4 WEEKS AFTER THE KAMAKURA EARTHQUAKE
2 WEEKS AFTER KARLIE'S HOSPITAL VISIT
1 WEEK AFTER PULLING RUI OUT OF SCHOOL
***
A normal evening with Rui. If not books before bed, sometimes Taylor would allow watching his favorite movies. Tonight was the famous 'My Neighbor Totoro' by Studio Ghibli. I lost count of how many times we watched this over the years, even before Rui was born. Now, he loved it just as much.
Taylor walked into the living room, holding a small bowl of traditional Japanese food with a strong, pungent smell. Fermented soybeans that had a sticky and slimy texture. With an acquired savory flavor I unapologetically loved. Before she gave it to me, Taylor knelt in front of Rui, who was comfortably watching from the tatami flooring.
"You wanna try this, sweetheart?" She smiled at me before looking at Rui.
"Hm?" Rui forced himself to look at her, and then at the bowl. "Natto?"
"Mm-hmm." Taylor scooped some of the sticky beans with chopsticks and held them near his mouth. The stringy texture of the natto made him hesitate. "It's very healthy, honey. Try it," Taylor added.
"Hm." Rui turned to his side, looking at me. "Oishii, Mama?" he asked if it tasted good.
"Very." I chuckled and patted his head. "Ii yo."
Rui nodded and looked at Taylor again. Then he finally caved. Once he tasted how strange it was, Rui's expression changed. "Yada!" He shook his head, with Taylor already holding out a napkin for him as we laughed.
Taylor let him spit it out. "I know, sweetheart. Your mom's the only one who can handle this."
"Go rinse your mouth," I said as I laughed before taking the bowl from Taylor. "Thanks, baby."
"That will never grow on me." She trailed after Rui to the kitchen. "Maybe we can share something else, my love?"
I smiled, watching my wife and wondering how it was possible for her to always have that hold on me. When I heard Rui's excited squeals, I knew Taylor was being lenient tonight. If only to make him feel better after all that had been happening outside our Kamakura home.
"Mama!" Rui giggled. Taylor was probably smothering him with affection. "Very big love!"
My laughter blended with Taylor's from the other room. "You're such a sweetheart, Rui."
They reappeared with Rui hopping beside Taylor, clutching the hem of my black hoodie my wife had stolen from me. Taylor had a tub of strawberry ice cream. And a small bag of Calbee.
"Ii ne." I patted the couch. "But you can't eat ice cream on the tatami."
"Oh, no." Taylor brushed his hair from his forehead. "Unless you promise not to make a mess."
Rui beamed at me. "Promise Mama! Yukkuri de!" He vowed to eat carefully before crawling to kiss me on the cheek. "Onegai."
"Well. I can't say no to that, can I?" I tousled his hair. "Douzo."
"Yatta! Ichigo daisuki!" Rui scrambled beside Taylor and grabbed his strawberry ice cream he loved so much. "Totoro, kawaii!" adding Totoro was cute.
Taylor and I laughed before she finally started feeding me my favorite natto. "Omatase," she apologized for making me wait, leaving a soft kiss on my injured shoulder. "Is it better today?"
"Hm." I chewed slowly and kept my eyes on the TV. "I forget about it when we're busy. But the pain is there."
"Does resting help at all?" Taylor leaned closer to Rui. "Can Mama have some, please?"
"Un!" Rui swapped his spoon with Taylor's and carefully scooped the ice cream for her. Slowly, he held it near her mouth. "Mama douzo."
Taylor smiled and ate the strawberry ice cream. "Thanks, sweetheart." She looked at me then. "Hm? Baby?"
I chuckled. "Of course. It was worse before you locked me in here."
"You're making it sound like it's a bad thing, Karlie." She playfully rolled her eyes. "I want you to heal, and this is the only way."
"Yeah." I sighed, watching Totoro snooze on the screen. "But I miss you."
"Aw." Taylor pinched my chin. "Can I have a kiss then?" Then she paused and pulled away. "Actually, not with th—"
With my other hand, I pulled her to me for a natto-flavored kiss that made her squeal like Rui. The sound was too funny I had to let her go. Rui watched us with wide eyes, trying to figure out what just happened.
"That's what you get for keeping me hostage, Taylor Swift," I said while laughing.
"It's gross!" Taylor leaned closer to Rui. "Ice cream, onegai."
"Mama kawaii!" He fed her another scoop, beaming at her expression. Then he offered a scoop of strawberry ice cream to me too. "No grumpy Mama!"
