Chapter 423 - THE END… AND THE BEGINNING

Daiki was like a shadow of himself as he walked towards the living room with his son and the man in black. He could not wrap his head around the words he had read from the files or the things spoken by the strange officer. He could see and hear the words, but they did not sink in. 

"Dad, what will you do?" Seiji stopped him before they got to the living room.  ​​

Daiki was startled. He had not thought about the actions he would take once he faced his wife. When he left the hospital, he thought about confronting his wife. But now, there was new information about this ridiculous situation that threatened to break his mind. 

And he did not know what he would say. 

If it was about her cheating only, he could begin shouting and yelling before kicking her out. But the anger that was boiling after learning of her unfaithfulness was no longer burning hot in his heart. 

At this moment, he felt cold. His hurt, wrath and disappointment had settled into a block of ice in his ċhėst. 

He could not believe that the wife he had doted on would try to hurt their daughter. Akira had never asked for anything. She did not demand attention, care or money. She was just a curious person who would sometimes look at them as if observing an interesting object. 

And as parents, they owed her a debt of love.

Yet, this woman, who he had called his wife for about thirty years, chose to send her to a cruel prison without even flinching. How evil was she beneath the façade of a sweet and loving wife? How had she hidden her true self? 

"I will deal with everything. Don't worry." Daiki firmed his resolve as he faced his son. "Check on your sister and find out her current status. Let her know that she can trust us."

Seiji had been a little worried about his father. He was a man who loved and indulged his wife, turning a blind eye to her faults. As a brother, he could not bear the thought that their father would turn against Akira for their mother. 

Now, he felt a little more at ease. He also understood that his father did not want him to see the confrontation, so he went outside while his father went into the living room. The man who led them there stood outside.

"Dear, Akira has gone completely crazy. She kept us in this room and made ridiculous accusations against us." Sayaka said pre-emptively. "She even called the police on us." 

Daiki looked at Sayaka and felt his heart become even chillier. The woman looked a bit of a mess in comparison to her usual appearance. She looked like she had been crying, and her hair was a mess. She walked to him and reached her hand to hold him. 

"Is this about the photos Akira sent to you? They are doctored." She shouted. "She does not respect me as her mother. I only criticised her a little for getting pregnant with a random person before marriage. I even offered a solution for her eldest brother to adopt her baby." 

"And how did she repay me? She decided to destroy everything we built together. She is a truly vicious girl. Daiki, what shall we do?" The last question was asked in a high whɨnė. 

Sayaka chose to act like she was the victim of circumstances. She was not sure if Daiki would believe her, but she had to, at least, reduce her punishment. 

"I am well-aware whether the photos are doctored or not." Daiki suppressed all emotions while looking at Sayaka. "But I have a different question. How did you plan to explain my daughter's absence after sending her to that dreadful place?" 

"And how could you, as her mother, think about doing something so cruel to your child? Have you forgotten about her since you have a niece? Did Akira matter so little to you?" He asked with bitterness. 

"I was doing this for her own good. Don't you know the wagging tongues in this city? I wanted her to be able to face people in the future." Sayaka responded. 

"What about hiding the fact that you knew that your sister was involved in Akira's kidnapping? What about that? Was it for our daughter's good?" He asked. 

"What good would it have done? Our family was just beginning to heal after a traumatising event. If I brought up these issues, we would have begun fighting again. My sister would have gone to prison, and Hanae would have lost her mother." Sayaka held his wrist desperately. "I did it all for the sake of peace in the family." 

"Very good." Daiki freed his arm. "It seems that you will never care about the Yamazaki family as you do for your sister and niece. You can change your name to theirs or go back to using your maternal name. I don't care what you use. But from now onwards, you will not be a member of the Yamazaki household." 

Instead of doing the right thing, Sayaka chose to continue supporting her evil sister and her child. She even kept prompting him to do them favours. The benefits they gained from him over these years felt like a massive weight on his heart and body. 

How could he have helped people who hurt his sweet baby girl? 

And he might have lost her forever. 

Once again, he felt angry and heartbroken. 

"As for you two, Ito Kaoru and Ito Hanae, I will be pursuing your crimes to the total extent of the law. You will not escape justice. Everything you have swallowed from my Yamazaki family, you will cough it up." His voice was chilling. 

The three women became hysterical and reached out for him, trying to stop him from kicking them out of the family. They pulled on his clothes, begging and crying, but he did not change his mind. 

"Officers, take them all away." He called out. 

The man in black, who was standing outside, felt a little gratified by the stern actions taken by Yamazaki Daiki. At least, he was not as bad as he seemed. He was probably the kind of person who loved his wife blindly, and his devotion had come to bite him in the ȧss. 

