I scrub underneath the nail, ridding myself of any unsightly particles of filth. Albeit a tedious task, it was still a necessary chore to be done. The piles of dishes and cooking utensils would not clean themselves. And it was not like Kaoru could assist me in my endeavours anyway.

"I'm sure my Father would be more than happy to supply us with a butler. You shouldn't be doing any of this work!" Kaoru insisted.

"We've been over this. If we wish to independent, that means we must do everything ourselves. That includes being self-sufficient in our own chores."

"At least let me take over then-"

Pointing a finger at Kaoru, I beckoned closer "Ah, ah, ah!"

"I'm positive that I've made myself crystal clear! You are not to partake in any kind of physical labour until you have fully recovered!"

Kaoru rolls his eyes as if he plans on retorting. I quickly shut him down by firmly pointing at the lasagne I cooked for him.

"Eat," I order.

Kaoru shuffles in his seat and resumes eating. Drying my hands with a towel I toss it aside as I make my way out of the kitchen.

There is still so much to do. I wanted to make the house look somewhat presentable by the time Haruto would return home.

Ha... I sound like your typical old-fashioned housewife. I hate that. If it were my choice, I would be out there looking for a job. But alas, someone needs to watch over Kaoru during his recovery phase.

I can't exactly ask Haruto to watch over Kaoru for me. It was hell even convincing Haruto to take Kaoru home with us. It felt like only yesterday when the doctor wanted to release Kaoru to us...

"So, you're telling me that, they're just going to release him? There's no way he's fit to leave!" Haruto protested.

"Don't make a scene!"

Although there was only a handful of people loitering about in the corridor, I still felt self-conscious. Conscious of what others might say... Conscious of what they might report to Father... If Father were to believe that Haruto and I were fighting, there's no doubt in my mind that he would try to absolve our marriage at once!

"He's unstable. You know that better than anyone else."

Haruto pushes a lock of my hair behind my ear as he strokes my face. "I'm worried that he might try to hurt you when I'm not around. I don't want him to lay a single finger on you."

I pull Haruto in for a hug and snuggle tightly into his body. "I'll be fine. I assure you that I can protect myself."

"I'm not so sure about that..."

I look up at Haruto with a sour expression. "Hey now! I protect myself!"

"Can you protect yourself from me?" Just as Haruto finishes his sentence, he swoops me up and I tightly wrap my legs around his waist.

"Who says I want to be protected from you?" I say with a devious smile.

We both lean in and kiss. A few gasps can be heard from behind us. I bet Father is going to love hearing about this tomorrow.

I crash into the soft bed without care. I was tired from reminiscing and well... doing chores all day. The exhaustion has left me completely apathetic. Every day just blurs into one when everything you do is completely mundane.

The only highlight of my day is when Haruto returns home. The house becomes much livelier when he's around... You may think it's odd, but I enjoy the pointless arguments between the two men in my life.

Every night they find something so trivial and pointless to argue over. Whether it be who gets the double bed or who I sit closest to on the couch. It's refreshing to see them being unapologetically themselves. No brooding Haruto or well-mannered Kaoru. Just two boys acting moronic.

I walk over to my jewellery box and stare at the photograph of my Mother. It was the only evidence I had of her existence. I don't know if I should thank Sanada-san or not for it. I'm grateful to have it, but it only came into my possession at the cost of having to encounter an individual so detestable that words can't even-

I'm getting heated, aren't I? At the very least, he's no longer in my life which is good. Well, at least I hope he isn't, I haven't heard from him in a while... I'd hate to imagine him lurking out there with some kind of vendetta against Haruto and me.

Some nights I would just stare at this photograph. Hoping to uncover something more about her. Instead, I'm met with glistening eyes. Eyes of a woman who is completely content in surrounding herself with her family. I still can't comprehend the fact that my Father was capable of genuine love. Did my Mother truly love a man so unpleasant as him? I don't know what she saw in him...

I reach into my pocket and pull out my engagement ring. I wonder if I should just leave it in the box or not. More often than not, I have to take it off when cleaning. Yet, it's a waste for something so beautiful to stay hidden. Not only was it pleasant in appearance but it also held meaning. I recall Kaoru informing me of how he had this ring handmade for me. His feelings are perfectly wrapped up in a small and intricate ring.

As I hold the ring up and ponder its beauty, I'm interrupted by the sound of a cough.

"I'm home."

"HARUTO!" I delay no further in racing towards him and engulfing him in a bear hug.

"Don't sneak up on a girl like that!" I wined.

"Sorry, sorry. You were just so engrossed with that ring there. Didn't want to intrude on the heartfelt moment."

"Ha, ha. Very funny. I was just admiring it...it's pretty, wouldn't you agree?"

"Not as pretty as you."

I lightly shove Haruto as I cringe at his corny line.

"I'm being serious."

Haruto stares at the ring thoughtfully. Deeming the topic to not be all that interesting, I swiftly move on from it.

"Anyway, how come you're home so late? Is Father being as strict as ever?"

It would come as no surprise to me that Father is giving Haruto a hard time. It's not like he is his biggest fan... They're more like temporary allies working alongside each other for my sake.

To this day, Haruto still refuses to speak about what strings Father pulled to release him from police custody. I swear that one day I'll pry the truth out from him. Just not today...

"You know, business as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary happened."

Business as usual... Although I never questioned what Haruto's business was, I made my own theories about it. Judging from the nights he came home with blood on his hands and shirt, I knew it wasn't something innocent he was doing for his father.

God, I hate making deals with my Father...

"After I was done with , I had a shift in that bar I was talking about last week."

"Ah, the bar where a guy got stabbed in the eye?"

"... It was a long time ago."

"Tch. I still hate the idea of you working in a place like that."

"It's not permanent. I just want to make as much money as I can on the side. And well, now I can finally tell you about that surprise I've got planned out for us."

"Surprise?" Kaoru asked.

Looking to the side, there stood Kaoru in the doorway on guard.

"What exactly do you have planned for us? Aye?"

"Wouldn't you like to know..." Haruto muttered to himself under his breath.

"What was that?" Kaoru spoke up.

Haruto turned to face me once more, ignoring Kaoru's presence. "I feel bad that you're locked up in the house all day. I was able to pull a few strings with people and work something out..."

Here we go again. He's only telling me half the story... I hate when people are vague like this. It's simply bothersome at this point.

"Starting next week, we will both be attending private school."