"I know, honey. Your mom's in a great mood today." Taylor pushed my head lightly. "You're lucky I love you."
"I love you both so much." I grinned.
The warmth from our living room that evening and the knowing look I shared with my wife almost wiped the reality away. Maybe not completely for us. But at least for Rui, it did. Adjusting to remote classes came naturally to him. He loved joining his lessons from the engawa. I loved sitting in the corner, quietly looking after him. It was true, though. I missed Taylor. The office. And the rest of our team.
But if I was really being honest with myself, spending this much time with Rui was a literal miracle. The longer I sat in my misery of not being able to code, the more I realized how much my being a full-time CEO took from me. My wife never once stopped me from doing what I loved most until now. Because she knew running our empire together brought me extreme satisfaction. But now it made me wonder if she actually craved more quality moments with us like this.
Seriously, Karlie, when will you have learned Rui's after-school routine?
Rui placed the empty tub of ice cream on the table. Then, he carefully put their spoons on a napkin beside it. Quietly, he held the bag of potato chips before running back to Taylor.
With his attention drifting to the screen, he mumbled, "Mama, onegai."
Taylor opened it and reached inside for a piece. "Hai," she said, waiting for him to respond. "Rui."
"Hm?" He looked at her, and his excitement spiked again. "Mama, onegai!"
"I swear to god," Taylor whispered and fed him the curry-flavored chip. "What're you doing with your hoodie, honey?"
Rui's hands were absentmindedly tying the strings into tight knots as he watched. When he looked down at his chest, he giggled. "Mama, onegai!"
I couldn't help but laugh at their interaction. "God, you're unmistakably my child."
"Oh, you think?" Taylor asked before cupping Rui's cheeks with her hands. "Are you trying to drive me mad, sweetheart?" She leaned closer. "Because it's working."
Knowing what was coming next, Rui shrieked and prepared to escape. But Taylor was fast enough to tackle him. The moment tickles entered the equation, our peaceful living room reverberated with our four-year-old's high-pitched laughter. And I sat there, confirming to myself... Yes. My wife probably craved more moments like this. Because how could we not? Seeing him that overjoyed?
The night ended with more tickles and laughter and Taylor showering us with more affection than usual. But I had to take my medication after the movie ended. No matter how much I wanted to overexert in a day to be with them, Taylor just would not allow it. So before they even finished ofuro, I would be fast asleep and knocked out from my tablets until one of them woke me up in the morning.
"Karlie." Taylor's voice registered. Followed by her knuckles along my cheek. And a kiss on my forehead. "Baby, I need you."
Sensing her tone, I opened my eyes to find her expression filled with concern I could not fully make out. "Tay? What happened?"
"Cara said," she whispered, shaking her head. "There's something they can't resolve, and it's getting worse."
My heart was beating through my shirt now, and Taylor helped me up. "How come my wife's so worried about it?" I brushed her cheek with my thumb. "Is Rui okay?"
Taylor nodded. "He's with Austin now." She paused for a moment. Then she whispered, "It's Toni."
It was a blur. How I got out of bed to Taylor helping me with my sling, black hoodie, and sweatpants. To the kitchen for a sip of coffee. To the office that had been forbidden until this very second. Taylor was right. They had been doing exceptionally well without me.
Until this very second.
I leaned against my desk. Eyes closed. Rubbing my temples. "It took him less than two weeks to connect the dots," I said. "Now he’s willing to sacrifice his daughter and an innocent child to get what he wants. Fuck’s sake." I looked at Derek. "What exactly does he want?"
"It’s what he doesn’t want," Derek said, shaking his head. "He doesn’t want rich-daddy—" He rolled his eyes. "He doesn’t want her getting in the way. Literally, you're the only one who can help at this point. The millionaire husband is just another puppet on a string."
Talking about my ex and her life updates with my wife around was already awkward as it was. This was like an unnecessary disturbance. "Fuck's sake, Derek." I shifted my weight, feeling Taylor's eyes on me.
"I had to do my research, K." He glared at me. "Your wife already knows."
"And Toni's father's already locking everything down." Cara cleared her throat. "We’ve got to protect her data before he completely wipes her proof and cuts his grandchild off for good."
