On the day Moon Spencer received the Medal of Honor, she made a public declaration of love on live television to her accompanying military medic, Xavier Quinn.

“If it weren’t for Xavier, I’d have died in that storm at sea. He is the most important person in my life.”

At the same time, her husband, Nathan Johnson, was lying on his deathbed at home. For years, he had taken care of Moon’s parents and raised their child alone. The strain destroyed his health, and he had little time left.

He never expected that after twenty years of sacrifice, he would not even hear a word of thanks from her.

What truly broke him was their daughter’s comment.

“Dad, don’t you think Dr. Quinn and Mom are perfect together? You should leave sooner and make room for him.”

Nathan collapsed in fury and regret. He died that night.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back to the night before Moon left for her coastal deployment.

This time, he refused to stay behind as the forgotten man who kept everything running.

In this life, he would pursue his own dream.

In 1981, at the Air Force pilot selection office of the Southwest Military Command, the commanding officer, Julian Parker, looked at Nathan Johnson with a serious face.

“Nathan, congratulations. You’ve passed the evaluations and been selected as an Air Force pilot.

“But being an Air Force pilot is no simple play. Even after selection, the training will be long and demanding. Are you sure this is what you want?”

Nathan understood Julian’s hesitation. His eyes shone with determination.

“Sir, my father was among the first generation of fighter pilots in this country. A strong father raises a strong son. I won’t quit halfway.”

Julian was convinced and nodded in approval.

“Well said, Nathan. There’s just one thing…”

Something occurred to him. He hesitated and asked, “In fifteen days, your group will leave for training in Javerton, and Moon will be deployed to coastal defense in the South Sea. You two will be in different locations. Has she agreed to this?”

Nathan’s eyes darkened. A wry smile crossed his face.

“She would probably be glad to see me go.”

In his past life, Moon Spencer had given the only accompanying family slot to the military medic, Xavier Quinn.

In the following twenty years, she returned home only twice.

The first time was for their daughter’s coming-of-age, and the second time was when Moon was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Nathan had expected that after holding the family together on his own for twenty years, Moon would at least mention him at the award ceremony. After all, he had worked himself to the point of illness so that she could serve at coastal defense without worry.

But to his surprise, all of Moon’s attention was on Xavier. She had forgotten everything he had done for her.

Even their daughter, whom Nathan had raised alone, thought Moon and Xavier were a better match and felt that he was in the way.

At that moment, Nathan realized how laughable his life had been.

He had given up his dream of flying and spent his life keeping the family afloat.

In return, all he got was his wife’s coldness and his daughter’s disdain.

Fortunately, he had been given a second chance.

This time, he would soar through the skies and live life on his own terms.

After turning in his application, Nathan rode his bicycle back to the compound.

At the corner, he ran into three people.

Moon and Xavier stood on either side of their daughter, Yara Johnson. Each of them held one of her hands.

Yara talked nonstop. Xavier laughed and patted her head.

Moon watched them affectionately with a ghost of a smile in her eyes.

The three of them looked like a happy family.

When Moon noticed Nathan, her face immediately darkened.

“Where were you? How could you leave Yara alone at the clinic with an IV? She’s only six!”

Yara, who had been chatting excitedly with Xavier, stopped. She turned away and snorted coldly.

Nathan clenched his fists and pushed down the hurt he felt in his chest.

“Yara didn’t want me there. She said she wanted Dr. Quinn with her.”

In his past life, Yara had grown very attached to Xavier before he left with Moon.

Nathan had assumed it was because Xavier was good with children, which was why Yara liked spending time with him.

He never realized that Yara had wanted Xavier to be her father.

This time, she would not need to wait for Nathan to die.

In fifteen days, her wish would be fulfilled.

Moon’s expression did not soften at that. Instead, she frowned.

“She’s just a child throwing a tantrum. Do you really want to hold that against her?”

Nathan looked at Yara’s hand. She was gripping Xavier tightly. She was clearly wary of Nathan. It was as if she feared he might pull her away from Xavier at any moment.

In his past life, Nathan had never paid much attention to Yara’s dependence on Xavier. He believed that no matter what she said, he was the one who mattered the most to her.

Then, he realized that children were always honest. She had told him exactly what she meant.

Xavier crouched down and gently pinched Yara’s cheek. He put on a serious face and said, “Yara, you shouldn’t be mad at your father. He works very hard to take care of you.”

Yara pouted. Her voice was full of reluctance.

“But I wasn’t saying that out of anger. I wanted you to stay with me. I don’t want Dad!”

Moon’s frown deepened when she saw the tears in Yara’s eyes. She turned to Nathan with clear displeasure.

“This is not how a father should act! You’ve failed at it. You should put more thought and care into Yara.”

Yara hurried to agree. “Mom, you’re right! Dad doesn’t care about me at all.”

Their words were identical. Nathan felt an ache in his chest. The curve of his smile held nothing but bitterness.

After Yara was born, Moon was constantly away on assignments. Nathan had raised Yara on his own. Every detail of her daily life had been his responsibility.

When Yara fell ill, he stayed by her bedside through the night. When her birthday came, he baked her a cake himself. When she refused to eat and grew thin, he tried every possible way to turn the food she disliked into meals she liked.

