Chapter 112: And the Award for Best Fake Breakup Goes To...
The condo hung in suspended animation that afternoon. Sunlight slanted through the windows, catching dust motes that drifted through the silence like tiny galaxies. Natalia sat at one end of the massive sectional couch, her back rigid, tablet balanced on her knees. At the opposite end, Satori hunched over his own device, the space between them a no-man’s land of cream-colored upholstery.
From the kitchen ca the soft sounds of Kimiko preparing a snack—the gentle rhythm of a knife against a cutting board, the hum of the refrigerator as she opened it, the clink of dishes. To casual observation, it was dostic tranquility. To Natalia, it was the ticking of a countdown.
She glanced up, catching Satori’s eye. His face remained impassive, but he gave her a single, almost imperceptible nod.
Her pulse quickened. It was ti.
Satori placed his tablet down with a sharp clack that cut through the quiet. "We can’t do this anymore," he said, his voice strained and carrying just enough volu to reach the kitchen.
Natalia looked up from her tablet, arranging her features into a mask of confusion and hurt. She drew on the genuine fear she’d felt this morning when learning of Kimiko’s discovery, letting it color her voice.
"Do what? Satori, what are you talking about?"
In the kitchen, the knife against the cutting board stopped.
Satori stood, beginning to pace in front of the coffee table. "This. Us. It was a mistake, Natalia. A stupid, reckless mistake." His voice cracked with what sounded like genuine remorse. "I got carried away. I never should have let it happen. We’re... we’re brother and sister."
A flush of admiration blood in Natalia’s chest. He was magnificent. His performance so convincing that for just a heartbeat, doubt flickered in her mind. What if he ant it? What if this wasn’t just for show?
No. This is the plan. This is for us. Trust him.
She set her tablet aside and rose to her feet. "A mistake?" Her voice trembled, outrage and hurt bleeding into each syllable. "That’s what last night was to you? A mistake?"
Real tears welled in her eyes, born not from heartbreak but from the high-wire act they were performing. One misstep, one unconvincing mont, and everything would collapse.
Satori turned away from her, his shoulders hunched. "It can’t happen again. It’s wrong. For your sake, for my sake, for this family’s sake. We have to stop this now."
The kitchen had gone completely silent. Natalia knew Kimiko was listening, probably watching. She had to make this count.
"You’re a fucking asshole, Satori Nakano." She made her voice a raw, wounded whisper. "You take everything from , and then you call
a mistake?"
She spun on her heel and fled down the hallway, allowing the tears to stream freely now. She reached her bedroom door and slamd it with all her might. The sound echoed through the condo like a gunshot.
Inside her room, Natalia pressed her back against the door, heart hamring. She covered her mouth with her hand, partly to stifle her ragged breathing, partly to hold back the wild, inappropriate laugh that threatened to escape. They’d done it. First act, complete.
She slid down to sit on the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees. Now ca the waiting ga.
Kimiko stood frozen in the kitchen doorway, a half-peeled apple in one hand, knife in the other. The scene that had just played out left her feeling hollowed out, scraped raw.
He did it. He actually did it.
Relief washed through her, but it was quickly followed by guilt as she took in Satori’s slumped shoulders, the devastation written across his face. She had forced this. She had demanded he break not just Natalia’s heart, but his own.
Was there another way? Look at them. They’re destroyed.
She watched as Satori stood motionless in the living room for a long mont before turning and walking to his bedroom. Unlike Natalia’s dramatic exit, he closed his door with a soft click that sohow felt even more final.
Kimiko returned to the kitchen, placing the knife and apple on the counter with trembling hands. She tried to focus on making tea, on the familiar ritual of heating water and selecting leaves, but her mind kept replaying the scene.
They’ll heal, she told herself. This is for the best. This is to protect them both.
An hour crawled by. The silence from the two closed bedroom doors beca unbearable. Kimiko prepared a tray with tea and apple slices, steeling herself. She would start with Natalia. The poor girl had looked so broken.
