A Love I Shouldn't Feel

Several years later.

Haruki sat in the backyard, a cup of coffee resting beside him, the late afternoon sun painting the sea in shades of gold. From up here, the ocean breeze always felt softer, calmer, as if time itself slowed down just for him.

Behind him, voices filled the house.

"Father, I'm going!" Itsuki's voice came first, full of youthful energy.

Haruki turned his head slightly. "Okay, be careful."

"Papa! I'm going to Grandpa's house!" his younger daughter chimed, tugging at her shoes as Kyouko gently fixed her hair.

Their second girl peeked around the corner, her small hands clutching a toy. "Dad? You're not coming?"

Haruki smiled, shaking his head. "Ah, no… you all go ahead." His eyes moved to his eldest. "Itsuki?"

"Yes, Father?"

"Don't be rude to Grandpa and Grandma. And… look after both of your sisters."

"Yes, Father." Itsuki's tone carried a sense of pride, as though the responsibility was something he already embraced.

Kyouko appeared at the doorway then, serene as ever in a light summer dress. Even after all these years, Haruki found himself caught off guard by her beauty. She gave him a soft smile before guiding the children toward the car where Kitayama and Hanako were waiting.

The house slowly quieted. The car engine faded into the distance.

Haruki leaned back, listening to the waves crash against the shore.

Peaceful.

Yet, inside, the thought stirred.

Haruki smiled to himself, eyes drifting over the shimmering horizon. Memories, uninvited yet welcome, washed over him with the sea breeze.

He remembered how he first met Kyouko.

Untouchable. Out of reach. And yet, she had been beautiful beyond reason, looking far younger than her years, carrying herself with a serenity that made her glow.

At first, their relationship was nothing more than polite distance. Just acquaintances forced together by family ties, living under the same roof. He, the dutiful son-in-law. She, the graceful mother who seemed like a painting come to life.

But things had changed, slowly…

He recalled the day she had fainted, burning with fever, her body weak. He had rushed her to the hospital, his heart pounding harder than it should have. That was the first time he truly looked at her

Not just as Satomi's mother, but as a woman.

And then came the moment that sealed their fate. An accident. A slip. Their lips meeting, unplanned.

Haruki's smile deepened, his chest tightening at the memory.

That accidental kiss.

The beginning of everything.

He remembered clearly.

The early days. When it all began, quietly, innocently, yet charged with something he could never suppress.

He thought of the first time Kyouko had asked him to accompany her shopping. She had said she needed help carrying things. But deep down, Haruki knew the truth.

He had wanted to go, just to be by her side. To watch her move gracefully among the aisles, her body drawing his eyes no matter how much he tried to resist. That day, he realized something dangerous.

The way her curves swayed, the elegance of her hands, the softness of her smile. She wasn't just his mother-in-law anymore.

It was then his desire began to take root. That gnawing hunger. The thought he couldn't erase: How does she taste?

Her lips. Her skin. Even the secret warmth of her pussy.

And then there was the exercise. The excuse they used to spend time together. Stretches, slow movements, her slender form bending, his hands "helping" her adjust. Accidental touches, at least, that's what he told himself. His hands brushing her waist, her thigh, sometimes steadying her back.

Kyouko never scolded him for it. She never pushed him away. And Haruki… he fell in love with those "accidents."

Because each one only fed his craving more.

And when that chance appeared, when I learned Kyouko was lonely, neglected… I couldn't hold back anymore.

I knew...

If I reached for her, if I crossed that line.everything would change. But it didn't matter.

That was the moment. The moment everything bent my way. The moment I decided she would be mine.

To taste what I had only been allowed to dream of… her lips, her warmth, her body that was too perfect to belong to another man.

The first time I held her against me, trembling… I felt her loneliness vanish. I felt her melt in my arms.

And the first time I pushed inside her, those wide eyes, that gasp, the way her body clung to me.

I knew. She was mine. Only mine.

That night, and every night after, proved it.

