she'd ever seen, an uneasy feeling gnawed at her. Shu didn't respond.

Mrs. Hoya: Shu–

Before she could press him further, her eyes fell on the suitcase in his hand. Her brows knitted in confusion.

Mrs. Hoya: Shu, where are you going with that suitcase?

Y/n stepped out of the room, joining Shu's side, her expression equally resolved. Shu instinctively took her hand, gripping it tightly as if drawing strength from her presence. Mrs. Hoya's unease only grew as the rest of the family began gathering around, sensing the tension in the air..

Mr. Kurenai: Shu, what's going on? Are you going anywhere?

Shu tightened his grip on Y/n's hand and looked directly at his father.

Shu: Yes dad...

Mrs. Hoya: Where?

Shu: I'm leaving this house. I won't stay here any longer. Y/n and I are moving out. We'll be living separately from now on.

Mrs. Hoya: W-What?

Shu: You heard me right.

A stunned silence settled over the room, broken only by Mrs. Hoya's shocked voice.

Mrs. Hoya: Leaving? But... Why? Shu, you always insisted you'd never leave this house, not even when your parents encouraged you to have your own place. What happened so suddenly?

Shu took a deep breath, his tone unwavering but laced with barely restrained anger.

Shu: Because, I can't stay in a place where my wife's life is constantly at risk. A place where someone I trusted with my life tried to harm her and our babies.

Mrs. Hoya:  I... I don't understand. What are you saying?

A bitter scoff escaped Shu's lips.

Shu: Please, Aunt, ENOUGH of this act! I know what you did. I know you tried to poison her and told Dalny to do so. How could you? How could you hate someone to this extent? After everything... Why would you do this? I looked up to you as my second mother, and you've betrayed me in the worst way imaginable. WHY? JUST WHY?!

Mrs. Kurenai covered her mouth in horror, looking between Shu and Mrs. Hoya, unable to process what she was hearing.

Mrs. Kurenai: Tell me this isn't true... How could you?

Mrs. Hoya's façade finally cracked, and her voice took on a desperate edge.

Mrs. Hoya: Yes, alright? YES, I DID IT! I TOLD DALNY TO! So what? I did it all for you, Shu. For your sake, for your happiness. Can't you see that?

Shu stared at her, a mixture of disbelief and revulsion clouding his features.

Shu: For me? In what twisted world is killing my children for my own good? How could any of this possibly be for my happiness?

Mrs. Hoya's face contorted with a strange blend of anger and frustration, her voice rising.

Mrs. Hoya: Because they are not your children, Shu!

The room fell into a suffocating silence, every pair of eyes now on Mrs. Hoya, who stood trembling, visibly shaken by the truth she'd finally revealed.

Shu: What... What did you just say?

The weight of her words hung heavily in the air as Mrs. Hoya struggled to keep her composure. She took a deep, shaky breath, her voice filled with a bitterness she could no longer hide.

Mrs. Hoya: They're not your children, Shu. They're not your blood. I did what I had to do to protect you from a life of lies. From this woman! She's deceived you, Shu. She's poisoned you against your own family.

She spat, casting a venomous glance at Y/n. Shu's grip on Y/n's hand tightened as he felt her tremble beside him, her shock mirroring his own. 

Shu: Don't talk nonsense, AUNT!

Mrs. Hoya: Believe what you want, Shu. I've seen the truth, even if you're too blinded by your so-called love to see it. I was trying to protect you from a lifetime of regret, from being bound to a woman who's only here to ruin you.

Mr. Kurenai: Enough! What you're suggesting is outrageous. How dare you to think something like this?

Mrs. Hoya: I dare because I care. Shu is like a son to me, and I won't stand by and let him make the biggest mistake of his life. If he's going to be with someone, it should be someone worthy of him! Not some characterless woman! 

Mrs. Hoya pointed towards Y/n and said.

Mrs. Hoya: Ask her, Shu! Ask her about that man, Kyo. The one she meets in secret! Those children... they aren't yours, Shu. She's been unfaithful to you. I was only trying to protect you. Ask her what she and boy was doing inside a bedroom—

A sharp, resounding slap echoed through the room, cutting her words short. Mrs. Hoya froze, shock etched across her face, as Y/n stood before her, hand still raised, eyes blazing with anger.

Y/n: How dare you question my character?! Who are you to make such vile accusations? I have endured enough of your hate, but this is unforgivable!

Mrs. Hoya: You..

Mrs. Hoya's face reddened, both from the slap and the fury now igniting in her eyes.

Mrs. Hoya: Shu I'm telling you this girl is just manipulating you–

Y/n: Just shut up!

Mrs. Hoya: I'm not talking to you! You are nothing but a parasite who's come into this family to take what you can! Shu will never leave me for you! 

Shu looked at Mrs. Hoya who also looked at him, his eyes hollow, filled with pain and betrayal. She knew those eyes would haunt her for the rest of her life—the anguish she had caused him unmistakable.

Shu: Goodbye, Aunt... I'm leaving. I hope to never see you again.

Mrs. Hoya tensed, struggling to process his words, her voice wavering with disbelief.

Mrs. Hoya: You're leaving? And where will you go, Shu?

Shu: Anywhere but here. I won't live where my wife is disrespected and where my children's safety is questioned. And as for where we'll go that's no longer your concern.

He held Y/n's hand tightly, their fingers intertwined as he turned away. They reached the door, and Y/n paused, casting a final glance back at Mrs. Hoya.

Y/n: You may think you're doing this out of love, but true love doesn't destroy. Someday, you might understand that. But until then, you'll keep losing what matters most. I hope we never meet again.

Shu nodded, his voice gentle yet resolute. 

Shu: Let's go, Y/n.

He took one last look at Mrs. Hoya, a single tear slipping down his cheek. With Y/n by his side, they walked out of the house, leaving Mrs. Hoya in the cold grip of her own grief and guilt, the pain in Shu's eyes forever etched in her memory but she was not accepting.

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A/n : Do you like this chapter? What do you think where Y/n and Shu will go now? What will happen next?

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