Chapter 64

Yaten's sudden disappearance left a heavy, uncomfortable silence at the table. Usagi, Seiya, Taiki, and Amy sat frozen around the delicious meal, not daring to utter a word. An awkward calm filled the room. Seiya's thoughts were still consumed by Yaten's words when he finally made a decision. With a queasy feeling, he looked at Usagi, seated to his left. He took her hand and placed it visibly on the table, intertwining his fingers with hers. Usagi hesitated to pull her hand away but decided at the last moment not to. She trusted that Seiya knew what he was doing.

The dark-haired man now sought eye contact with his brother, waiting for his reaction. By holding Usagi's hand, he had sent a clear signal to Taiki, and now it was Taiki's turn. Taiki's expression was inscrutable, and no one could guess what was going on inside him. Seiya only felt the slight pressure of Usagi's fingers as he focused on his brother.

Taiki forced himself to breathe evenly. The whole situation was surreal, and he had to carefully weigh how to proceed. There sat his brother in front of him, holding his wife's hand, and next to him was the love of his life, who evidently hadn't left him after all. Just this fact alone would have almost made him the happiest man on Earth if it weren't for that tiny detail called a marriage contract. His thoughts circled relentlessly as he tried to sort everything out.

"Since when? How long has this been going on between you two?" Taiki asked calmly, finally meeting Seiya's gaze. "Always. Since the first time I saw her, even before she knew Kenji was her father," Seiya replied, his voice full of conviction and love. "Is it possible that the child is yours?" Taiki inquired. Seiya noticed Usagi tensing slightly. He reassured her by gently stroking the back of her hand, trying to calm her. For a split second, he considered laying everything bare, but then he decided it would be better to stick to the official version. That would make it easier for everyone else, he reassured himself.

"No," Seiya's short answer came, but turmoil raged within him. He didn't want to lie to his brother, but he had little choice. He held Taiki's gaze sternly. The silent stare-down between the two brothers continued for a few more minutes, then Taiki reached for Amy's hand and placed it visibly on the table as well.

"And what about you?" Seiya attempted to turn the tables. "Several years... even before it was decided that I should marry Mina," Taiki's response was as concise as Seiya's.

The strange tension in the air was nearly unbearable. Usagi and Amy looked from one brother to the other, not daring to intrude on this silent conversation between the two.

"And how do we proceed with this situation?" Seiya asked after a while, breaking the endless silence.

Taiki sighed deeply, stood up, and paced restlessly back and forth. The deep furrow on his forehead, which Usagi had noticed several times before, was now prominently displayed as he stopped behind Amy and placed his hands on her shoulders from behind. His amethyst-colored eyes were now focused on the blonde woman. "Do you love him?" Taiki asked his wife.

Everything tightened inside Usagi; her throat suddenly felt dry, yet there was this joyous fluttering in her stomach. She closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes, yes, I've loved him since our first encounter..." she whispered softly. Her fingers gripped Seiya's even tighter; he was currently the only thing anchoring her in this peculiar situation.

Taiki let go of Amy again and paced nervously in front of the table. "Why didn't any of you say anything?" he grumbled to himself. Seiya jumped up, released Usagi's hand, and leaned on the table with both hands. "Why didn't anyone say anything? Do I really have to explain that to you? Why the hell didn't you say anything? Usagi was afraid of losing everything. Do you remember the wonderful marriage contract that Father and Kenji forced on you, or should I quote you a few passages from it?" he snapped at his brother, who paused his stroll around the dining table. "Can you even remotely imagine what she went through? How could you, as her 'husband,' overlook something like that for weeks?" he continued to shout.

Taiki was momentarily frozen. "I seem to have overlooked much more than just her condition," he hissed back finally.

"That's enough. Stop yelling at each other; it's not helping anyone," Usagi interjected into the conversation, and instantly, all eyes turned to her. Usagi also stood up, placed her hands on Seiya's shoulders, and gently but firmly pressed him back into his chair. She then addressed Taiki, "Yes, it's true, I love him. I love him more than I ever thought possible to love someone... But I also know that you are my husband. Yet, when I see you and Mrs. Mizuno, the looks you exchange, I know that you feel the same way." She took a few steps towards Taiki, slowly running her hand along his upper arm. "Taiki, look at me. Yaten is right. We need to face the truth. We will never be a couple because our hearts are already committed to someone else. Let's find a way for all of us to be happy."

Taiki looked into his wife's determined eyes, then shifted his gaze to Amy, who still sat somewhat intimidated at the table, observing the entire scenario. He pulled the chair back a bit and sat down. He rubbed his throbbing temples with a strained expression. "Fine, and do you already have any ideas on how we can do that? I mean, we still have to fulfill the conditions of the contract, and they are not easy."

"Our apartments here in the tower are secured multiple times by Yaten. That means we would have three apartments to organize ourselves. It's only during public appearances where you and Usagi have to act as a couple or when Father and Kenji are nearby. The matter with the child, you've more or less fulfilled," explained Seiya, trying to remain calm. Taiki sighed. "And what if Father and Kenji unexpectedly show up here? It wouldn't be the first time."

"In that case, we still have this apartment. It's not uncommon for us to be elsewhere in the tower. I mean, I often visit Makoto downstairs, and you're in the office or with your brothers. We just have to maintain the appearance that this apartment is still being used, and Yaten can surely install an alert or something on our phones if either of them enters the tower, so we'll be notified," Usagi suggested. She was so close to her goal, finally being able to live a life with Seiya, and was determined not to lose sight of it.