My hand froze midair on its way back to my forehead. "The Zurich Dynasty Trust." Processing Toni’s anecdotes from years ago, I paced the floor. "He would’ve set up an offshore trust for Tara the week she was born, but kept himself as the sole protector." Letting the thought simmer in my head, I stared at the view outside. "If he claims Toni broke her non-disclosure by talking to us, he freezes Tara’s medical trust and living allowance. They won’t even have money left to hire a lawyer. He holds all the keys. Of course, he does." Realizing this, I looked at Cara. "Wait, how did we even verify this? Are we sure this isn’t another distraction?"
"She used our encrypted enterprise lines. It was flagged a proper emergency," Cara replied.
Jack cleared his throat this time. "It's weird. But we have to move fast."
"Isolate her intake right now," I told Cara. "Pull every file and document she uploaded off our public server and back them up on our private drives. If his security team wipes her cloud remotely, her proof about his motives dies with it."
"Already downloading," Cara muttered, her fingers flying across the keys. There was a beat of silence until she finally said, "Route is cut. She’s locked into our local cluster."
"Fuck’s sake." I started pacing again before turning to the screen. "Tree, can he legally freeze Tara’s money before a judge even looks at this?"
"In Switzerland? He can hold distributions for six months just on an accusation of corporate espionage," Tree said, her expression rock solid. "Unless we hit him first with an emergency whistleblower filing."
I swallowed. "Are we granting her these protection privileges now?"
"Technically, that’s how it looks." What killed me was Tree looking at Taylor instead. "Personally, I can’t answer for your wife."
Taylor had been quiet since getting to the office. When she met my eyes, for the first time, they were unsure. But she said, "She stepped in to protect Rui. If this means protecting her daughter, that’s the only thing that matters to me."
My heart softened and hurt all at once. This was conflicting for her. But here she was. I nodded and faced Tree. "Then prepare the paperwork."
Addressing the rest of the room, I flinched at the sudden pain from my injury. "Este," I said, my voice strained. "Partition those files on a separate database table so they don't touch Taiyaki's main index."
Este nodded, her eyes never leaving the screen. "We have to account for when she tries to ping us again. Just in case."
"She will," Cara mumbled as she worked. "We know the old man hates losing."
Turning to Jack and Brandon, I added, "Set up a private proxy for her next message and scrub the device serials, timestamps, and camera details off every document she sent."
"On it." Jack nodded, pushing his glasses in place.
Brandon pulled up the intake form on the screen. "Scrubbing the files now."
Taylor walked over to place her hand at the small of my back. "You're too tense, baby, it's making your shoulder worse."
A slight smile formed on my face, forcing myself to breathe through the whole situation. "My brain's trying to wake up, and I'm glitching."
"At this rate, a glitching, foggy brain is still so attractive," she replied, stroking my back. "I can't lie, baby."
I chuckled, glancing at her. "Morning."
"Morning." Taylor kissed my cheek.
On the wall display, Abi leaned forward from her kitchen in Manhattan, a glass of red wine in hand. "If her cards are frozen and her husband’s staying in line with her dad, she’s dead in the water for basic living expenses tonight." She took a sip of her drink. "It’s five-thirty here. I can clear an emergency liquidity wire through our isolated holding entity before the banks close. Clean, untraceable, secure."
"Authorize it, Abi," Taylor said without even thinking about it. "Whatever she needs to keep Tara safe." When she felt me tense again, she added, "What a great day to save your ex from the dark side."
The team snickered quietly, but I laughed through it. "Fuck's sake. I knew that was coming."
Came next was Austin walking through the automatic doors with a crying Rui in his arms. The worst way to start my and Rui's day was waking up without Taylor in the morning. Our little one was upset beyond measure that even his Uncle AK could not contain his distress.
"Oh no," Taylor whispered before rushing to her brother. "I was hoping we'd be finished before this happened." Immediately, Rui clung to Taylor and found the crook of her neck. "Thanks, Austin. Your favorite Klossanova has work for you to do."
Austin ran a hand through his curls before chuckling. "Ohayou."
"Ohayou," the team replied, keeping their voices down for Rui.
I pulled Taylor's chair out, making sure they were comfortable. "Sorry, sweetheart. We'll be done soon," she whispered and stroked his back.
"Gomen ne, Rui-chan," I said, tousling his hair. "It's too early for you."
Rui mumbled something that made Taylor laugh softly before looking at me. "Yes, your mom's staying home today. It's just a special morning, sweetheart."
I nodded before looking at Austin. "As long as our publishing vaults and archives are locked down, we're good."
"We're good." He sat behind his desk. "Adjourned."
