Welcome back!
So, I know it has been a bit. If you need a refresher on characters you can always go back to the beginning of chapter 19 where I (briefly) went over the other OC's.
The showcase ended an hour later. Kyoko and the rest of the participants were asked to walk back out onto the stage, men on one side, and women on the other. They still wore their runway outfits, Kyoko's bell-shaped skirt forcing a little more space between her and the other women. She couldn't help eagerly peering down the men's row, searching for the show's resident dork looming behind the other men.
Beautiful. Ren had called her lovely, and stunning, and all sorts of other wonderful words casually slipped into their conversation as they'd talked for the past hour. She had stopped calling him out on it, trying to let the offending verbs slip by without notice. He'd probably noticed her embarrassment though, based on the slight smile that crept up each time her cheeks reddened.
Stupid handsome man, she thought to herself. And stupid hormones. They were going haywire making it hard to think. Which was annoying because she was supposed to be the one flirting with him and making him fall for her. She'd tried to turn around and throw him off by calling him Ren as often as she could.
His response had been to grin wider.
Now that she thought about it, of course, it didn't bother him. He was called Ren all the time, and she wasn't used to being called all those nice things. And she was in love with him, and he wasn't in love with her. Of course, calling him by his name wasn't as impactful. She really was bad at this.
The smile slid from her face.
She tugged the corners up again, giving herself a little shake. The director was motioning for everyone to quiet down as they started rolling again. The judges sat at their judging table, judging everyone and getting ready to judge even more. Once Ryou finished talking to the camera about the "amazing outfits" and "terrific blunders" caught on camera, they were ready for the judges to do their job. Of judging people.
The first couple was instructed to stand at the end of the T in front of the judge's table. Despite the white dress and the smooth black tux, Kyoko got the distinct feeling of a rock band from the couple. It might have had something to do with the spiked collar on the woman or the lack of a dress shirt on the man. Was he going bare under that suit? Yes, it looked like he was.
Rightly so, the judges tore into them about decency when choosing their outfits. The couple took it good-naturedly. They were apparently one of the engaged ones and were getting kicked out of the show at tomorrow's goodbye engagement party. Kyoko couldn't exactly fault them for that, especially when it meant she had one less woman to worry about in this competition.
On it went, the judges tearing into accessories, makeup, and walks. Kyoko quickly learned what each judge was passionate about.
Death-san seemed to be full of hot air, talking about the overall vibes of the outfits and giving out the most compliments. He was easy to please. The older man offered a good balance of compliments and critique, often giving out pieces of advice as well as praise. The woman though, was another story.
Ikeda was her name, the bowl haircut remaining perfectly still despite her propensity for shaking her head in disgust. She tore into the contestants, chastising them for everything from poorly placed hair accessories to their nervous smiles. She made a woman cry for picking a ballgown when her body type was better suited for an empire cut. By the time it was Kyoko's turn she was properly scared of this woman.
Kyoko walked to the center of the T along with Yoshio, arms straight as a board. Based on the raised eyebrow from Ikeda, she was unimpressed. Kyoko's nerves were saved by Death-san, the man lightly slapping the judge beside him in a playful manner. His lined eyes journeyed up and down Kyoko's frame with an appreciative nod.
"This is the one I was excited about," he said. "The overall composition is just fantastic. You give off the feeling of keeping with current trends while also acknowledging Japan's traditions and history. Very sexy." He gave Kyoko a lazy smile, one she returned nervously.
First hurdle overcome.
The older man nodded in agreement to Death-san's remarks, and Kyoko's heart soured in hope.
"Yes, I quite agree. Even the style of your hair keeps with that theme. The color compliments your skin tone and your walk was very smooth. You looked like a proper bride out on the stage today."
It was too good. This was the first time the older man hadn't given a correction. She couldn't repress the smile as she gave the two of them a small bow, thanking them for their kind words.
Just one more, and she would win!
But her smile faded as she turned to Ikeda. The woman was chewing on her tongue, arms crossed, and brows drawn together. She hadn't looked this openly irritated with anyone so far.
"I have a question," she said, her voice short and clipped. "Why did you not wear the dress the way it was originally designed to be worn? Do you not know how to properly wear one?"
Oh!
The tension eased from her shoulders. If that was the issue, she knew her answer would be reasonable to Ikeda. Kyoko plucked at the material of her skirt, holding it out where a tiny portion of the tea staining could be seen.
