The Cheating Wife Abandoned by Her Daughter and True Family
—α Timeline (Miyabi’s Perspective)—
“Why!?”
My daughter, Airi, yelled at me. She had never acted like this before. She had always been a good girl—serious, well-mannered, and always by my side. She used to tell me she loved me all the time. But now, she was defiant, as though she had become a completely different person.
“Because my dad is Yaguchi Michitaka! I don’t know this person, and there’s no way I can just call him Dad all of a sudden!”
Maybe I made a mistake explaining things to Airi while she was still in shock over Michitaka’s death. I should have waited longer. I had failed, and regret pierced my heart like a knife.
Michitaka’s colleagues and his sister had treated me like trash, showering me with insults. His sister had even slapped me across the face. I lived in constant fear that someone in the neighborhood would find out and gossip about me. Desperate to fix the situation, I arranged for Airi to meet him today, hoping we could all move forward together. But Airi rebelled in a way I’d never seen before, her hostility far beyond what you’d expect from an elementary school student.
“Airi-chan, I know you’re worried, but it’s going to be okay. I’ll be your new dad now. And unlike your previous dad, I’m rich—I can buy you anything you want.”
Hearing those words, Airi glared at him as though she were in utter despair. Then, she exploded in anger.
“Don’t mess with me! You have no right to call him my ‘previous dad.’ I only have one dad in the whole world. I don’t care about money—I just want to stay in this house! I don’t want to move!”
He looked a little annoyed at her stubbornness, but I didn’t think he was that angry. That’s why his next words caught me completely off guard. What he said plunged me into despair.
“Yaguchi Michitaka isn’t your real dad. I’m your real dad.”
The secret I had sworn to keep from her was revealed. No! Why would he say that? We agreed to keep it a secret!
Forced to confront the truth, Airi stood frozen for a moment before collapsing and screaming in denial.
“That’s a lie! I only have one dad!”
Right in front of me, my daughter screamed as though her very soul was being torn apart. It was a desperate denial, as if her heart couldn’t handle the truth. But he coldly trampled all over her feelings.
“It’s not a lie! Now listen to me. Are you going to disobey your father?”
The blood drained from my face. Please stop. Don’t destroy the bond between me and my daughter any further.
Airi turned to glare at me. Her look was so filled with hatred that it went beyond anger or despair.
“Mom, you’re the worst!”
At her age, she likely understood her situation better than most. And as a smart girl, Airi grasped it all the more clearly.
“How dare you speak to your parent like that!”
He yelled at her in my place. But it was okay—it was the truth. I was too afraid to say those words myself. I knew that if I said them, Airi and I would never be able to return to being mother and daughter.
“Are you a parent just because you’re related by blood? That’s not what family is, is it? My dad was the one who loved me, who showered me with affection ever since I was little. Am I not allowed to call the person who cherished me and poured so much love into me ‘Dad’? Do I have to respect a mom who betrayed him and someone I’ve never even met before as my father?”
Through her tears, Airi protested vehemently. Her words cut like knives, aimed not just at him but at me as well. Because we both had things we were ashamed of, her sharp words tore us apart even more. Was he frustrated because she was right, or because she wouldn’t listen? Whatever the reason, his irritation toward Airi was becoming more and more obvious.
“Shut up, you brat! Do what I say if you don’t want to get hit. You’re scared, aren’t you? Come on, say it—call me Dad.”
He raised his hand, palm open, toward Airi.
“Go on!”
He thrust his fist at her, clearly trying to intimidate her.
“No, no, no! My dad would never use violence. Give me back my dad. No matter how much money you have, someone with such a poor heart that they resort to violence to scare a child could never be my dad. I could never respect you.”
My daughter, born from someone like me who had just gone along with life’s flow, was trying to live far more righteously than I ever had. I couldn’t help but feel helplessly jealous of her. It felt like Airi was punishing me.
If she kept this up, I wouldn’t be able to bear it.
“Airi, enough! Just say it. You’ll forget about him eventually!”
I screamed and slapped the back of her hand repeatedly.
“No! Absolutely not!”
Airi’s expression shifted to one of utter despair and disdain as she looked at me. That look from my beloved daughter made me feel both regret for what I’d done and anger that she wouldn’t listen. These conflicting emotions warred within me. While I hesitated, he snapped and went out of control.
“Then I’ll make you understand, you little brat!”
He swung his hand, aiming a powerful slap at Airi.
At that moment, someone opened the front door. A woman rushed in, stepping between them to shield Airi and holding her protectively. Unable to stop his momentum, he ended up hitting the woman instead.
The sound was loud and awful. Even after being struck so violently, the woman didn’t let go of Airi. Perhaps realizing that someone had witnessed his actions, he froze in place.
The woman glared at him. It was Misato-san—Michitaka’s sister, who lived nearby.
“Airi-chan, are you okay? What on earth are you two doing!? One of the neighbors told me they heard a child screaming. Airi-chan’s hands are so swollen—did you do this!?”
