Chapter 4

I smiled and replied without any hesitation, "No, thanks. Have fun watching the movie."

With that, I hung up, not caring how Nyra might react.

When I got home, I received a company notice.

My application to return to Myrthia had been approved. They wanted me to wrap things up as soon as possible before heading back.

It was the first good news I'd had in days.

When Nyra came back, I was sorting through handover documents.

Still mad about my attitude on the phone, she grabbed a change of clothes and went to wash up.

By the time she finished, I was already lying in bed, ready to sleep.

Nyra stood at the foot of the bed, staring at me.

Her intense gaze was impossible to ignore, even with my eyes closed.

Just as I was getting annoyed, my phone rang.

"Tyler! Isn't today your birthday? I've brought over some company perks for you!"

Matteo's loud voice cut through the quiet night.

Nyra's expression crumbled at his words.

I hung up, then immediately got out of bed and walked out.

After thanking Matteo, I grabbed the package and headed back.

When I opened the door, Nyra was at the fridge looking for something.

I glanced over, then set down the package and went back to rest.

A moment later, Nyra came into the room and said uneasily, "There's no cake left at home. Let me get you—"

I cut her off with a yawn. "No, thanks. I'm already full."

Nyra looked even more unsettled. "I forgot it was your birthday. Sorry."

"No big deal," I said dismissively. "It's just another birthday. It makes no difference whether I celebrate it or not."

With that, I turned off the lights and went to sleep.

I slept through the night without a single dream.

…

In the following days, Nyra was always back in the bedroom on time. But I was so busy with my work handover that I had no time to spare for her.

I thought this quiet routine would last until I left.

But one day, while packing up the study, I found a pregnancy confirmation slip. Nyra's name was on it, and it was dated two months ago.

I stared at it for a moment, then kept digging through the drawers.

At the very bottom, I found an abortion consent form. It said the fetus was ten weeks along and had a heartbeat.

Jacob's signature was at the bottom.

That was the moment the last flicker of my hope finally died.

Any hesitation Nyra had stirred over the past few days disappeared, leaving my resolve rock-solid once again.

I took the consent form and the divorce agreement Nyra had given me before and walked to the living room.

Nyra and Jacob were watching a movie together.

Before she could ask why I was there, I handed her the abortion consent form.

The moment Nyra saw it, panic twisted her face. "Tyler… Honey… I can explain! T-This was because Zoe is so young. I couldn't be so cruel."

Her words made me laugh bitterly. "You aborted your own child for someone else's. Nyra, isn't that cruel?"

Her face went pale as my words sank in. Her lips trembled, but no sound came out.

I looked at her coldly and handed over the divorce agreement. "Nyra, let's get a divorce. I've already signed it. You don't have to fake it anymore. I'm stepping aside for him."