"There was an accident backstage," she said. "One of the other contestants spilled tea all over the sleeves. I still wanted to wear it so one of my friends rearranged it like this so I could."
The woman didn't even hesitate with her answer.
"Why?"
Kyoko blinked.
"Um, what?"
"Why did you change the composition?" said the woman, visibly impatient. The more she spoke, the faster and harsher the words came. "Tea staining is a legitimate and often used strategy to fix this exact problem. If you had one tea stain, you could have stained the whole kimono, or even give it an ombre appearance to seem as if it were intentional."
"I, uh." She had no idea that was even a thing. Tea staining? Who would do that to a wedding dress intentionally?
But Kyoko was not given any more chance to defend herself. Now that Ikeda had started, the woman couldn't be stopped as she took a verbal chainsaw to Kyoko's entire ensemble.
"Instead of honoring this beautiful design and the traditions it holds, you chose to disrespect it with a tacky arrangement." She gave with a dismissive wave that blew away all of Kyoko's confidence. "Not to mention the seam placement is odd and don't think I didn't notice the shoes you were wearing. Just because the skirt is floor length doesn't mean you can wear anything you want. If we were going to play dress up, I would have preferred to hire children than sit here and watch adults disgrace a beautiful traditional garb with their vulgar pop culture trends."
And there went her prize, down the drain. This was the harshest critique Ikeda had given yet. Well, besides the couple that obviously hadn't cared. And Ren. But this was entirely unfair in Kyoko's eyes. How was she supposed to know about tea staining?
"It was not my intention to disgrace the traditions of our ancestors," said Kyoko, her frustration making her tone clipped. "I didn't know about tea staining."
Ikeda gave her an unimpressed stare. "Intent doesn't matter in the world of fashion. Your ensemble offends my eyes. Now go away, we need to judge this fool as well."
The sudden dismissal took her off guard. It took her three seconds to realize Ikeda hadn't been joking, and another half second to realize that everyone expected Kyoko to listen. Her inner demons swelled as Kyoko gave the best bow she could manage before walking back to the line of contestants. She got an extra sting of shame when she realized she had been the only one to be so rudely dismissed before their partner could be judged.
Kyoko wasn't one to cry. Not in public at least, and she wasn't one to feel shame at the eyes that watched her. All she could feel was rage toward Ikeda's unreasonable standards and frustration at her loss. It was over. There was no way she would be in the top five.
Goodbye beautiful dress, she thought dully, no longer listening to the rest of the competition. She kept her back straight, hands placed nearly in front of her as she let herself enjoy the last moments of wearing the thing. For all the talk about tea staining, she strongly suspected the dress would be trashed after the competition.
Her attention snapped back as someone gave a light cough. Kimura stopped right in front of Kyoko on her way back from being judged. She looked smug. Triumphant. And very punchable. Was it worth it?
She decided not, allowing the witch to return to her place in line without the bruise that Kyoko felt was very deserved right now. But maybe, most of Kyoko's annoyance came from the fact that her loss wasn't all Kimura's fault. It was the luck of circumstances, and in show business as well as in fashion, that was the true king. Kyoko just hadn't been well-informed enough to excel in this competition.
She continued to stew on this, thinking of how she could increase her chances of success in future circumstances until everyone was dismissed. The judges needed time to finish their judging discussions and judge the winner. Kyoko trudged back to the waiting rooms, actually looking forward to changing back into her normal clothes. These layers were heavy.
Hime appeared from nowhere, giving her a tight hug. It made some of Kyoko's ribs creak.
"That woman was so horrible!" said Hime. "I think you looked amazing, Kyoko."
"Thanks." Her spirits lifted marginally at Hime's affection. Female friends were nice. "I'm sure you'll be in the top five."
"You think so?" Hime pulled back, fists clutched in excitement as she bounced up and down. "Oh, I really hope so. It would help so much not to have to buy the dress. But I'd be kind of sad because Suzuki has seen me already. I wanted to do a first look!"
"We can still do one," said Suzuki, giving her arm an affectionate squeeze as he came to stand next to her. "Even if it's not the 'first' look, you'll stop my heart every time."
Kyoko made a face. In love or not, Kyoko would never be comfortable with PDA. She dismissed herself quickly to go stand with Ren. At least he understood her hesitancy with public affection.
