Corruption

Chapter One

Walking out of my room down the hall leading to the staircase I was met with the comforting scent of lavender. The Imaushi’s house always smelled of lavender in the spring and summer. Mrs.Imaushi or Tsumugi, as almost everyone referred to her, always made sure her house smelled homely. She usually changed the scents depending on the season. Spring and Summer was usually lavender and sometimes lemon but that was rare. Fall was usually cinnamon, unless she happened to switch her scents out for something sweeter. Again it was rare for her to stray from her signature scents. Winter was always pine or peppermint.

I’m wearing a red sundress. There is a party going on outside. It’s around seven in the evening. Tsumugi is throwing the party in honor of Touma and mine's graduation.

Walking past the kitchen and living room I finally make it to the sunroom. Touma was talking to his father Riku.

“Aw y/n! How are you?” Riku asks “I’m well Mr. Imaushi.” I say. I’ve known Riku all of my life as he was friends with my father. No matter how many times he tells me to call him Riku I still call him Mr. Imaushi. I’ve gotten better at calling him Riku but I still catch myself saying Mr. Imaushi for the most part.

Mr. Imaushi is of average height. He has short white hair, lavender eyes and a pale complexion. He owns a company. Well many companies actually. Everything from restaurants, hotels, to apartments. Tsumugi Is a short woman with short light brown hair reaching just above her shoulders. Her eyes are green and she has a golden sun kissed skin tone. Touma looks just like her from his short brown hair, green eyes to below average height. The only thing I think he inherited from his father is his skin tone.

Mr. Imaushi and Touma finish their conversation. It was mainly about university. Mr. Imaushi left to go find his wife and talk to a few of the guests. “You look beautiful, y/n” Touma tells me. I thank him, offering a small smile.  There is a pregnant pause after I speak. Neither party knows what to say to the other. It was never awkward like this before. Before we actually used to get along well. Now we can barely even hold a conversation unless it is in front of family.

"Are we just not going to talk about it?" He asks, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"About what?" I ask feigning like I don't know. But I do know. And I don't want to have this conversation.

"A few things actually" He tells me looking off to the side as if he can't look me in the eyes for what he wants to discuss. I stare at him letting out a sigh. "Go on then" I say

"The break up" He says. Of course it's the break up. What else would he want to talk about? Months have passed and we haven't spoken about it. I acted like we never dated in the first place as he acted like we never broke up. His family also acted as if we were still together. Tsumugi continues to let me stay here because "she just knows we will get back together and get married like planned" and she would feel bad putting her future daughter-in-law out without a place to stay. I have a place to stay. At home with my mom but it isn't as nice as the Imaushi household.

"What about it?" I ask him. Knowing him and how that last six months have been he is going to ask to get back together or at least reconsider my decision to end things. He will offer me things, things I don't want nor do I need.

"We could fix things, you know." He says "have everything back to how it used to be" how it used to be, huh? It was nothing special. I was just something pretty for him to look at and flaunt around to all his friends and at parties his parents hosted. I wasn't happy with how it was. That's one of the reasons I ended things. I felt suffocated. Everything was planned for me. He decided where I went, who I went with, when I came back, how I dressed, even decided what hygiene products and fragrances I used. "Can't have my wife to be looking like a mess now, can I?" He would always say while smiling at me. We had to match at all times. Everyone needed to know we were a couple, the perfect couple. Everything always had to be perfect with the Imaushis. Perfect house, perfect jobs, perfect wife, perfect husband, and perfect sons. Except nothing was ever perfect. At least not if you knew the Imaushis. Actually knew them. I only knew because I've lived here since my father passed away when I was fourteen. But to an outsider they are the perfect family.