Kazuo became angry at his mother for insulting him in front of everyone.

"How am I an idiot for protecting my wife? If Dad did not protect you from all your stupid mistakes, do you think you could be so comfortable in your life?" He shouted back without regard for her.

"Do you still remember I am your mother? Do you even have the ability to protect your wife? Don't compare yourself to your father!" Sayaka yelled back.

The two people faced off angrily, and nobody was willing to relent. There was electricity in the air as they looked at each other. Chiharu was a little relieved that she was no longer at the centre stage. If they continued fighting, she would escape without trouble.

Akira looked at the relieved Chiharu, and her lips stretched into a smile. The woman was quite skilled in making Kazuo fight for her, even against his better judgement. It was obvious he wanted to know if she was cheating.

"So, do you want to know the information or not?" She asked them.

The two people looked at Akira and remembered the cause of their fight. They wanted to blame Akira, but they had already said a few bad things to each other. Now that the anger was already out, it could not be restrained.

As a result, Sayaka was more determined than ever to learn about Chiharu's secrets because Kazuo disrespected her.

"Do not be afraid of anyone, Akira. Speak openly." She spoke after glaring at her son one more time.

Kazuo folded his arms over his chest. "Fine. You will see she is just slandering Chiharu because of her evil heart."

He acted like he did not care, but a small part of him was anxious about the situation. Since Akira mentioned another man in Chiharu's life, he started thinking about the last couple of weeks. He had noticed some odd behaviour from his wife.

For instance, Chiharu insisted on going to work in her own car instead of going with him as usual. And in the evening, she would let him go home ahead of her, claiming that she had some additional work. Sometimes, she would go out with her friends without him.

He did not think it was wrong for her to be a little late or enjoy herself. But now that he thought about it, the behaviour change was sudden. He did not want to doubt her, but he could not bear the thought of being fooled.

So, even though he wanted to defend her, he also wanted to know the truth.

Chiharu looked at the defensive posture made by Kazuo and knew that she could not escape from being in the spotlight again. And if she did not accept the situation, Sayaka would doubt her even more. After all, she was the cause of the argument.

"Akira, you can say what you want to say about me. I know that you don't like me. But that is not a good reason to make up lies. Remember, the truth will always come to light." She faced Akira.

Kazuo felt a little more comfortable with those words.

"I am glad that sister-in-law understands that concept." Akira nodded in appreciation. "Do not worry. I will not use sophistry to convince people. Instead, I will use the most direct method."

Within a few seconds, the phones in the room pinged. The people in the room took out their devices and looked at the new message. The facial expressions changed dramatically as they looked at the medical reports and the date stamps.

The first was the initial report about Chiharu's pregnancy, just before she joined the Yamazaki company. The other document was less than a year old and indicated that it would be difficult for Chiharu to conceive due to uterine damage.

Chiharu's face lost colour. No, it was impossible.

How could it turn out like this?

She had made arrangements for these reports to be destroyed after she visited the doctors. She had erased the trails that could lead back to her. Moreover, she chose discrete hospitals outside of Mountain Ridge. How could Akira have recovered these documents?

Sayaka stood up from her chair and walked up to the pale Chiharu. She lifted her hand and slapped the younger woman. The smack caused Chiharu's face to turn to the side, but Sayaka was not satisfied. She slapped Chiharu again and again.

Kazuo looked at the reports, and his hands shook. No, no, no, no!

His mind could not process the information. He did not know how to react. If it had been about anything else, he might have been quick to defend Chiharu. He would call the reports fake. But when it came to this aspect of his life, he was too self-conscious.

Although he did not have a lot of principles in life, he had always treated his marriage as a sacred thing. When he fell in love with Chiharu, he handled her with love and respect. He did not even touch her until the wedding night because he wanted their first time to be perfect and special.

If the reports were true, she had played him from the beginning. Anger flowed through his body, and he turned to look at his wife whose lips were bleeding after a few hard slaps. He put aside his phone and held her by the shoulders.

"Who is he, Chiharu? Who is he?" He shook her.

Chiharu felt dizzy, and tears fell from her eyes. "There is no one. Didn't you say that you trusted me?"

She knew that Kazuo could not bear to see her cry. He would always fulfil her wishes if he thought that she would cry. Unfortunately, she did not consider the fact that Kazuo was very traditional in his views about his manhood.

"Do you take me for a fool? I know these reports are true. And even if I could overlook them, I know you have been meeting with someone behind my back. Who is it? Tell me." He shouted angrily.

"I am telling you there is no one." Chiharu stopped crying and shouted back.

Kazuo turned to Akira. "Who has this b*tch been seeing behind my back? I want to know."

Akira looked from Chiharu to Kazuo and back again, but she did not answer the question. She wanted Kazuo to wonder and worry about it. Ha! This love was too flimsy. A few minutes before, her brother was asserting his wife's innocence and sanctity. Now, he was calling her a b*tch.

But that was exactly what she wanted to see.

She wanted to tear apart their facades. This external peace that her mother valued so much, she would destroy it. Since they wanted to sacrifice her to keep the image of the family perfect, she would not leave any stone unturned.

But she felt a little hesitant about opening her mother's file.

In her mind, she understood that Sayaka was a horrible mother to her. She did not have genuine feelings for her as a daughter. If she did, she would never have treated her like a disposable item. But despite the hurt and disappointment, Akira wanted to test Sayaka again.

Perhaps, a small part of her heart wanted to spare her.