Just found the time to read the raws for chapter 26. Here's the summary for it (in hopes it'll clear up any confusion here):
Kaoru is evidently depressed at Uta's departure. Reiichi seems to not care as much, although he admits it has gotten quieter around the house. He also mentions that they'll most likely see her again anyway during the holidays, so it's not really a big deal. Upon hearing this, Kaoru remembers Uta's parting words ("Goodbye") and is aware that there is a chance she may not get to see her again.
Later, Kaoru tries to invite Reiichi out to go shopping with her, but Reiichi declines the invitation, saying that he just wants to stay home and rest for the day. Kaoru tries to be understanding, but is low key a little upset by this, and recalls that in the past, whenever Reiichi would decline her invitation, she could always turn to a more willing Uta and ask her to hang out instead. Kaoru tries to shake this out of her head, and asks Reiichi to take her out on a date next weekend (to which he very casually agrees to).
Kaoru goes out on a shopping trip on her own, and on the way back, she makes a stop at the cafe she and Uta used to work at. The manager at the cafe asks how things are going between the married couple now that she and Reiichi no longer need to take care of Uta, and Kaoru finds herself making excuses to convince herself that everything will be fine, she just needs time to readjust. In the end, the manager also tells Kaoru how important it is to communicate with her partner, and Kaoru leaves with these words in mind.
While Kaoru is waiting for the train at the platform, she receives a call from Risako, who is also asking about how Kaoru's life is without Uta under her skin. However, Risako phrases this in a way that makes it seem like Uta was just a bother in Kaoru & Reiichi's lives. Kaoru is shocked that Risako is even aware of Uta's departure to begin with, but Risako answers that she just happened to run into Uta the day before she left. At this point, Kaoru finds the courage within herself to ask Risako if she had run into Reiichi lately, to which Risako responds by saying that she hasn't seen him since their wedding. Risako tries to ask Kaoru what's up, but Kaoru finds an excuse to hang up, since her train was arriving.
Meanwhile, Kaoru is shocked because Risako's tone of voice didn't sound like she was lying at all. However, Kaoru recalls a memory from high school, and remembers that Risako has always been a good liar. The panel associated with this memory has high school Risako saying that Reiichi isn't her type at all (which is a lie, considering she is Reiichi's ex). Kaoru reflects on when she caught Reiichi together with Risako right before her accident, and admits that she was simply too scared to ask him what was going on since she didn't want to lose him. She then thinks to herself that she no longer wants to lose anything else again.
After that thought, Kaoru goes home and sits next to Reiichi on the couch... and tells him she's been thinking about wanting kids with him.