Misato’s sudden appearance left him completely frozen. I couldn’t say a word, either.
From outside, we heard the sound of a police siren.
—Misato’s Perspective—
The two of them were taken into the police car without much resistance. It seemed a neighbor had immediately reported the unusual screams and cries. Shortly afterward, an ambulance arrived, and I accompanied Airi-chan to the hospital. Fortunately, the medical examination revealed no serious injuries for either of us.
However, Airi-chan was admitted for observation for a while.
Later, the police came to the hospital room to ask questions. As her family, I sat in on the questioning to support Airi-chan.
“…I think this will explain everything.”
Airi-chan took out her phone and activated a recording app, playing it for everyone in the room. She must have hidden her phone in her pocket during the incident. It was a birthday gift from her dad, Michitaka-onii-chan. The recording captured the events as evidence, including their voices and actions. It was painful to listen to—their vile conversation and acts of violence were undeniable.
At the funeral, Michitaka-onii-chan’s colleagues had told me what happened. Miyabi-san’s infidelity had driven him into such shock that he collapsed. The vice president had confronted her, and she confessed everything. I couldn’t forgive her. I slapped her, hurled curses at her, and severed all ties.
After the police questioning, a representative from the city’s child welfare office came to discuss Airi-chan’s future.
“Given the circumstances, I regret to inform you that we must suspend her mother’s custody rights. Such severe violence cannot be ignored.”
“What will happen to Airi-chan?”
“If no relative is willing to take her in, she will need to be placed in a facility. This case only came to light because a neighbor quickly reported it. Without such intervention, it’s difficult for us to step into family matters. We’re relieved that we could protect her before anything worse happened.”
“…If this violence hadn’t been discovered in time…”
Airi-chan had always been such a bright, kind child, but now she was deeply wounded. The thought made me want to cry, but I shuddered to think what might have happened if the situation hadn’t been uncovered sooner.
“We will continue to gather evidence and do everything we can to help Airi-chan. However, if they were to relocate, we would first need to track their new address, notify the local authorities, and hand over the case. This process takes time, and in some cases, it can lead to irreversible outcomes. …What will you do about Airi-chan? This isn’t an easy decision, and we understand you have your own life to consider. That said, as far as we know, you’re the only relative—her aunt—who can take her in. If you need advice, please don’t hesitate to contact us at any time.”
Airi-chan, like me, was losing both her parents—but in such an unimaginable way.
However, this wasn’t a decision I could make on my own. I had to discuss it with my husband.
After telling them I needed time to think, I returned home to talk to him.
I explained the situation to my husband, trembling with fear as I sought his opinion.
“I think… I want to take in Airi-chan. If you’re against it, then let’s get a divorce. This is my fault, so I’ll take full responsibility and pay alimony. My brother… after Mom passed away, he took out a student loan in his name to keep me in college when I couldn’t afford it. He supported me through everything. I can’t just leave Airi-chan like this—it’s too cruel. I’m so sorry for being selfish.”
Even if she wasn’t biologically related to him, Airi-chan was still my brother’s daughter.
That horrible recording proved how much Airi-chan loved him.
Is blood really what defines family? If so, does that mean my brother and mother weren’t family? Of course not. If anyone tried to say such a thing, I’d reject it outright.
My husband froze for a moment, then shouted, “What are you even saying? Don’t be ridiculous!” That reaction was only natural. What I was asking was completely selfish. Even though my husband adored Airi-chan as his niece, no one would fault him for rejecting such a complicated situation.
But the man I married was different.
“Don’t ask me something so obvious—it’s a given. If you hadn’t said anything, I would’ve brought it up myself. Don’t worry about it. Airi-chan is such a sweet girl; I couldn’t love her more if I tried. She’s just like a lost child who ended up with the wrong mother.”
I clung to his arm and sobbed uncontrollably, overwhelmed with relief and gratitude.
We immediately contacted the facility where Airi-chan was staying.
The process moved quickly, as the city had already reached out to me as Airi-chan’s only relative capable of taking her in. Finally, the day came for Airi-chan to come home with us. When we went to pick her up, she cried as she apologized.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m just going to be a burden. I’m not even really Dad’s daughter, so you don’t have to force yourselves. I love you, Aunt Misato, but I don’t want to cause you any more trouble.”
She wept as she spoke.
I pulled her into a hug.
“It’s okay, Airi-chan. Your dad will always be Michitaka-onii-chan—there’s no doubt about that. Blood doesn’t define family. Did you know your grandmother wasn’t related to him by blood, but they were so close it made me jealous sometimes? Let’s go home and make Michitaka-onii-chan’s curry—the one you love so much. I’m his sister, so I can recreate it perfectly. Sound good?”
My husband added,
“That’s right. You don’t have to call us anything different. For you, your dad will always be Michitaka-san. But let’s be a family in our own way. It’d make me really happy if you’d let us.”
In that moment, I felt deeply grateful for having married him.
Through her tears, Airi managed a quiet “Okay.”