When Iwaizumi was blasting him away with questions, it took all he had in him not to say, "I'm fine."

First reason was because it would appear on his soulmate's skin. And he did not want to be found out like that.

Second reason was because he's trying his best to lie less. It was tough since his opinions tend to be a bit strong, but he would do it for his Iwa-chan.

Although, he really thought he covered up that bruise pretty well this morning.

Oikawa wasn't one to wear or own makeup so he stole some from that witch. He figured she wouldn't mind; even if she did, he didn't care.

He rubbed the foundation on carefully, making sure that the dark hue wasn't visible. Maybe it had worn off during the day, or maybe he wasn't that talented with cosmetics.

Still, he couldn't believe he almost got found out.

Oikawa shuddered at the thought of his secret being exposed. He didn't particularly care for others' opinions, but he didn't want Iwaizumi to know.

Because if they really are soulmates, Iwaizumi might not want him after he finds out the truth.

But that's not going to happen, he reassured himself. No one will know.

So for the rest of the school day, he plastered on his best smile. Oikawa made jokes and laughed often, careful to make sure he didn't sound too fake. Iwaizumi was sharp and would easily catch on to his facade.

Luckily the spiky-haired boy didn't say anything else for the rest of the day. The fact greatly comforted him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Shittykawa." said Iwaizumi.

His smile faltered the slightest at the nickname. "Can't you just say my name, Iwa-chan? You make it sound like I'm a bad person."

"I'll stop if you stop calling me Iwa-chan."

"Okay. Never mind then."

The spiky-haired boy groaned. He giggled at the reaction and smiled genuinely. "Bye, Iwa-chan." He said, waving at the boy.

Iwaizumi waved back and said, "Text me if you need anything."

His smile grew a little sly and little bigger. He winked at the boy. "I'll take you up on that offer."

•

Normally he ate dinner alone.

The witch, Mrs. Mori, couldn't stand him, and he couldn't stand her. So they ate separately for every meal, and that was just the way he liked it.

But tonight was an exception.

Mr. Mori was coming home for the first time in weeks, so it was planned for them to have a family dinner.

Which was strange to Oikawa because they weren't family at all.

Nevertheless, when Mr. Mori entered the house, he greeted the man kindly.

"It's nice to see you, Mr. Mori. Have you been well?"

The man laughed. He was dressed neatly in a crisp black suite with a blue tie that matched his eyes. His black hair was cropped short and graying at parts. Yet he was still handsome.

It was probably the only thing Oikawa and Mr. Mori had in common.

"No need to be so formal, Tooru. We've been family for years! When will you start calling me dad?" said the man.

Oikawa smiled sweetly but didn't say something. The chances of him calling Mr. Mori, "dad," was slim to none.

"Ah. My beautiful wife, how have you been?" The man walked over and embraced Mrs. Mori, giving her a peck on the cheek.

The woman giggled and blushed. "It's nice to see you, honey. You really should stay home more."

Oikawa rolled his eyes, trying not to gag.

"You know I can't do that," sighed Mr. Mori. "The elections are starting again soon, so this might be my last visit for a while."

Mrs. Mori frowned and wrapped her arms around her husband a little tighter. "I miss when it was just us," she breathed.

Yeah. Thanks, witch. Oikawa thought, bitterly.

"I wish I could spend more time with you and Tooru. I hope you two have been getting along well." He glanced over at Oikawa during the last sentence.

"Totally." answered the brunette. His voice was dripping in sarcasm.

Mrs. Mori flashed him a quick glare before grabbing her husband's arm. "Let's start dinner."

The three of them walked over to the dining table where plates of steak were waiting. Oikawa nearly groaned out loud.

He despised steak. Once when he was young, Mrs. Mori force fed him pieces of meat until he choked. Since then, he could hardly even look at steak without thinking of the memory.

"Wow, it looks delicious, honey! You really didn't have to go all out," complimented Mr. Mori. "Doesn't it look great, Tooru?"

He glanced at the man. "Yup. Looks tasty."

There goes my promise not to lie, he snickered.

But if he told the truth, Mrs. Mori would definitely throw a fit, and the atmosphere would become unbearable.

Not like it wasn't already unbearable.

They each took their spot at the table; he was across from Mrs. Mori (much to his displeasure), and Mr. Mori sat diagonal from him. The three of them said thanks for the food and the couple dug in.

Oikawa stared at the slab of meat and poked at it with his fork.

The only sound in the room was the sound of silverware hitting the porcelain plates, and the sound of the Mori's chewing.

Mr. Mori made small comments here and there about things like the weather. His wife would chime in and say something just as useless before they lapsed back into silence.