That chance.

That only chance.

If I hadn't taken it… if I had let it slip through my fingers, I'd still be trapped in that cold, empty marriage.

Living without warmth, without passion.

Pretending.

I probably would have stayed stupid forever.

Blind to what I truly wanted, blind to what love could really feel like.

But I didn't.

I reached for her.

And because of that, my whole life changed.

Haruki felt her hug from behind, the warmth of her soft, delicate hands wrapping around him.

Even now, after she had passed fifty, her skin was still smooth, her figure graceful, her face so youthful it seemed frozen in her early thirties.

"What are you thinking, dear?" Kyouko's gentle voice brushed against his ear.

He blinked, pulling himself from the sea's horizon.

"Hmm? Nothing. I was just remembering… how we first met."

Kyouko leaned her chin lightly on his shoulder, her lips close enough for him to feel her breath.

"Do you regret it?~" she teased, her tone playful but carrying a faint tension beneath.

Haruki chuckled softly, catching her hands and holding them against his chest.

"Regret? How could I regret it…" His voice dropped lower, rich with certainty.

"Look at me now. I have you. Our children. This life."

Kyouko smiled quietly, the corners of her lips lifting as her arms tightened a little around him.

"You know," Haruki continued, lifting her hand and brushing a kiss across the back of it.

"if I hadn't reached for you back then, if I had hesitated even once, I'd still be trapped in a gray, empty world. But instead…" His gaze lifted toward the open horizon.

"…I've been living in color. Because of you."

Her eyes softened, her lashes lowering as a faint shimmer filled them. She leaned closer, whispering, her voice almost fragile as though afraid the wind might steal it away.

"I'm glad too. You gave me back my life, Haruki."

Kyouko's lips brushed his cheek in a soft kiss before she eased herself onto his lap.

Haruki welcomed her instantly, his strong arms wrapping around her slender frame, his hands exploring her curves with the same hunger he'd always had for her. His touch was bold, yet tender.

Fingers sliding over the swell of her breast, caressing as though to remind himself she was truly his.

Kyouko closed her eyes, leaning into him, letting his warmth envelop her. She didn't resist, didn't stop him. She never could not when every part of her heart and body longed for him. She was his wife, and he was her husband. That truth alone gave her peace.

Inside her mind.

Thank you… for giving me this chance. To laugh again. To live again. To feel this happy. To feel like a woman again.

Her arms wrapped tighter around his shoulders, her heart swelling as she buried her face into his neck.

A love that I shouldn't feel… but I feel it for you, Haruki. Only for you.

The sea breeze carried a soft hush over the backyard, the sound of waves below blending with the steady beat of Haruki's heart against Kyouko's ear.

She stayed nestled in his arms on his lap, her cheek resting on his chest, listening to that rhythm she had grown to trust more than anything in the world.

The years behind them had been tangled, painful, beautiful. Yet here they were, together.

Haruki kissed the top of her head, his hand caressing her hair slowly, as though he wanted to memorize every strand.

"You've given me everything, Kyouko. More than I ever thought I'd deserve."

She smiled softly, lifting her gaze. "And you… you gave me a real happy life. You made me feel like a woman again. Loved. Cherished."

Their eyes held each other's for a quiet moment. No words could reach deeper than the look they shared.

Then Haruki leaned in, and their lips met one last time under the amber glow of the setting sun. It wasn't the hunger of youth or the urgency of stolen moments, it was something deeper. A kiss of devotion, of certainty, of forever.

When they finally pulled back, Kyouko whispered, her voice trembling but serene.

"This love I shouldn't have felt… became the greatest gift of my life."

Haruki tightened his embrace, his forehead resting against hers as the horizon burned with light.

"Forever, Kyouko. Until the last breath I take."

And there, with the sea stretching endlessly before them and the warmth of each other's arms holding them steady, their story closed, not in secrecy, not in regret, but in love that endured.

A love they shouldn't have felt.

But a love that became everything.

( END )