Amy looked at the tense faces in the room. Finally, she had made a decision too. She took Taiki's hand and lovingly smiled at him. "I think Serena is right. We should at least try. We can live downstairs in your old apartment and move it together with Seiya's. Don't you think we all deserve a bit of happiness?" she tried to influence the brown-haired man.

Despair filled Taiki's eyes as he met Amy's gaze. There was so much going through his mind right now. "And how do you envision all this when the child is here? Patchwork, a few days here, a few days there, and occasional joint activities? Are you sure you can handle having the little one around all the time? I mean, not long ago, you wanted to go to Zurich just because of its mere existence and leave me," he continued to express concerns. Amy nestled her hand against his cheek and stroked her thumb along it. "But I didn't leave because I love you. This is our last chance, and I don't want to let it slip away. What will happen in a few months, we will see. But I'm sure that if we all pull together, we will find a suitable solution for that too."

Taiki once again ran his hands through his hair in stress as he thought hard. His brother stood there, holding Usagi tightly in his arms, and stared at him with a tense expression. Everything about Seiya's body language signaled to him that he loved the blonde and wouldn't let her go under any circumstances. Then, to his right, sat Amy, the love of his life, who had just given him a final ultimatum. And as if this entire situation wasn't strange enough, there were still the old men in his head who always had to meddle, and the unborn child that Usagi carried under her heart. If not two. Taiki closed his eyes for a moment and reflected. He was sure that if he didn't take this opportunity, he would lose Amy forever, and that, he was certain, he could not endure again.

"Go, take Serena downstairs. We'll talk about everything calmly tomorrow. I need some time to think about all this. Much more hangs on the next decisions than it may initially seem. Seiya, we can't afford to make any mistakes," Taiki's voice sounded exhausted; his head pounded, and he knew that no useful decisions could be made tonight.

Seiya's mouth twitched upward almost imperceptibly, but he maintained a serious expression. "I know. Thank you, Tai. We'll see you tomorrow," he said, grasping Usagi's fingers and pulling her towards the door.

Suddenly, she stopped. Her eyes were fixed on her husband. There were hardly any words for this, as few existed. He saw the gratitude in her face as she nodded at him with a smile. Then, she reached for Shingo's letter, took one last look over her shoulder at Amy, and hurried to Seiya, who already held the door open.

The door had not yet fully closed behind them when Seiya pulled Usagi into his arms, demanding an intense kiss from her. Commanding and insistent, he had never kissed her like this before. Each of his touches told her - now you are mine. Usagi felt the wall against her back and briefly struggled for air. Seiya's hands ran through her hair as he released her. "You have no idea how happy I am right now, my darling," he whispered into her ear while pressing the button for the elevator. Usagi was barely able to respond. Her legs felt like pudding, and fireworks erupted in her stomach as she followed Seiya.

On the other hand, Taiki had rested his head in his palms, still trying to grasp all the revelations of the last few hours. Amy knew him well enough to understand that he would approach her on his own when he was ready. In the meantime, she cleared the table, loaded the dishwasher, packed the leftover food, and sorted it into the refrigerator. Taiki showed no reaction during this entire time. She made a strong coffee for him, pushed it across the table, and took a seat next to him. Finally, he lifted his head. "Thank you," he muttered, taking a sip.

There was still a tense atmosphere between the two. "Amy, was that just now serious? Do you really believe that we will make it? That you will make it with another woman's child running around here? ... My child with another woman," he asked her again, his voice tinged with a hint of fear. Amy took his hand, paused for a moment, and then chose her words carefully. "I don't know how everything will unfold... honestly, I don't know how to handle this whole situation. I mean, it's really not something you decide on the spur of the moment. But what I do know is that I love you, and if we don't seize this chance now, I will regret it for a lifetime and always wonder what if, and I couldn't bear that. I can't promise you anything, but I want to at least try, only if you want it too."

Taiki pulled her into his arms and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Of course, why would you think I wouldn't want it? Amy, I love you... It's just that you would leave me again now... That's something I don't want to imagine again. When you left me alone in your office, a world collapsed for me..."

Amy put her index finger on his lips, silencing him. "Now I'm here, and we should enjoy it for as long as we can. Stop torturing yourself with 'what ifs.' These are things we can't influence at the moment," she said calmly. Taiki finally pulled her closer and kissed her passionately.

Seiya's hands gently stroked Usagi's sweaty back as they lay exhausted on his couch. The traces of their passion were clearly visible, and between them, there was a blissful exhaustion and an intense glow in their eyes. Their clothes were forgotten on the way from the front door to where they now rested.

A gentle smile adorned Usagi's face as she looked at Seiya. "It still feels like a dream to me," she whispered, and her lips brushed a tender kiss on his cheek. But suddenly, an unexpected pain shot through her. "Ouch, what was that? Did you just pinch me?" she exclaimed, her voice surprised. Seiya laughed heartily, the sound filling the room. "Yes, at least now you know it wasn't a dream." A small playful interaction unfolded between them, and then Usagi lightly nudged his ribs with her elbow. A pained sound escaped Seiya, momentarily breaking the atmosphere. "Oh, sorry. I totally forgot. Are you okay? Do you have any pain?" Usagi inquired with concern.

Seiya briefly rubbed the sore spot before lifting his head again. His gaze met Usagi's, and in that moment, not only tenderness but also deep emotions reflected in their eyes. Without warning, he started tickling her without restraint. Usagi squirmed beneath him, laughing. "Seiya, stop that. Stop. I can't breathe," she giggled between her laughter. Yet, the joy and happiness pulsating between them in that moment were more than just playful banter. Seiya clasped her hands and gently held them above her head. She was immobilized. A mischievous grin adorned his lips, and his eyes radiated profound love as he leaned down to her again. In that moment, the world around them seemed to fade, and it was as if time stood still.