“I swear this better not be another one of your games…”
“Anthony…I have no idea what’s going on right now,” he interjected. “I wish I did so I could clear up whatever this misunderstanding is between us, but I assure you that I haven’t the slightest clue what you’re accusing me of.”
I held the phone for a moment. “You didn’t know that it was Kira in my room that night and not Reina?” I asked flatly, listening intently for any indication in his reply that might suggest that he’s still the same Kato Hahn he’s always been.
“Son, you have my word, when I spoke with Tanaka and set up that plan, he said he was sending Reina. I didn’t’ question it because she always seemed like the shifty one of the two, so…as far as I knew he hadn’t deviated from what we’d discussed.”
I didn’t respond.
“If I could take all of that back, you know I’d do it in a heartbeat –“
I shook my head when it dawned on me that I’d made a mistake accusing him. “I’ll explain everything later,” I replied quickly before ending the call.
Checking each digit first, I hit ‘send’ and waited, silently praying that Reina picked up.
“Hello?” she answered skeptically, probably because she didn’t recognize the number.
“I just found your letter,“ I replied, knowing this was enough information to identify myself.
Reina was dead silent on the other end.
“Why the hell did she do it?” I asked flatly, trying as hard as I could to keep calm.
I heard her take a breath and waited for a response, although I knew that there was nothing she could say that would excuse what Kira had done.
Reina cleared her throat. “Honestly, AJ? It’s like I said; she’s had feelings for you since as far back as I can remember, and I truly believe that she just saw this as an opportunity to get close to you.” Reina was thoughtful for a moment. “The way I understand it, she overheard our fathers talking, and intercepted the offer before my dad could proposition me. Which I never would’ve agreed to, by the way.”
I sat there holding the phone in a daze. This was really happening. I was really finding out that the woman who I thought didn’t have a mean, vindictive bone in her body was responsible for the single most hurtful event in my life…and she was fully prepared to let me marry her without confessing what she’d done.
“Sooo…what now?” Reina asked solemnly.
I sighed and let it all sink in. My only response to her was, “It’s over.”
I ended the call and knew that, from there, it was just a matter of time before Kira heard the news that her cover had finally been blown.
All this time.
All these years.
I looked around the bedroom and felt the last traces of guilt slipping away, cleansing me of the weight I’d been carrying. Was I wrong for the things I’d done? Absolutely. However, had Kira never intervened, Sam and I never would’ve missed a beat in the first place. So, because of that, I couldn’t help but to feel like karma had come back full circle to give her what she had coming all along.
*****
The sound of the garage door opening sent a surge of adrenaline through my veins, but I didn’t move a muscle. Anger no longer had me in its clutches, so Kira lucked out there. However, I couldn’t imagine this conversation concluding without there being some sort of explosion.
I listened as she came in through the back door, removed her shoes at the rug, and then entered the kitchen where she dropped her keys on the counter. While I sat there waiting for her to come into view, I wondered how I went all this time and didn’t know who she really was. Thinking back over the years, she played her hand very well, and I made it easier for her than I cared to admit.