"You shouldn't sneer," he said, obviously noting the source of her discomfort. "Love is a good thing. Besides, it's a good reference for young love."
Sometimes, she hated Ren. With that reasoning, he was practically scolding her for not paying attention and learning everything she could from the display.
"I pray I'll never have to portray a silly woman in love," grumbled Kyoko.
Ren gave a chuckle. "I thought all women in love were silly."
"Touché." Her feelings for him certainly felt so, and even more so after the verbal floggings she'd just endured. So much for feeling pretty.
As if Ren could read her mind, he leaned close to whisper to her. "I think you look stunning."
She managed to shield his compliments with her sour mood. "And I still think you look like a dork."
It was a lie. Tsuruga Ren would never look anything less than sin given flesh, no matter his clothing. His ruffled hair and lopsided grin were the thing of late-night fantasies. It was a good thing the other contestants were too short-sighted to take a second look at him. The heat on her cheeks rose as she batted away other naughty thoughts.
He was unable to reply as Yoshio appeared. Like an unwanted fly, Yoshio buzzed into her personal space. "Don't be upset, Kyoko-san, that woman was way out of line." He gave a sympathetic sigh. "I thought you were one of the most beautiful women out there."
"I'm not upset." Well, she was, but mostly about losing the dress. And losing to Kimura. Okay, she was completely lying.
"Really?" said Yoshio, giving a surprised blink. "You're really strong, aren't you? I guess living in the spotlight will do that to you."
If Kyoko was strong, it had nothing to do with the 'spotlight'.
The second it took for Kyoko to come up with an answer was more than enough time for Kimura to slip in. But instead of going for Yoshio as Kyoko had expected her to, she headed straight for Kyoko.
"That woman was just so awful to you," said Kimura, her words as hollow as her sympathetic expression. "I really wish you had talked to me, I could have helped you out!"
"I had enough of your help, thanks," said Kyoko. "Did you forget you were the one that spilled tea on my dress?"
Kimura put a hand to her mouth in shock. "That was you? I'm so sorry, I didn't realize my clumsy tumble had affected so many people."
How shameless. Kyoko knew what this woman was doing. She was going to make Kyoko out to be the bad guy. If she were to keep hounding Kimura for messing up her dress and chance of winning, Kyoko would "look bad" in Yoshio's eyes. Which was more than enough reason for Kyoko. Thank you for that, Kimura.
"You're right, it is all your fault."
Kyoko blinked. That hadn't been her.
Sexy-chan gazed at Kimura with lazy contempt. Kyoko couldn't help but stare, only now noticing the woman's attire. Rather than the revealing outfit Kyoko had expected, Sexy-chan wore a high-collar dress with long lace sleeves. The fabric was so tight that every curve of her body was visible, but it was still the most modest dress on the runway. She looked incredible.
"You'll have to dismiss Kimura's insincere apology," said Sexy-chan. "She spilled that tea on purpose."
"I did not," hissed Kimura. "It was an accident."
Sexy-chan gave a hard laugh. "Just like you accidentally spread a rumor I had chlamydia."
"I can't help it if people have nasty habits of eavesdropping." Kimura then gave Yoshio big innocent puppy eyes. "I was just concerned, you know, for you. Because I knew you were into her, but I never meant for it to get out. I didn't tell a soul."
"I don't have chlamydia," growled Sexy-chan. "You're a damn liar."
"How dare you!"
"Girls!" Yoshio stepped between them, one hand out on either side. "Stop, just. Stop. This is getting ridiculous."
"But this bitch is lying to you," said Sexy-chan. "She doesn't even care about you at this point. She just wants to win."
"What did you just call me?" Kimura took a step forward, barely noticing as she ran into Yoshio's hand. "You're the whore who will sleep with anyone."
"Don't slut-shame me!"
"Girls!"
Yoshio was too slow, and Kyoko was too stunned to do anything more than watch as Kimura slipped around Yoshio's arm and grabbed Sexy-chan's sleeve. Sexy-chan jerked away, but Kimura's grip held fast.
There was a loud rip, and the whole sleeve tore from the bodice.
The room fell silent in shock. Sexy-chan's eyes widened, before narrowing in fury.
"You Bitch—!"
