Rebuilding After Quiet Betrayal

Throwaway account. I'm Japanese, born and raised in a quiet Tokyo suburb where nothing

dramatic is supposed to happen. This isn't a story about revenge in the loud sense.

It's about how a person can be crushed so completely that the only way forward is to rebuild from

the bones up. I was Haruto. That was enough back then. Average in every

way. Calm, reliable, the kind of guy teachers liked and

classmates forgot to fear. I dated Mika for three years, high school into

university. Our families knew each other. Our mothers exchanged food during the

holidays. Her parents trusted me. She used to say I made her feel