the Decision of the Heart

Ren had burst through the door with the force of a hurricane, but once the sound of the impact faded, he did something that defined who he really was. Despite his torn suit and sweat-covered face, he stood up straight. With a dignity that no amount of money could buy, he adjusted the collar of his torn shirt and smoothed out his jacket. He entered the main nave of the cathedral.

Everyone, ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE, was shocked. The silence was so heavy that everyone could hear their own breathing. The guests, who were used to maintaining their composure, had their mouths open. Sara covered her mouth with her handkerchief, and Kenji clenched his fists on his knees, ready to jump if necessary.

The few authorized cameramen and people broadcasting live on their phones reacted.

They focused their lenses on where Ren was. Mio and Tomoki's fairy tale had been shattered, and in its place, the real show had begun. All of Japan, from housewives to executives, was glued to the screen. Ratings skyrocketed to historic levels. The perfect wedding had become a real show.

Tomoki, who was at the altar, reacted by protecting Mio, standing in front of her. Ren took a step. Then another. He walked with a slight limp, but his movements were unpredictable. His eyes did not look at the cameras or the guests. They only looked at the girl in the pink dress.

“ Stop right there! ” Tomoki ordered, breaking the spell of the wedding. Ren stopped a few feet from the altar stairs, breathing heavily. Tomoki took a step down, visibly annoyed. “ You have no business being here, Ren. ” Tomoki said, his voice amplified by the ambient microphones. " You're too late to make any claims. You're also too dirty. And you're ruining the only moment of peace she's had in months. You can't defend her. It's your last name that's hunting her down. "

Ren raised his head, ignoring the insult. “ That's not true. ” Ren replied in a hoarse voice. “ I would never let anyone hurt him. I just... had some setbacks. ”

That word hung in the air: “ Setbacks. ”

For Ren, it meant many things: kidnapping, torture, drugs, escape... even giving up his inheritance. But for Mio, who knew nothing about any of that.

Mio stepped out from behind Tomoki. Her red eyes were filled with tears she was trying to hold back, which in turn showed her confusion. “Setbacks?” she repeated, her voice breaking. “Is that what I am to you? A scheduling problem?” Ren opened his eyes, those words hurting him deep in his heart. “Mio, no, I...” “I waited for you!” Mio complained, letting her pain show in front of everyone for the first time. “ I WAITED FOR YOU FOR DAYS! THEY WERE DESTROYING ME, CALLING ME TRASH, AND YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP! WERE YOUR SETBACKS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME? ”

Mio stepped out from behind Tomoki. Her red eyes were filled with tears she was trying to hold back, which in turn showed her confusion. “ Setbacks? ” she repeated, her voice breaking. “ Is that what I am to you? A scheduling problem? ” Ren opened his eyes, those words hurting him deep in his heart. “Mio, no, I...” 

“ I WAITED FOR YOU! ” Mio complained, letting her pain show in front of everyone for the first time. “ I WAITED FOR YOU FOR DAYS! THEY WERE DESTROYING ME, CALLING ME TRASH, AND YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP! WERE YOUR ‘SETBACKS’ MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME? ”

“ Enough! ” Tomoki interrupted, raising his voice. “ Calm down, both of you! ” Tomoki looked at the guards approaching and signaled for them to wait. He knew this had to be resolved right now with words, not brute force. “ We're at a wedding, Ren.” Tomoki said, looking at him sternly. " It's a sacred ceremony. You can't just barge in here and demand rights you lost when you abandoned her. "

Ren felt his blood boil with rage. He seized the moment to unleash his own accusations. “Abandon her?” Ren pointed his index finger at Tomoki. You took advantage of her! He took a step forward, confronting him. “ YOU KNEW I WAS GONE. YOU KNEW SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO ME. AND INSTEAD OF DOING THE RIGHT THING, YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HER BEING IN A CAGE TO STEAL HER! YOU USED HER FEAR TO PUT A RING ON HER FINGER! YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HER! ”

Tomoki didn't back down. His gaze was steady. “ I did it to save her from YOUR family! ” Tomoki shouted, echoing his words. “ Your father was going to destroy her! You weren't there! Someone had to be the man to protect her, and that was me! I sacrificed my freedom for her, something you didn't dare to do until today! ”

The silence that followed was complete. The cameras were recording everything. Literally all of Japan was watching this real-life soap opera. Internet forums were ablaze: #TeamRen vs #TeamTomoki. But at the altar, there were no teams. There were only three broken hearts.

Exhausted by the shouting, Ren and Tomoki turned their heads at the same time. They looked at the girl in the middle of the conflict. “ Mio! ” they both shouted at the same time.

Mio was paralyzed. She felt like her chest was going to split in two. She looked at Ren. Dirty, wounded, desperate. The boy was willing to give up everything for her. The man she loved with an intensity that frightened her, even though she didn't want to fully admit it. He had come for her, against all odds. She looked at Tomoki. Impeccable, confident, loyal. The friend who had been there through thick and thin. The man who gave up his dreams of cooking to give her a surname and his protection. He loved her with a quiet and confident devotion.

Mio didn't know what to do or say. She couldn't breathe. She looked for help. Her eyes scanned the front row and found Kaguya.

Kaguya Minamoto, the iron woman who had cried at her feet that very morning. Kaguya was standing. She said nothing. She made no gestures. But in her eyes, Mio saw something new. There were no orders. There was no business strategy. There were only eyes full of determination and maternal respect. Her gaze clearly said: Don't do it for us. Don't do it for me. Choose for yourself... Only you can decide.

Ren took another step closer, reaching out his hand toward her. “Mio, let's go.” Tomoki stopped him, placing a hand on Ren's chest. “ Don't pressure her. ”

The three of them stood a few feet apart, forming a tense love triangle.

But then, Tomoki looked at Mio. He really looked at her. He looked into her red eyes. And he realized something that broke his heart and, at the same time, freed him. In Mio's eyes, there was no longer that dead resignation he had seen in the dressing room. There was no longer the dull sadness of a doll.

That determination was back. That fire. That electric, lively emotion she had when she talked about her dreams... or when he first met her. Mio was alive again, and it was because Ren was there.

Tomoki understood the truth in a second. He could give her security. He could give her an empire. He could give her peace. But Ren... Ren gave her life.

Tomoki bit his lip softly, tasting the bitter flavor of defeat and the sweet taste of true love. He sighed, lowering his shoulders, releasing the tension of battle. He had made a decision.