She approached Natalia’s door, balancing the tray in one hand. From within ca the faint sound of muffled sobs. Kimiko’s heart clenched. She knocked gently.
"Natalia-chan? Sweetie? It’s . Can I co in?"
A mont of silence, then a choked, "Go away."
"I just... I brought you so tea," Kimiko said softly. "Please, just for a minute."
After what seed like an eternity, the lock clicked and the door opened a crack. Natalia stood there, a wreck. Her eyes were swollen and red, mascara smudged down her cheeks. She’d wrapped herself in a blanket like armor.
"What do you want?" Natalia’s voice was hoarse.
"May I co in?" Kimiko asked.
Natalia stepped back, allowing Kimiko to enter. The room was dark, curtains drawn against the afternoon sun. Tissues littered the floor beside the bed. Kimiko set the tea on the nightstand and perched carefully on the edge of the mattress, giving Natalia space.
"I’m so sorry, sweetie," Kimiko said softly. "I know this hurts."
Natalia huddled on the opposite corner of the bed, clutching the blanket tighter. "He’s an asshole," she said, voice thick with tears. She looked up at Kimiko, eyes swimming. "But... I really liked him. He... he was my first ti, Mom."
Oh, my poor girl.
This was so much worse than she had imagined. She reached out slowly, giving Natalia ti to pull away if she wanted. When she didn’t, Kimiko gathered her into a gentle embrace.
"I’m sorry," Kimiko whispered into Natalia’s hair. "I’m so sorry."
Natalia’s body shook with sobs against her shoulder. "Why did this happen?" she asked. "Why did he have to—to make
feel special and then just throw
away?"
Kimiko stroked her back, at a loss for words. What could she say? That she had forced Satori’s hand? That she had demanded he end things? The truth would only transfer Natalia’s pain and anger to her, and right now, the girl needed a mother, not another target.
"I don’t know, sweetheart," she murmured instead. "Sotis people make mistakes. Sotis they panic when things get too real."
Natalia pulled back, wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand. "The VHC Gala is next week," she said, a fresh note of panic in her voice. "We’re all supposed to go together. As a family. How am I supposed to be in the sa room as him?"
Kimiko hadn’t thought that far ahead. The Gala. Of course. Luka had been so proud to secure tickets for all of them. The whole family, together, making their social debut among the Hunter elite.
She looked at this beautiful, broken girl in her arms.
"We’ll manage," Kimiko said, brushing a strand of hair from Natalia’s tear-stained face. "We’ll put on brave faces. We are a family, Natalia. And families get through things together."
Even as she said it, Kimiko wondered if it was true. Could they really move past this? Would the wound ever truly heal?
===
In her darkened room, as Kimiko held her close, Natalia allowed herself a mont of genuine emotion.
She let Kimiko stroke her hair, let her whisper those soothing maternal platitudes. Inside, she was already thinking ahead to the Gala, to the next phase of their deception. They would need to maintain the illusion of hurt and distance in public. They would need new places to et, away from prying eyes.
"I don’t know if I can face him," she whispered, playing her part to perfection.
"You can," Kimiko assured her. "You’re stronger than you think."
You have no idea how strong I am, Natalia thought. You have no idea what I’m capable of for him.
"Maybe," she said aloud, her voice small and uncertain. "I just need so ti alone now, if that’s okay."
Kimiko nodded, giving her one last squeeze before standing. "Of course. The tea is right there if you want it. I’ll check on you later."
"Thank you," Natalia murmured, keeping her eyes downcast until Kimiko left the room.
The mont the door closed, Natalia’s posture changed. She straightened her spine, wiped the tears from her face. She walked to her bathroom and gazed at her reflection—red eyes, ruined makeup, the perfect picture of heartbreak.
She smiled. A cold, satisfied smile that would have shocked Kimiko to her core.
Her phone vibrated on the bedside table. She picked it up, seeing a ssage from Satori:
Mission accomplished? Your performance was Oscar-worthy.
Natalia’s smile widened as she typed back:
Complete success. She bought every word. You weren’t bad yourself.
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