mentions of cheating, but nothing severe. FLUFF
synopsis: you find a crumpled up note in your husbands duffle bag, with a phone number on it.
You sat in the bedroom, quietly folding your husband's clothes as the late afternoon sun streamed through the curtains. Toru was finally home for the week, the only stretch of the season when he wasn't flying across the world for volleyball matches. From the living room, you could hear the sound of his laughter mixing with your son's delighted giggles as he tossed the little boy into the air, catching him with the same effortless precision he used on the court.
He had landed just after six that morning, exhausted from the previous night's match, yet he hadn't given himself a moment to rest. Your son had been awake by seven, immediately demanding his father's attention, and Toru hadn't once complained. For the last twelve hours, they had been inseparable, building blanket forts, chasing each other around the house, and practicing tiny volleyball sets that usually ended with your son collapsing into fits of laughter. Watching them together always reminded you how much Toru loved being a father, even if the demands of his career rarely allowed him to be home.
His duffel bag still rested beside the bed, untouched since he had dropped it there after stumbling through the front door that morning. He had been so eager to see the two of you that unpacking had been the last thing on his mind. Smiling to yourself, you figured the least you could do was take care of it for him while he enjoyed the little time he had with his family.
You knelt beside the bag and pulled the zipper open, immediately beginning to sort through the pile of wrinkled practice gear and travel clothes. One by one, you tossed them onto the bed until something slipped free from between two shirts and fluttered onto the hardwood floor.
It wasn't folded neatly like a receipt or boarding pass. Instead, the piece of paper was crumpled, as though someone had hastily shoved it into the bag without a second thought.
You bent down to pick it up, and before your eyes even reached the writing, a sweet floral perfume lingered on the paper. It wasn't yours.
Curiosity twisted into unease as you slowly unfolded the note.
Call me <3. 765362825
- Isla
Your brows drew together as your heartbeat quickened. Between the unmistakably feminine handwriting, the heart scribbled beside the message, and the lingering perfume clinging to the paper, there was no mistaking who it had come from.
Without thinking, your hands dove back into the duffel bag, frantically pushing aside jerseys, socks, and toiletries as you searched for anything else that didn't belong. Every second felt heavier than the last until your fingers brushed against something cold buried beneath the clothes.
You slowly pulled it free, your breath catching in your throat as a silver band rested in the palm of your hand.
You slipped the ring into your pocket before gripping the crumpled note in your hand and walking out of the bedroom. Down the hall, you found Toru sitting on the living room floor with your son perched in his hands, lifting him high above his head as the little boy squealed with laughter.
"Toru?" you called, your voice quieter than you intended.
"Hm?" he answered absentmindedly, never taking his eyes off your son as he effortlessly balanced him in the air. "What's up, sweetheart?"
You stopped a few feet away, tightening your grip on the paper until it wrinkled beneath your fingers. "What's this?"
That caught his attention. His gaze flickered toward the note in your hand before returning to your son for only a second, gently setting him back on the floor. Confusion creased his forehead as he looked back at you.
"Um..." he said cautiously. "A piece of paper?"
"Yeah." Your voice remained even as you unfolded it for him to see. "A piece of paper with another woman's phone number on it."
The smile disappeared from his face. He stared at the note for a long moment before looking back at you, genuine confusion written all over his expression. "What?"
"I found it in your duffel bag. It was crumpled up between your clothes, and it smells like perfume."
His eyebrows pinched together as he searched his memory, his eyes drifting toward the ceiling while he replayed the end of yesterday's match.
"I think..." he muttered slowly. "I think that was after the game. We were walking out of the arena, and I stopped to greet some fans. Someone handed me a note, and I just shoved it into my pocket without looking at it." His eyes met yours again. "I never actually read it."
You studied his face, trying to decide whether you believed him. "Hmph."
His shoulders sagged slightly, already sensing where your thoughts had gone.
"Then explain this." You reached into your pocket and held up the silver wedding band.
His eyes immediately dropped to it before instinctively looking down at his own hand. "Honey," he said gently, "you know I don't wear my wedding ring during matches. I always switch it out for the silicone one so I don't damage it."
You narrowed your eyes. "Then why isn't the silicone one on your finger?"
He opened his mouth, instinctively glancing at his hand again before freezing. "Because..." His voice trailed off as realization hit him. "...Wait." His head snapped back toward you, disbelief replacing the confusion on his face. "Are you accusing me of cheating?"