Each memory spoke of how much effort he had poured into her.

Yet, in their eyes, he was a father who had failed.

“Believe whatever you want.”

He would be leaving in fifteen days anyway. He no longer wanted to argue with them.

“You—”

Moon opened her mouth, ready to scold Nathan for his indifferent attitude, but Xavier grabbed her sleeve.

He looked guilty as he said, “Moon, it’s all my fault. Don’t argue with Nathan!”

The anger on Moon’s face disappeared immediately. She said softly to Xavier, “It’s not your fault. You helped take care of Yara. I should be thanking you instead.”

Yara threw herself into Xavier’s arms.

“Dr. Quinn, everything I said is true. My teacher said kids can’t lie! I’m not lying! It’s all Dad’s fault! You’re the best person in the whole world.”

Moon glanced at Nathan with a dark face and then turned and walked the other way.

“Xavier, Yara and I will walk you home first.”

Yara grabbed both their hands excitedly.

“Let’s go!”

Nathan stayed where he was and watched the three of them happily walk away. His chest filled with sorrow.

This was the wife and child he had spent his whole life caring for in his past life.

Since they did not like him, this time, he would let them go.

Their figures grew smaller in the distance. Nathan rode his bicycle around the corner and arrived at the city hall.

“Hello, I would like to file for a divorce.”

Divorce was very rare here. The clerk checked repeatedly, and only when he saw the determination in Nathan’s eyes did he hand him the divorce papers.

“All that’s required is for you and your wife to sign this, and the divorce will be processed quickly.”

Nathan carefully put the papers away and returned to the compound.

Moon and Yara had not returned yet. He went into the kitchen, made himself dinner, and ate alone.

After he finished and started washing the dishes, they returned.

Moon looked at the empty dining table and asked, “Why didn’t you make dinner for us?”

Nathan glanced at Yara’s round belly and said calmly, “Didn’t you already eat at Dr. Quinn’s?”

Moon and Yara were picky eaters. Even when someone treated them to a meal outside, they never ate much.

Nathan had spent a long time experimenting with recipes to find the flavors they liked.

No matter how late they came home, he always made dinner enough for three people.

But it seemed that at Xavier’s house, their picky habits vanished miraculously.

It made sense. They were with the person they cared about the most. Around him, they had no trouble finishing their meals.

Moon’s face stiffened. She cleared her throat and said, “We stayed because we couldn’t refuse Dr. Quinn’s invitation.”

Yara patted her round belly and whispered, “Dr. Quinn’s cooking is so good! I wish I could eat his food every day.”

Nathan froze. He felt drained.

He quickly cleaned up, washed up, and lay down on his bed.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt Moon pull him into a warm embrace.

“I need to talk to you about something,” Moon said in a low voice. Nathan felt instantly alert.

Before he could respond, she continued.

“Next month, I’ll be deployed to the South Sea for coastal defense. There’s only one slot for a family member to accompany me. I want to take Xavier along.

“Yara’s too young, so I’ll take her with me as well. You stay here at the compound and take care of my parents. Once I’m settled in the South Sea, I’ll come back for you.”

Nathan felt a sharp ache in his chest. His fists clenched without him realizing it.

It was not a discussion. She was telling him and assumed he could not refuse.

In his past life, Moon had said the same words.

At first, he did not understand why she wanted to give the family slot to Xavier. He was her husband, not Xavier.

Moon explained that the posting was on a remote island. There was no doctor there, and the soldiers often suffered from diseases. That was why she wanted Xavier to go with her.

Nathan had struggled with the idea for a long time but finally agreed. The only condition he had laid down was for Yara to stay behind with him.

Life on the island was harsh, and Moon would be busy with her duties. He worried that she would not be able to take care of Yara.

He would not change his mind, so Moon had made a compromise. Before leaving, she promised she would come back for him and Yara.

But the promise went unfulfilled for the rest of his life.

In the end, Yara blamed him for separating her from Moon. She blamed him for “taking Xavier’s place.”

Thinking back, Nathan realized that the army would have sent a doctor to the island anyway. There was no need for Moon to use the family slot to take Xavier along.

It was simply that she did not want to be apart from him. She wanted to take Yara so that the three of them could live as a family.

He had been foolish not to understand it in his past life.

Nathan felt a heaviness in his chest and found it difficult to breathe.

He pulled away from Moon’s embrace and kept his distance. He said in a low voice, “Fine.”

Moon looked surprised. She had not expected him to agree so quickly. Her gaze was confused and conflicted. She sounded unusually gentle as she said, “Don’t worry. I’ll come back for you. Then, our family will be together on the island.”

Nathan acted as if he had not heard her and closed his eyes.

The next morning, Nathan woke to find Moon already in the study handling official matters.

After breakfast, he took out the divorce papers.

Seeing the bold letters on the page, he felt a little dazed.

Yara jumped down from her chair and walked up to him. Curious, she read the words on the papers aloud.

“D-I-V-O-R-C-E.

“Dad, what does divorce mean?”

Nathan’s hand tightened on the papers. After a pause, he said, “Divorce is when two married people stop living together.”

Yara’s eyes lit up. She said eagerly, “Then, you should hurry and get a divorce from Mom!”