Before anyone could acknowledge, Cara raised her hand. "Not quite yet. I've got a million pending questions." She turned in our direction. "Gomen, Rui-chan."
When I looked at Taylor, she nodded and sat back in her chair. Rui was already falling asleep again, and my wife knew this was bound to happen, anyway. Este and Cara had everything in control, but so many of our infrastructure protocols required authorization only I could endorse.
"Hai," I said, preparing for the work sprint. "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." I did my formal start-of-work chant to satisfy Derek's office culture mandates.
Cara chuckled and formally replied, "Onegaishimasu!"
The moment I grabbed my chair and sat down beside her, the next few hours entered another state of blur. Somehow, it scratched an itch I had been trying to ignore for weeks now. The part of my brain that sparked and ran on autopilot while Cara served as my hands on the keyboard felt so fresh. We ended up sprinting through multiple infrastructure bottlenecks and authorization overrides. Layers of security protocols and network fail-safes. Encrypted data pipelines and server diagnostic cycles.
It was the most cathartic work block we had experienced in a long while. The whole time, my wife stayed beside me. With our little Rui sleeping on his dedicated office lounge chair between us for emergency sprints like this.
Cara hit Enter for the last time. "Otsukaresamadeshita," she chanted, thanking me for this morning's work.
I grinned and sat back, replying, "Otsukaresamadeshita. Hisashiburi deshita," telling her it's been a while.
"That was honestly crazy to watch from my peripheral," Este said from her desk next to Cara.
Taylor shook her head. "Suddenly, the sparkle in my wife's eyes is back."
"They both have it!" Este looked at Cara. "See? You can admit you miss her."
Cara rolled her eyes. "Fuckin' hell, way to ruin the moment."
"Our child is right here, Cara," Taylor warned.
The team, even Abigail and Tree, laughed while watching us. "I never asked for this. My wife dragged me here this morning." I poked Cara's shoulder, grinning. "It's okay, you know. Everyone misses me."
"Oh my god, here we go," Taylor said and got to her feet. "Adjourned. Before they take it too far."
"K's leaving!" Derek announced within a split second. "It's getting gross!"
"Too soon for a proper comeback," Brandon confirmed.
"Fuck's sake—"
"Your child is right here, Karlie," Taylor warned again.
"Ugh." I turned to Rui, who was now waking up from his sleep as the floor echoed with laughter. "Okay." Without looking at my wife, I made my way to the door and chanted my respectful farewell to the team, "Osaki ni."
Laughing, they all responded with "Otsukare!"
"I swear to god." Taylor grabbed my arm. "Wait there."
I looked over my shoulder as she carried Rui in her arms. "Okay. You win."
"Of course, I do," Taylor replied and nodded at the team. "Otsukare, I'll be back after I deal with the kids over breakfast."
Their collective laughter ushered us out of the automatic glass doors. While I let out another annoyed grumble, my wife smiled in satisfaction. Because everyone knew, I could never win.
We sat at the dining table shortly after. Throughout our history, Taylor had decided autumn was for warmer breakfast options. And I watched these options transform from pregnancy versions to infant variations to toddler-friendly ones. Now, we were transitioning into more school-appropriate meals that only made it clearer how fast Rui was growing before our eyes. But it also made it obvious that my wife's selflessness, which left me in awe since we started dating, still got me to this day.
Today's breakfast was tonjiru. A heartier version of the staple miso soup, but with pork and a variety of root vegetables that we all loved. All this with rice, and our little one would be more than ready to start his day. And I would be more than ready to stay in, looking after him.
"Oishii," Rui whispered as he ate. He sat properly. Did his routines in silence. Without the shrieking. Without the giggles. "Thank you, Mama."
"You're welcome, sweetheart." Taylor smiled, observing him. Then she shifted beside me, her eyes lingering over Rui. "What's wrong, honey?"
"Hm." His focus was on finishing his food, but his mind was somewhere else.
Taylor glanced at me, and we both understood he did not want to be nagged. So we stepped back and let the silence of the morning take over. Benji was curled up beside Rui, also basking in the early morning stillness. Aki-chan was already walking around the compound. While I savored the flavors in my mouth, I wondered what was going through our little Rui's mind. And I equally wondered if this was how Taylor felt whenever my brain went into overdrive, transporting me into my world of alphanumeric strings and sequences. Forgetting everyone else around me.
"I swear to god, he's so much like you," Taylor whispered beside me.