"You tell me," you replied, your voice steady despite the storm brewing inside you. "Are you?"
Toru answered without hesitation as he carefully set your son back on the floor. The little boy, oblivious to the tension hanging in the room, toddled off toward his toys while Toru rose to his feet and crossed the distance between you with slow, deliberate steps.
When he stopped in front of you, his expression was earnest, his eyes searching yours for any sign that you believed him.
"I'm not cheating," he said firmly. "I wouldn't do that to you. I don't even know who that girl is. Someone shoved the note into my hand while I was greeting fans after the match, and I stuffed it into my pocket without thinking because I didn't want to make a scene. There were hundreds of people around me, cameras everywhere, security trying to move us along..." He let out a quiet breath. "Yesterday was chaos."
You remained silent. It wasn't because you thought he was lying. It was because you didn't know what to think. Toru had never given you a reason to doubt him. Through years of marriage, endless flights across countries, late-night phone calls from hotel rooms, and months spent apart because of volleyball, he had always been loyal. He checked in whenever he landed, called whenever he could, and somehow never made you question where his heart belonged.
Yet standing there with another woman's phone number in your hand and his wedding ring pulled from the bottom of his duffel bag, your mind couldn't help wandering into places you hated.
Had the distance finally become too much?
Had the loneliness caught up to him?
Had he found someone else to fill the empty space while he was away?
The thoughts made your stomach twist, even as another part of you hated yourself for thinking them. After a long silence, you folded the note in half and slipped it into your pocket. "Just... be careful what you bring into this house," you murmured, turning away from him. "Even if it doesn't mean anything to you, it looks bad."
You had barely taken a step before his hand gently wrapped around your wrist, stopping you.
You sighed, rubbing at your temple before shaking your head. "No." Your voice came out softer than before. "I'm not mad."
You looked over your shoulder at him, exhaustion replacing the suspicion that had flashed across your face moments earlier. "I just think the whole conversation was stupid. I don't like that my first thought was that you might be cheating, and I don't like that someone thought it was okay to hand my husband their number." You let out a dry laugh that held no amusement. "It's stupid... and I hate that it even happened."
"Your feelings aren't stupid," Toru said softly, refusing to let you brush them aside. "I can see exactly how this looks, and honestly... if our roles were reversed, I'd probably have the same reaction."
He took another step closer, leaving only a sliver of space between the two of you.
"I get it. You found another woman's number in my bag, and my wedding ring wasn't on my finger. That doesn't exactly scream 'nothing happened.'" A small, apologetic smile tugged at the corner of his lips before fading just as quickly. "But I need you to believe me when I say nothing did happen."
His eyes never left yours.
"I've spent my entire career surrounded by fans, reporters, and people who don't always respect boundaries. Most of the time, I can brush it off before it becomes a problem, but sometimes things slip through, like this." He gestured toward the note still clutched in your hand. "I should've checked my pockets before I came home. I should've put my ring back on as soon as the match ended. That's on me."
He reached for your hand, hesitating just long enough to give you the chance to pull away. When you didn't, his fingers intertwined with yours.
"But don't ever think I'd throw away everything we've built together for someone whose name I didn't even know until you read that note out loud."
His thumb gently brushed across your knuckles.
"You're my wife. You're the person I rush home to, the one I stay awake to call after matches no matter what time zone I'm in. Every time I step onto that court, I'm counting down the days until I get back here with you and our son."
A small sigh escaped him as he rested his forehead lightly against yours.
"So don't apologize for asking questions. I'd rather you ask me a hundred uncomfortable ones than sit here wondering if I've stopped choosing you."
He gave your hand a gentle squeeze. "Because I haven't. I never will."
"Promise?" you whispered, your voice barely above a breath.
A gentle smile spread across Toru's face, one filled with nothing but sincerity. "I swear it on my life."
Slowly, he lifted his hands to cradle your face, his thumbs brushing lightly against your cheeks as he searched your eyes. Whatever uncertainty had settled between you only moments ago seemed to melt away beneath his unwavering gaze.
"I love you," he murmured. "Only you."
He leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss to your lips, pouring every unspoken apology, every ounce of reassurance, and every promise into the quiet gesture. When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against yours, his hands never leaving your face. "I'm sorry I made you question that," he said softly. "I'll do better."