The next ten seconds were a flurry of white and screaming as Sexy-chan launched herself at Kimura. Short as it was, by the time Ren and another security member of the show had pulled them apart, both looked like they'd tussled with a cat rather than another human. Sexy-chan's hair had been pulled from its bun, pins sticking out in bizarre angles that hung from the bird's nest it had become. Kimura's dress now had its share of rips, still clutching the sleeves she had initially torn. Both were panting hard, and both glared at the other as if they wished them dead.
The one that put an end to it was Yoshio.
"That's enough!" he yelled. "I'm done. With both of you."
The women stilled, finally tearing their eyes away from each other to look at Yoshio.
"What do you mean?"
"This was an accident. I didn't mean to pull her sleeve and then she attacked me!"
But Yoshio was shaking his head. "No more. You two—no, you three—" he turned to look at Bow-san, who was standing not too far away. "—are too much. I can never tell who is lying and who is saying what. I can't deal with this anymore."
"But—"
"—No!"
And before any of the three teary-eyed girls could say anything else, Yoshio stalked from the room, a cameraman chasing him to catch every second of the drama.
The next hour was a mess. Good TV, but obnoxious for Maria who was trying very hard to keep everything on time. In the end, Bow-san, Sexy-chan and Kimura-san were disqualified for kicking up a fuss. Yoshio excused himself after apologizing to both the production team and the other contestants and Kyoko had no desire to learn where he went.
Did this sort of drama happen a lot on Crimson Threads? According to Hime, yes.
"At least once in a season," she chirped happily. "I'm just glad I wasn't involved. Those that are often get a lot of hate from trolls online."
Well, if Kyoko couldn't win against Kimura in the dress event, at least she couldn't lose. So...bright side?
As it was she didn't even place in the top five. Hime and Sakura both managed to place, the winner ultimately going to Salon-chan. She let out a squeal in triumph, shaking her fake flowers so intensely that petals fell like rain to the ground. Maeda ended up being the winner on the men's side, his appearance so perfect that the judges didn't have a bad thing to say about it.
Go figure.
"I'm so upset" grumbled Eri as they walked back to the dressing room. "I should have at least placed. Ugh, now I'll have to buy my own dress. This was the one competition I studied and prepared for! It doesn't happen every season and I so wanted to win."
Kyoko gave her a consoling pat on the back. "There will be other competitions. And at least you didn't get completely eviscerated by one of the judges."
Eri perked up. "You're right. Man, she tore into you. It was so brutal. Where did you even get the idea of doing that to your dress?"
"From Hime."
Speaking of Hime, she had frozen mid-strip, eyes distant. She gave a sudden wail that would be at home in a haunted mansion.
"What the hell?' said Eri. "What's wrong with you? Are you that sad that you lost?"
"What? Oh, no. That's not it." She dried her flood of tears, smearing some of her eyeliner. "I was just thinking about all the things we're going to have to change after Suzuki and I get married. We talked about insurance recently and I just was scoffing at the idea of life insurance because it's such a waste! How awful is it to constantly pay for something you hope never to use? The only way it would be useful is if Suzuki or I die."
Hime's emotions swelled again, becoming even more frantic. "Then I thought, 'how awful would it be if Suzuki died?' and now I'm imagining going to his funeral, not having him in my life, going through my day-to-day without him in the world and I just can't bear the idea! We'd never get to have kids, or I'd never get to teach him how to cook and we would never celebrate our ten-year anniversary. We've already promised to come back to this hotel to celebrate it."
Kyoko stared at her. "You're crying at the idea of Suzuki-san dying?"
"Yes!" She pulled out a handkerchief, dabbing at her leaking eyes. Which looked even more ridiculous considering she was still half-naked. "I just really love him, okay? I don't want to go through life without him."
Maybe if Hime hadn't started this whole thing by crying as if someone had died, Kyoko would have been more sympathetic. But instead, all she felt was exasperation, a feeling Eri promptly shared.
"You're dumb," said Eri. "Who cries over that?"
Hime hiccupped, turning a watery glare toward them. "Don't laugh at me! You two would also be sad if—I don't know? Let's say you died before mustering up the courage to tell Ren-san how you feel."
"I'd totally be okay with that," said Kyoko. Better for that secret to follow her to the grave if he didn't love her back.
"You're such a wuss," grumbled Eri.
Hime turned on Eri, real anger twisting her usually harmless face. "And what about Daichi?" she spat. "Jealously looks really nasty on you Eri."
Alarm flitted across Eri's face. She leaned closer, hissing at her. "Shut up, Hime."
