Chapter 5

After leaving the department store, Moon and Yara, as usual, went ahead to drop Xavier off at home. Nathan had no choice but to carry his things and go with them.

By the time he got home, he was completely exhausted. He went straight to bed.

Late at night, Nathan was woken by loud, piercing cries. From the sound of it, it seemed that Mrs. Zane and Mr. Zane were arguing next door.

“You want to leave our daughter and me here alone and run off by yourself? No way! I absolutely won’t allow it!”

“I’m not planning that. I’m just worried that the conditions there are harsh, and you won’t be able to manage. You’ll be much more comfortable if you stay here. How can you twist my words like that?”

“I don’t care! I won’t let you go alone! If you’re going, I’m coming along with our daughter. Otherwise, you’re staying here too!”

…

Nathan heard rustling beside him. Moon was awake too.

The couple next door was still arguing. Moon let out a scoff.

“Married couples aren’t supposed to live apart. If they live apart, can you even call them husband and wife? Mr. Zane is wrong in this.”

Nathan felt a sharp pang in his chest.

So, Moon believed that married couples should stay together.

Yet, in his past life, she had taken Xavier with her and left him alone to take care of Yara in the compound.

Did that mean that, in her heart, Xavier was her true husband and Nathan was only someone who was there to care for Yara and serve her parents?

The thought made Nathan’s chest tighten. Tears welled up in his eyes. He asked in a hoarse voice, “What about you, Moon? Why’re you leaving me in the compound?

“We’re married too. Is what you’re doing any different from what Mr. Zane is suggesting? Or is it that, in your eyes, I was never your husband?”

These questions had weighed on Nathan for two lifetimes. He finally spoke them aloud.

Moon’s voice sounded icy.

“I said I’d come back for you! I thought you’d understand my choice. I didn’t expect you to be so petty!”

Nathan opened his mouth.

He wanted to say that in his past life, she had said the same thing and had never kept her own promise while spending most of her life with Xavier instead.

But who would believe him if he said that?

After everything in the past, he should have known the truth. Moon had never truly loved him.

Nathan closed his eyes and remained silent.

They spent the night in the same bed, but each had their own thoughts.

The next morning, Nathan woke up to find that Moon had already left for her unit.

After Yara finished her breakfast, Nathan picked up her bag to take her to school.

Just as they reached the door, Yara pulled a piece of paper from her bag and handed it to him.

Nathan took it and opened it. It was the divorce papers. At the bottom, Moon’s signature stood out in bold, confident letters.

Yara lifted her head proudly.

“I already got Mom to sign it. Now, you two can get a divorce!”

Nathan had been waiting forever since he had returned to the past for the divorce papers to be signed.

Even so, Moon had been the woman he had loved all his life. Seeing her signature on the paper felt like a knife in his chest.

He stared at it for a long moment and then put it away carefully.

He said tiredly, “I’ll find a time to file for divorce.”

Yara cheered and ran ahead.

When they got to the school area, she stopped.

“Dad, I can go in by myself. You can go back now.”

Nathan saw that the school was close enough, so he said nothing. He waited until she reached the gate before he turned and walked away.

Back at the compound, Nathan organized all the documents he would need for his move to Javerton.

Then, he went through the things in the house that he could not take with him and threw them away.

He figured that soon after he left, Xavier would probably move into the house. It was better for him to clear things out himself than to have someone else throw them out.

Nathan carried things back and forth three or four times.

When he finished with the last batch of junk, he dusted himself off and got ready to head home for a shower.

At that moment, Mr. Zane saw him in the yard and called out in surprise.

“Nathan, why are you still here? Today is the school’s open day for parents. All the other parents are already there. I stayed home because my daughter’s sick. Is Yara sick too?”

Nathan froze.

He had no idea. In his past life, he had never even heard of a school open day for parents.

He did not think much of it and assumed Yara, being young, had simply forgotten to tell him. After thanking Mr. Zane, he hurried to the school gate.

As soon as he arrived, a security guard stopped him.

“Which student’s parent are you?”

Nathan quickly scanned the crowd for Yara. When he finally saw her familiar figure, he discovered someone he knew was holding her hand.

It was Xavier.

The words he was about to shout died in his throat.

Why was Xavier here?

At that moment, Yara’s classmates were introducing their parents.

When it was Yara’s turn, she grabbed Xavier’s hand proudly.

“This is my dad! He’s a doctor! He’s amazing!”