All Chapters of Under the Sky, We Break Apart: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The next second, a piercing alarm sent Lance springing to his feet.It was the flight line emergency alarm.Grounded for the past year, Lance had been assigned to maintain the fighter jets on the ground.He rushed outside.Not far from the hangar, Lance's heart sank at the sight that greeted him.Andre was standing beside the fighter jet Lance had spent five years protecting, and in his hand was a detonator.It was a last-resort measure, used only when a fighter jet faced an uncontrollable threat."Put that down!" Lance shouted.Andre jumped in fright. "Oh, it's you. I was just carrying out a routine inspection of the fighter jet.""I said put down the detonator." Lance approached him slowly, his voice cold and resolute. "That's not a toy."But Andre suddenly shuddered as though he had been terribly frightened, then slammed his hand down on the device."No!"Lance lunged forward, but he was a fraction of a second too late.A deafening explosion erupted, and the shock wave

"Andre!" Elvira shouted, chasing after him.Just as Lance was about to lower the landing gear, a figure suddenly darted onto the runway.He yanked back on the control stick, and the landing gear scraped past the edge of the runway.The fighter jet went off balance and slammed into the guardrail beside the runway, sending sparks flying.Lance slammed into the instrument panel, spitting out mouthfuls of blood. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was Elvira cradling Andre, who had collapsed limply on the ground, protectively in her arms.She didn't even spare a glance in Lance's direction.At the hospital, Lance had no idea how long he'd been unconscious.But the moment he opened his eyes, Elvira grabbed him, her expression grim, and dragged him into another hospital room."Lance." Elvira looked at him and said in a voice that brooked no argument, "Apologize to Andre. Your reckless landing frightened him so badly that he sprained his ankle and can no longer walk. Hur

The Lance who used to cry over Elvira, smile because of her, and give everything he had for her seemed to have disappeared."Get some rest," Elvira finally said as she suppressed the strange unease stirring within her. "I'll come see you tomorrow."The door closed.Lance's right wrist was throbbing with pain when his phone suddenly rang. It was the emergency call ringtone from the convalescent home.Paying no attention to his injured wrist, he immediately answered."Mr. Archer, Mrs. Holden Senior has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. The doctors are trying to save her, but they say her condition is critical. You'd better get here immediately. This may be your last chance to see her."Lance's heart seemed to stop. He ripped the needle from his hand, then stumbled out of bed and rushed out of the hospital room.But Elvira was waiting at the elevator, looking equally frantic. She blocked his path."Move!" he rasped, trying to push past her. "Grandma is critically ill!""Andre

Lance once bled from every orifice during a thunderstorm. Another time, he suffered multiple comminuted fractures throughout his body.And in the most recent incidents, he had never once tried to garner sympathy by playing up his injuries. He rarely even cried out in pain.In truth, Elvira preferred Lance's resilient nature. Men like Andre, who never seemed to grow up, sometimes wore her out.But then she reminded herself that Andre had endured more than ten days of captivity as a child. It was only natural that he would be psychologically scarred and more emotionally fragile."It's okay now," she said gently. "It's all over."Andre asked hoarsely, "Will you always stay with me?"Elvira paused. "I'll always look after you. But Andre, you're a grown man now. Sometimes, you need to learn to face things on your own.""No!" Andre clung to her. "You're all I have! If you abandon me too, I'll truly have nothing left!"…Outside the window, the sky was growing dark.Elvira checked t

On the other side of the ocean, Lance arrived at the airport with just a small suitcase.He stopped at the arrivals gate and drew a deep breath.He had come to keep an appointment."Lance!" someone called his name.He looked up and saw Edith standing a short distance away. She wore a light-colored shirt dress and carried herself with quiet elegance and gentle grace.Unlike the meticulous scientist he had met during the escort mission, she now looked more like she had when they first met at the flight academy."Professor Crawford," he greeted her with a nod."We're not at the research institute anymore. Just call me Edith," she said, smiling warmly. "Come on, the car's outside."The drive to his new home was quiet. Watching the streets slip past the window, Lance suddenly found himself remembering something from many years ago.Back then, he had been a flight academy student competing in the national flight simulation championship, while Edith had represented the aerospace engi