Clearing my throat, I replied, "He can't be thinking about code right now."
"I don't think it's that," Taylor said, tensing a little when Rui glanced at us. "See, it's something else."
Finally, Rui placed his spoon down. "Mama can't work. Rui can't go to school. Dame." He shook his head and looked at me. "Yakusoku da yo," reminding me that I made a vow.
So there it was. The disappointment on his face made me turn to Taylor. Because our four-year-old just called me out for breaking my promise to stay home and rest. Before Rui was born, Aki-chan was the most Japanese in our household. Now, our little boy easily took that crown from anybody living in this Kamakura compound. Keeping your word is literally the ultimate test of your character. And none other than Rui would fully enforce that like a local.
Taylor placed a hand on my thigh. "Go on, baby," she whispered.
"Gomen, Rui-chan," I apologized right away. "This morning was special. Kesa wa kyuu na oshigoto ni natchatta no." The only way I could make him feel better was to tell him the truth that we had an emergency at the office. That, unfortunately, it had to happen.
Rui ate more of his tonjiru. Then, he considered what I had just said. "Tokubetsu?"
"Un, tokubetsu." I smiled, reaching over to touch his hand. "Today was an exception."
"Hm." He looked at Taylor, and then at me again. "For Rui?"
Taylor squeezed my thigh, but she remained silent. I chewed slowly, thinking about my response. "For everyone, honey. Mama's math brain needed to make sure we're safe. Soshitara, Rui-chan mo daijoubu ne?" I explained, telling him that because of what happened, he didn't have to worry either.
He took his time with my concept and logic. The way his brows knit together as he scooped his food and got lost in his thoughts made my wife lean closer to me. "Look, he's doing it again. That's so you," Taylor whispered.
"But we're not allowed to talk," I replied, keeping my voice down. "He's sitting with my apologies. Let him do it in peace."
Taylor hit my thigh lightly with her fist as we allowed Rui what he needed to digest our situation. Fully hoping this was the worst of it.
"Mama, arigatou." Finally, his smile returned. "Daisuki."
My wife and I let out a breath of relief, and I grinned at Rui. "Daisuki."
"Daisuki," Taylor whispered beside me. "Who is this and what did he do to our child?"
Holding back my laughter, I went on to enjoy my soup. "Finish your food, baby. Before he clocks you next."
Taylor laughed softly and pinched Rui's chin. "I love you, sweetheart."
"Hm," he simply replied before diligently finishing his breakfast.
Because Taylor felt bad for starting Rui's day that way, she promised to stay through his morning schedule. This was the first time she witnessed him in his element. Rui sat cross-legged on the engawa with the iPad on a prop stand streaming in front of him. Taylor and I stayed on the dining room floor, away from the camera. Watching him navigate his day alone, the pride in my wife's eyes was clear. His teachers always said he was more of the quiet type in class. He would participate when called on, but loved keeping to himself otherwise. Which was strange to us at first, given how expressive he was around us. But now, we understood what it was. In Taylor's words, he was so much like me.
Today, he had a drawstring bag of loose parts that contained textured materials like polished wooden rings, colorful glass gems, metallic nuts and bolts, and smooth river stones. And then he had his math manipulatives ready. Clear geometric pattern blocks, his wooden base-ten set, and tons and tons of Kapla planks. Once he got everything neatly prepared, he crawled all over the engawa in his grey sweats and hoodie. Mapping out what seemed to be a floor plan with this random blue tape he found somewhere around the house. Then, he began laying out his Kapla planks from his math set.
Taylor sipped her coffee, keeping her eyes on Rui as he laid the small wooden planks on top of each other. "Is he building a castle?"
"Probably," I said before smiling. "You wanna join him?"
My wife turned to me in excitement. "Can I?"
"Nope." I chuckled when she rolled her eyes. "Your child is very particular about rules."
"Hm." Taylor lifted the cup to her lips. "Imagine if he got the opposite from you."
I laughed, shaking my head. "This house will have driven you to literal insanity, baby."
"Who's to say it hasn't already?" She pinched my cheek. "You being my wife?"
"I'm not that bad," I said before grinning.
"No, you're not." Taylor gave me a peck on the lips. "Sometimes I adore you."
We sat in silence. A smile plastered on my face for how she still made me feel this way, and observing our kid carefully build his project for the day. Lost in his little world, while his classmates on the screen did theirs together in school. As time passed, we slowly realized what it was exactly.
"Look at him," I said. "Can you believe he's actually building that?"