But Hime put a fist to her chest, determined. "No. You need to say something."
"I'm not saying anything."
"But what if he dies tomorrow? Or today? Won't you regret it?"
It dawned on Kyoko what they were saying. She had suspected this a while ago but hadn't let the pieces in her head connect until now. It looked like despite all Eri's insults and complaints, she liked Daichi. A fact Hime was aware of.
"If Daichi died it would probably be his fault. Serves him right," said Eri.
"You would be sad," said Hime. "Don't deny it."
"I told you to shut up." Eri's eyes flickered to Kyoko. "Especially around present company."
"What? It's so obvious, even before you told me. Everyone has noticed."
Eri flipped her hair, turning and stalking away. "This is so ridiculous. I'm leaving. You two have fun talking about death."
An evil glint entered Hime's face as she watched Eri leave. It stayed there as everyone changed. There was a collective grumbling among the woman as jewelry was returned to plush cushions and dresses to their hangers. Kyoko crept closer to Hime after getting changed herself.
"So… Eri likes Daichi?"
Hime rolled her eyes. "Yeah, she told me. I promised not to say anything, but I figured you had it figured out." She gave Kyoko a sharp look. "You had, right?"
"Sort of."
"Ah well. Close enough."
Hime lingered at her dress, fingers caressing the satin fabric. Her watery blue eyes filled with beautiful movie-worthy tears.
"She should tell him. No, she needs to. I almost lost my happiness because I wouldn't open my stupid mouth. I… don't want the same thing to happen to her." She spun around. "Let's go make her."
"I'm not sure we're capable of making Eri do anything she doesn't want to," said Kyoko.
A very, very scary look of manic determination painted Hime's face. Her smile spread impossibly far on her cheeks, eyes widening to saucers. It was the horror anime face of someone who had a fetish for gambling with their life.
"Eri!" shouted Hime. "You'd better stop me!"
Then she took off.
There was a loud "Shit!" and then Eri went tearing after her. It was pure luck that Eri had been lurking near the back of the dressing room or else she would have caught up to Hime in seconds.
As it was, Kyoko caught up at the same time Eri caught Hime. The red-head tackled Hime to the ground and the two became a kicking mess of screeches and insults.
And no one noticed.
Kyoko jogged to stop, staring at what everyone else was looking at. The giant stage had already been pulled away. Two tables laden with their lunch stood on one side of the room. Smaller tables dotted the room, the middle area open for mingling. Everyone else was already either in a chair or on their feet, giving a loud cheer.
At the proposal in the middle of the room.
Daichi was rising from his position on his knees, a sunny smile on his face. He reached to give Salon-chan a fierce hug as everyone whooped and whistled.
The two other girls noticed a second later.
Hime scrambled to her feet, blood draining from her face. "Oh no," she said. "Eri… I'm so—"
Eri's face reddened, eyes wide. "That. Idiot." Eri's voice shook with the emotions that bled into her every movement. She picked herself off the ground with careful consideration, dusting the dirt from her dress as if to dust away the situation.
Kyoko didn't know what to do other than watch as Eri marched up to Daichi. The man spotted her halfway, his face lighting up into a grin that didn't notice her mood.
"Ha! Guess who got engaged before you. That would be me. I win. You lose. See, I told you I could get engaged."
Eri stomped her foot as she came to a stop in front of Daichi, whose grin was slowly sliding off his face.
"What is wrong with you?" she growled. "You've literally never talked to Hana-san until this morning."
Ah, that must be Salon-chan's name.
"So?" Daichi shrugged away her concerns with the air of a man who thought he knew what he was talking about. Which was to say he had no idea. "It's true love. Not that you'd know, given how many men you've run through."
"Did you just call me a whore?"
He backpedaled. "No! No, that's not what I meant. I just meant you've had a lot of boyfriends and—."
Eri let out a screech that would have made all alley cats envious. Kyoko lunged, as did Hime. The two of them tackled Eri just in time to pull her down and change the trajectory of her punch. Yes. Punch. Eri did not mess around, that had looked like a practiced jab.
"Let me go!" Eri jerked away but couldn't quite break away.
Daichi backed up, eyes wide. "Eri, I just—"
"Just—stop!"
