The Ex-Wife and the Adulterer Falling Apart
―α Timeline (Adulterer’s Perspective)―
How did it come to this? Not long ago, I was poised to inherit a major corporation. Now, I’ve lost everything. My savings are gone. What am I supposed to do next?
All we have left is the house we seized from Yaguchi Michitaka. Since it’s in Miyabi’s name, it should be secure. But is this truly all that remains? A cramped, tacky house? What do I have left…?
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Miyabi, looking as lifeless as a ghost, glanced at me with a hint of concern.
“It’s over. Everything is gone—and it’s your fault.”
If only she hadn’t been involved, none of this would have happened. If Michitaka hadn’t died, everything would have gone according to plan. I was supposed to crush him with despair and take everything he had.
Instead, I’m the one drowning in despair, stripped of everything.
“I’m sorry.”
Miyabi, having learned the whole truth, now realizes the gravity of her mistakes and collapses under the weight of it all.
Even though she understands we fell into the enemy’s trap, knowing her own failings brought us this low has left her even paler than me—an almost spectral white.
“Because of you two, my entire life is ruined!”
My bitter resentment escapes my lips. How could I possibly get my father to forgive me now?
They still hold every advantage over us.
Even if we pursued legal action, the court would likely hear our claims. But no amount of litigation can undo the failure of the costly, high-risk acquisition we gambled everything on.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Memories of Michitaka, alive and well, come rushing back to me.
During our secret meetings, I often whispered to Miyabi:
“If you leave him, you could become the wife of an heir to a major corporation.”
“That sounds wonderful. You’re truly incredible.”
Back then, we were intoxicated by the twisted thrill of betrayal, drunk on the happiness it brought us. But when the intoxication wore off, all that remained was despair.
Miyabi lost the trust of all her colleagues, and even her own daughter abandoned her.
I lost my company, my job, my wealth, my power—and even my home.
The only thing left is this house, a bitter inheritance from the man we loathed, Michitaka.
We were forced to move out in despair.
Driven by self-destructive impulses, I drowned myself in alcohol and stopped going to work. No, it wasn’t just that—I no longer had any work to go to.
Miyabi started a part-time job. With no income and no savings, we somehow scraped by with the bare minimum. I constantly tormented Miyabi.
“This is all your fault.”
“I lost everything because of you. It’s only natural for you to take responsibility for it.”
“How can you even call this booze?”
While Miyabi was working, I stayed alone in Yaguchi Michitaka’s house. His scent, his lingering traces—they were driving me mad.
“Serves you right.”
“How does it feel to have fallen even lower than the man you used to mock?”
“You’re a perfect fit for the title of criminal.”
“You’ve even lost the wealth you were so proud of, drowning your sorrows in alcohol from morning till night?”
Michitaka’s voice echoed in my head. Even though I knew it was just a hallucination, it wouldn’t go away.
I took off my jacket, spun it around, and tried to intimidate the phantom Michitaka. But, of course, he didn’t disappear. Instead, his cruel words stabbed deeper into me.
“Pathetic. You can’t even get rid of an illusion of me.”
“Come on, hurry up and chase me away.”
Provoked, I lashed out violently. The sound of furniture breaking filled the room. Glass shattered. I stepped on the shards, and a dull pain spread through my body. As I curled up, writhing in pain, I felt a sudden sensation of weightlessness. Before I realized it, I had fallen off the second-floor balcony.
The ground slowly drew closer. It wasn’t high enough to kill me, just enough for me to feel the pain.
My body was engulfed in intense pain. Inside my head, Michitaka laughed uproariously.
“Please, just stop already.”
Half-crazed, I begged for mercy from no one in particular, dragging my battered body as I fled the house.
The house itself had started to look like Yaguchi Michitaka.
“Hey, what’s with that guy? He’s half-naked and going nuts.”
“Let’s record this on video.”
“Gross.”
I could hear the students treating me like a plaything. Have I really fallen this far? Not long ago, I looked down on people like them, as if they weren’t even worth acknowledging.
“Stop it—stop it—‼”
Normally, I’d have run up and snatched their phones away, but my body hurt too much. All I could do was scream like an idiot.
“Whoa, what the heck is that?”
“That’s terrifying.”
“His eyes are completely gone.”
Even the students mocked me, and my pride crumbled completely.
It seemed like the police showed up, wondering what was going on.
This time, it wasn’t an arrest—they were taking me into protective custody… apparently.
Thank goodness, at least I’d finally get away from that house.
―Miyabi’s Perspective―
When I returned home from my part-time job, the house was in shambles. Window glass was shattered everywhere, and there was no place to step because broken liquor bottles littered the floor. It looked like the aftermath of some violent altercation, and I suddenly felt a surge of fear. The phone rang.