It didn't bother Oikawa too much. The thick atmosphere was heavy, but after years of living with the Mori family, it was bearable for him.

And obviously the couple was doing just fine as they continued cutting into their steak, taking little bits and sipping their red wine.

Five minutes passed until Mr. Mori spoke up again.

"How is your new school, Tooru? Have you made friends?"

Oikawa opened his mouth to answer but the witch of a woman spoke instead.

"With Tooru's personality, I feel sorry for the kids in his class." She smirked at him. "I know I wouldn't befriend him because of that nasty look in his eyes."

He counted to ten in his head, trying to keep his cool in front of Mr. Mori.

With a sickly sweet smile, he pushed back his bangs nonchalantly, exposing the dark bruise on his temple. Mr. Mori's eyes widened in surprise and Mrs. Mori paled.

"Ah. Yes. But for your information, I have made a friend," huffed Oikawa. "I was just about to ask if I could bring him over this weekend."

Mr. Mori's eyes stayed locked on his bruised temple for a second longer before snapping back to the conversation. His eyes lit up as he spoke. "Of-of course!" He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "In fact, why don't you bring him to the Gala next week? It'd be a great experience for him and I'm sure it'll be lots of fun. Here, take this ticket to him."

The man slid the piece of paper across the table to Oikawa's hands. He took it and carefully smoothed it out before pocketing it. "Thank you, Mr. Mori. I'm sure he will be very happy about this."

"No need to thank me, Tooru! I'm just glad you're getting along well with your classmates. It's been so long," said Mr. Mori, grinning.

Oikawa couldn't help the smile growing on his face too.

Not only because of the kind gesture by his adoptive father but because of the look of anger on the witch's face.

"D-darling, you can't be serious. The Gala party is huge and you want to bring a commoner? It's ridiculous, it's appalling–"

Mr. Mori cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Let the boy be happy," he said.

The smile on Oikawa's face grew sly as he snickered silently.

One point for Oikawa, zero for the witch. He thought.

But his glee was cut short when Mr. Mori's phone rang.

"Hello? No, I'm currently at home- yes. I'll bring the papers. No- I'll be there soon. Give me a few minutes." He ended the call and sighed. Oikawa's smile fell when he realized that the man had to go.

"I'm really sorry for cutting our dinner short, but I have to get back to the office," said Mr. Mori. "Next time I promise we won't be interrupted." He glanced over at Oikawa's glum face.

"I'm excited to meet your friend, Tooru. I'll see you at the Gala." He squeezed the brunette's shoulder. Oikawa nodded.

Mr. Mori walked over to his wife and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I'll see you both later. Take care of each other."

Oikawa watched as Mr. Mori put on his shoes before slipping out the door.

It closed with a slam.

His limbs started to tremble ever so slightly as he realized he was alone with the witch. Again.

He cursed himself for provoking her over dinner.

"I'm going to my room. Bye." He said, speed walking out of the dining room.

"Wait."

Oikawa froze. He gulped anxiously and turned to face his adoptive mother.

Piercing green eyes glared at him with so much hatred that he could literally feel the anger radiating off from her.

"If you so speak one word, one word, Tooru, about anything, you will regret it," hissed the witch.

He expected to feel fear like usual but adrenaline kicked in, boosting his own anger as he lashed out. "You think you can control me? One word, any word from me, and you can kiss your career goodbye. Imagine this: Politician Mori's wife is abusing their adopted son. It's not my life that would get ruined by this, it's yours. Watch yourself, you witch." He seethed.

Mrs. Mori's eyes flared. Oikawa could see the veins in her neck as she gritted her teeth.

In a flash, her hand flew to the wine glass on the dinner table and before Oikawa could move or blink, she chucked it at his head.

He felt the glass fly by his face since her aim was poor and only succeeded in shattering the wineglass against the wall. However, little shards of glass bounced off and cut into his skin, the wine causing the wounds to sting.

"Get out of my sight, Tooru." hissed the witch.

Oikawa almost laughed. Say less, he thought.

He strutted away, not wanting her to take any satisfaction.

When he made it to his room, he opened the door and shut it behind him, making sure to lock it. And then his knees buckled, causing him to fall onto his hands as his whole body began to shake.

Red liquid dripped onto the floor; he wasn't sure if it was blood or wine, but he could see the clear drops of his own tears.

With a shaky hand, he reached for his phone and dialed Iwaizumi.

•

Has anyone read 10 Years Where I Loved You The Most manhwa? I was sobbing at the end and I don't think I can recover from that sadness 😔