"Oh my god, it's a replica of my Sim's design." Rui's castle turned out to be a miniature of our Kamakura compound. The original printed photo hung on our living room wall. And realizing that Rui noticed these details made Taylor lean in for a side hug. "Can you believe he's actually ours?"
When he was done, Rui studied his work and beamed at the panoramic video feed of his classroom on the iPad screen. "Dekita!" he announced that he finished his work. Rui gripped the huge foam handles on each side of the tablet, tilting it downward so the classroom's big wall projector could see his masterpiece.
"I honestly can't believe it, baby." Taylor looked up and caught me staring at Rui. "Neither can you. Now, can I sneak beside him to take my own photos?"
With my attention back on my wife, I chuckled. "You can try. But don't be upset when he tells you off."
"He would never," Taylor mumbled, walking quietly to approach Rui and making sure she was out of view of the iPad's lens.
The moment he noticed her presence, he shook his head. But he kept one eye on the screen, then he tapped the big mic button to mute just as Taylor offered her phone with the camera ready. "Onegai?" she whispered.
I laughed quietly from the dining room floor. Taylor knew he truly would never. He loved her that much. Rui was just as proud and excited to show his mom what he built. But after gladly taking the requested photos, Taylor willingly walked away, fighting the urge to interrupt his routine. Instead, she took photos and videos of him when he unmuted to present his work to the class.
Taylor took her place back beside me and wrapped her arms around my waist. "He got that from you too."
"Which one?" My brows knit together.
She laughed softly and kissed my jaw. "Never saying no to me."
"Hm." I looked away. "Because he understands the consequences."
"No, you love me that much," Taylor said, leaving another kiss on my jaw so that I met her eyes.
"Okay, fine. Of course I do." I shook my head and left a soft kiss on her forehead. "I love every version of you, in every season, through the toughest storms."
Taylor smiled sweetly before she snuggled into the crook of my neck. "What a great day to romance your wife with your vows."
The reference made me laugh loudly, I had to tone it down for Rui's virtual classroom. Deep inside, I knew Taylor still had lingering thoughts about what happened this morning. But I also knew she knew that my love for her was just as unconditional as the day we met. No ocean or distance or time or whatever force could ever change that.
Rui's class wrapped up soon after he finished presenting. Then, it did not take long before he was signing off for lunch break. Taylor was busy cooking behind the stove, and I was leaning against the counter beside her when Rui finally joined us.
"Owarimashita!" he yelled as he ran, announcing the end of his morning schedule. "Rui wa daijoubu ka na?" he asked how he did today, looking up at me and tugging at my sweats.
"Yoku ganbatta ne! I'm proud of you, honey," I said before kneeling and leaving a peck on his forehead. "Don't tell your mom about your reward. Himitsu da yo," I whispered, reminding him of our secret snack whenever he did well in class.
Taylor laughed softly beside me. "You think I don't notice how fast you're going through his snacks, Karlie?"
"Mama!" Rui giggled and covered my mouth with his hands. "Himitsu da yo! It's Mama and Rui's secret!"
We laughed, and I pulled Rui into a hug. "Don't worry. She can't say no to you." I kissed the top of his head. "Tell her you love her. Go on."
"Un!" Rui jumped up and down before crawling onto his kitchen step stool beside Taylor. He kissed her cheek, and she was already shaking her head. "Rui's happy because Mama's here today. I love you."
"Aw." Taylor couldn't help but smile, but she was discreetly pinching my arm. "I love you, sweetheart. I'm proud of you." Then she kissed his cheek before looking at me. "And you. For caving to everything he wants when I'm away."
I let out a chuckle. "Daisuki, Taylor. Aishiteru."
"Oh my god, you're so dramatic," Taylor said before rolling her eyes. "Come here," she whispered before pulling me in for a quick kiss.
And it was true. I honestly could not believe it. Sometimes, it still hit me that our life together turned out this way. And that we were doing something right, raising Rui. Years ago, when Taylor first showed me her design at the Roppongi penthouse, it felt so surreal that we were actually planning our future home together. Fast forward to today, standing in the kitchen of that same dream home and watching Rui replicate it unprompted, I had to pinch myself to prove it was even real. That we really survived our New York beginnings. The darkest years of our lives. Corporate wars. Every crazy turn that came before this little human changed our universe forever. Engulfed in my wife's love as we watched our child go about his school day, this was worth burning everything down to the ground.
No doubt about it.