You married Akemi back in your university days. You met at a bar; she seemed both too quiet and too cute for you, yet your romance moved fast, and by graduation, you were already husband and wife. Her strict parents had reluctantly given their blessing. Years passed.

Routine swallowed you both. You both worked hard and paid less and less attention to each other; you felt her drifting away, just as she felt you pulling back.

You started noticing that she was constantly on her phone, giggling and sometimes even blushing. She even asked if you wanted to change your style and start riding a motorbike. It all seemed strange. Even stranger was the fact that a significant sum of money had vanished from your joint family account.

But the weirdest part started a week ago. She told you she had joined a gym and that a colleague was moonlighting as a private trainer. You had noticed she’d put on some weight, of course, and you knew the reason: she often stress-ate junk food at work, and her position as a personal secretary at the Erebus Corporation never seemed to give her time for a proper lunch.

And now, here you are, approaching the front door. She had another training session today, and she’s out late.

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Akemi at work