Careful not to injure my feet, I picked up the phone. It was the police. They said he had fallen off the second-floor balcony, ran out into the yard, and caused a commotion on the road before being taken into custody. They asked me to come and get him as his guarantor. Why had it come to this? By now, we should have been enjoying a pleasant family dinner together—the three of us. The ideal life I had envisioned had completely fallen apart.
“Why… why…”
Even as I tried to recall the happiness of my ideal life, the memories that surfaced were of the peaceful evenings I shared with Michitaka and Airi over dinner. That everyday normalcy we once had was completely lost. There was no going back.
Precisely because there was no going back, I found myself longing for those gentle, tranquil days.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
Please forgive me. Please tell me that everything that’s happened so far was just a terrible nightmare.
“You betrayed us, so why are you only regretting it now?”
“I’ll never forgive you, Mom.”
“You abused your own daughter, drove your husband to his death, and now, when things have turned against you, you want to rely on the family you destroyed. You’re the worst kind of monster.”
I could hear the voices of Michitaka, Airi, and Misato-san, who once cherished me as family.
I had reached my limit.
To the neighbors, I was treated as worse than an outcast. I was completely isolated, with no one to turn to for help.
“Hey, did you hear? That woman, Airi’s mom, was arrested for abusing her daughter.”
“What? I heard she cheated on her husband and drove him to his death out of sheer shock."
“Turns out both stories are true. I heard Airi’s aunt has taken her in.”
“So, the man she’s sometimes with… he barely seems to work, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, it all makes sense now.”
“So, she abandoned her family and ran off with her lover, huh?”
Feeling like a ghost myself, I staggered aimlessly toward the police station.
“Thank you very much.”
I drove to the police station to pick him up, bowing my head in thanks. Why do I have to do something so humiliating? He gives me nothing. Why do I have to support such a pathetic man? I took the risk of losing my daughter for this person, and now he’s sunk so low.
“Hey, Miyabi. Let’s grab something to eat. I’m starving.”
Without a word of gratitude for me coming to get him, he just demands indulgences.
Somehow, his luck seems to hold—despite falling from the second floor, he only ended up with bruises, no fractures or serious injuries.
He has no idea how I feel. As I drove, my gaze drifted into emptiness.
“I’ve had enough…”
“Hey, Miyabi. What’s wrong!?”
I shrugged off the hand he placed on my shoulder. I couldn’t even stand being touched by him anymore.
“Hey, what’s with the cold shoulder? Don’t be mad, I wasn’t arrested, just taken into protective custody this time. I don’t want to go back to that house—it feels like that guy is still watching me there. Come on, let’s go to a family restaurant or something.”
He had insulted the house filled with my precious memories. I couldn’t forgive that. No, it wasn’t just that—he’d drunk himself into a stupor and trashed our only property. Our one remaining asset. Now I had to clean it up, repair the shattered windows, and pay for everything. More money down the drain.
“Shut up!”
“H-hey, Miyabi. Calm down!”
Because of him, I was losing everything, too. I’d been happier before. The man I chose, believing he’d make me happier than Michitaka, had dragged me to rock bottom instead. Sure, I was partly to blame for not properly submitting my resignation, but wasn’t it because you insisted on ending things that way? You never cared about me from the start. All you wanted was to trample on Michitaka, and now—
Your stupid pride has cost us everything.
“I’ve got a great idea! Let’s sell that house. We’ll get some cash from it, and we can split the money between us.”
With that, he crossed the final line. That house is mine. It belongs to my family. Who does he think he is, trying to dispose of it? I would never allow it.
“I’ll never forgive you.”
“Hey, what’s gotten into you? You’re acting weird.”
“Weird? Coming from the man who was half-naked, raving, and seeing Michitaka’s ghost? You’re the one who’s crazy!”
“Calm down, you’re driving! This is dangerous!”
“Shut up! Shut up! It’s all your fault! Our family fell apart because of you. We’re so poor now because of you.”
“What did you say!? You’re the one who didn’t properly quit that company!”
“And you’re the one who didn’t even bother to check the list of executives!”
“That document was from when Michitaka was still alive. Anyone would assume you’d already quit by now!”
“What do you mean, ‘anyone’? We’re hated by Katsuya and the others. Of course, you should’ve been more cautious! But no, you walked right into their trap. You probably felt so smug, but all that effort and money you spent was for nothing. You bought an empty shell. No wonder they disowned you! Even I’ve had enough of you.”
“Hey, watch your mouth! You’ve crossed the line! There are things you can and can’t say!”
“And what about you? All you do is drink from morning to night, avoid work, and run around half-naked. How could you possibly understand how I feel?”
“What the hell? Oh! You were all in on this plan too!”
“I never imagined you were this much of an idiot. I don’t want to talk to you ever again.”
Enraged by my rebellion, he lashed out, trying to strangle me from the passenger seat.
As we struggled, the steering wheel turned sharply. The car, without slowing down, veered straight toward the guardrail.