Eri twisted, finally breaking Kyoko's grip enough to shove her back. Kyoko landed hard on her butt, Hime landing beside her a second later. Eri took the break not to dash at Daichi, but to sprint out of the room, the door slamming against the wall as she went.
Kyoko rubbed her hip, dimly registering the rest of the chaos; Suzuki running to Hime's side. Everyone gossiping. The cameras. Ren pushing his way toward her. He helped her to her feet, fretting over her condition in nerd fashion.
"It's fine," she said for a third time. It wasn't entirely true. Something about this made her feel sick. "I've got to go."
She took off after Eri, not bothering to look back at Ren.
Catching the tail end of a cameraman, Kyoko managed to follow him all the way to Eri. The redhead was outside behind the warehouse ranting at the sky and kicking the brick wall to emphasize her words. A second later she buried her face in her hands and let out a muffled scream.
Kyoko hesitated, eyes flickering to the cameraman who was filming the whole thing. They were worse than mosquitoes.
"...Are you okay?" she said.
Eri flung her hands from her face, revealing that the red in her cheeks had transferred to her eyes.
"Do I look okay?" she snapped. "This idiot just made the stupidest decision of his life."
"It's his decision to make," said Kyoko carefully. "You don't have a right to hold onto him simply because you have a crush on him."
She thought of a certain blond and suddenly understood why this bothered her so much. Sho had treated her like a toy. Like only he was allowed to throw her away and mess with her. No one else was allowed to have her or else he would pitch a fit, ramming his way into Kyoko's life just because he thought she was his. Force her to make stupid promises about not falling in love with other men. Send people to interrupt her life. She was his toy, and she hated it.
It felt a lot like this situation but in reverse.
Eri bristled at the comment.
"Oh yes, great wise Kyoko," she mocked. "The woman with half a dozen men falling over themselves to marry you. Tell me what I should do."
Kyoko blanched. "I don't—"
"—I don't want to hear it from the woman that's been stringing along men." snapped Eri. "Especially Ren. That poor idiot deserves better than you."
"I'm not stringing anyone along," said Kyoko. "We agreed to try this out and see where it goes."
Eri made a face. "You mean you're trying it out. Like he's a hat that caught your attention that you'll throw away once you find something better. "
Kyoko drew herself up, enraged. There was so much wrong with that. "He's the one that's too good for me," she spat. "I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to protect myself from the possibility of heartbreak."
Eri stalked forward with all the force of a raging bull, eyes wide as she jabbed a finger in Kyoko's face.
Kyoko didn't flinch.
"I'd kill to have that chance," said Eri. "You want to talk about rights? It's not right that you get to throw away half a dozen chances of love from the backseat of being chased, then come out here and lecture me for busting my ass to get the one man I've loved my entire life to notice me just for just a second."
Kyoko scoffed, Sho once again popping into her head. "Funny way of showing it. You insult and belittle him with every breath. No wonder he has no interest in you."
The comment struck like a whip. Eri flinched back, fingers retracting to fists held loosely at her front.
"You think you're better than me, don't you?" Her voice had grown quiet, a raging eye slowly working its way back into the storm. "Because you can act like an ass and Ren still pines for you. He still chases you when all you've done is avoid him. Do you think no one has noticed? You think people will still like you as a celebrity once all this airs?"
She gestured to the camera, and the blood drained from Kyoko's face.
"No one will like you," continued Eri. "Because if anyone has treated anyone like dirt, it's you. You've treated Ren like shit." Eri let out a snort. "And maybe I don't deserve Daichi, but at least I care if he marries the wrong girl. I'm not going to just swallow my opinions because I know it will make me look petty and jealous, because I am. I'm petty, jealous, violent, and rude. But I'm also worried about him, so stop talking as if you know everything." She pulled a face as if she was remembering something. "You were right that first day. Ren is a good guy, and you'll regret treating him badly."
Eri turned on her heel and stalked back inside.
Kyoko didn't follow and neither did the cameraman.
Thanks for reading.
No, I didn't drop this story. Sorry, it has been so long. Having kids reeeeeealy drains all of your free time, energy, and motivation. Love them and would do it again in a heartbeat. But man, being a parent is a lot.
That being said, I'm really happy to be back to finish this insane story. Hopefulyl I can give it the conclusion it deserves. Thanks again for your patience!
Also, no. I have never cried at just the idea of having to use my husband's life insurance. Why would I do that?
(But seriously)
Thanks for reading!
-Blushweaver