The man waved to the police officers to follow him to the room. The three women were put into handcuffs. They could not believe it was really happening, and they screamed in protest. Kaoru tried to run, but she was stopped while Hanae cried helplessly. 

"You cannot arrest me. I have done nothing wrong. I was simply chatting with my daughter and family members. That is not a crime." She yelled.

"We will charge you with attempted kidnapping and being the accomplice of the Sisters of Divine Repentance. Oh, and what about concealing evidence in a major crime? I am sure I can come up with something." The man in black said. 

The charges might not stick or attract a major penalty, but it would be satisfying to hold her in jail, even for a night. 

"Daiki, help me! For the sake of our love!" Sayaka turned back to her husband. "How will the Yamazaki family recover from this major blow? Our company will not survive the negative press. This kind of publicity incident cannot be hidden!" 

"What love? Did you think about this so-called love when you cheated on me? The Yamazaki family is not your concern. And it is my company. Don't forget our prenuptial agreement." Daiki said, glad for the first time for his father forcing him and his brother to get the unsavoury documents. 

Sayaka grew pale. 

She had forgotten about it because it was long ago and merely a formality. The truth was that the agreement would not leave her poor, but it would not be the same level of wealth. And the worst part, the contract stipulated that she would have no part in the company. 

"My lawyers will get started on the paperwork for our divorce right away," Daiki added. "Do not contest anything, or you will have even less than stipulated in the agreement." 

As the police officers took away the women, Kazuo stood up. 

"Dad, I would also like to get a divorce." He paused. "And I want to resign from the company." 

Chiharu stood up horrified from the corner where she was hiding. "I refuse. You can't divorce me." 

"I am not asking for your permission. You should also be anxious to get a divorce. Once we are done, you can start pursuing the love of your life. Although it is uncertain if he will accept you after the details Akira sent to him." Kazuo laughed drily. 

Chiharu scoffed. "Don't forget that you did not sign the prenuptial agreement as your father and grandfather wanted. If you insist on divorcing me, I will take every single coin you have, including your trust fund and shares." 

Kazuo laughed louder, but this time, it was out of bitterness. 

"I have nothing. I only have my salary and allowance, which we have been using together. Grandpa revoked everything after I refused to sign the prenuptial agreement. I gave up everything for love. And love screwed me." He sounded hysterical. 

Daiki felt pained as he looked at his eldest son. Even though he was not the finest man, he was a good boy deep within. He did not deserve to have a vicious wife like this. He was not sure about the full story, but he was certain that Chiharu was in the wrong. 

"I will have the lawyers deal with your matter too." He said with a hint of fatherly comfort. 

"This is illegal," Chiharu shouted at Daiki. "How can he have nothing? I know he had some shares and a sizable trust fund when we met. If you are concealing ȧssets, I will ensure that I get even more than half. I know my rights." 

She did not mind revealing her true nature now that the jig was up. 

"It is simple. Kazuo signed back everything to me before your wedding. My father and I said that we would not give Kazuo our blessings without the prenuptial agreement. The only loophole was giving us all his wealth. It was touching at the time." Daiki said with a chill. 

"How can you be so cruel to your son?" Chiharu asked in horror. 

"I am not cruel to my son. I love my son. I will never let him suffer. I made it clear that if he could not take care of himself, I would take care of him. With me, he has a roof over his head and as much food as he wants. If he is sick, I will take him to the hospital. He does not need wealth, especially when parasites are clinging to him." Daiki explained. 

"This isn't over!" Chiharu picked her bag and walked out.

Kazuo looked at the woman with pain and felt broken. 

"Don't worry, son. It is over. She has no leg to stand on." Daiki walked to him and patted his back. 

He also wanted to mourn the end of his marriage, but he knew he needed to be there for his son. He was already an old man, but his son was not yet thirty. He had to pick himself up and face the world. 

"Dad, do you think I am stupid? I know I am not smart like Seiji, but I thought I had a good life. Now, I realise it was just my imagination." He was like a broken child. 

"Son, not everyone is meant to be a bigshot doctor or a powerful CEO. Every person has a place in the world, and sometimes, it is not world-changing or glamorous. But once you find it, you will find peace and happiness." 

Kazuo looked at his father. They were not close, but he felt loved. Like he had a true father. 

"Do you think I will ever find my place?" He asked. 

"I don't know. And you will never know if you don't search." 

The two men stood in the living room. 

Both had lost a great deal in a matter of hours.

But somehow, it felt like the beginning.