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!”

Yara’s innocent voice hit Nathan straight in the heart and drained all his strength.

Perhaps she had been thinking about him and Moon being divorced all this time.

It took him a moment to collect himself to speak up. He looked at Yara and asked, “Yara, if your mother and I separate, who would you want to live with?”

Without hesitation, Yara said, “Of course, Mom! I want Dr. Quinn to live with us too!”

The hope and excitement in her eyes cut deep. Nathan felt his eyes sting with tears.

This was the daughter he had raised with all his effort for six years. He truly had failed as a father, just as Moon had said.

Yara’s eyes sparkled. She grabbed the divorce papers from Nathan’s hands.

“Does this mean you can get a divorce once Mom signs it?”

Nathan’s throat tightened, and he could not speak. He nodded.

Yara cheered and ran to the study.

“I’m going to get Mom to sign it right now!”

Nathan forced out a bitter smile.

Did his own child want him to leave this much?

A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. He got up and opened it to find Xavier standing there.

Xavier noticed Nathan’s teary eyes and asked in concern, “Nathan, what’s wrong?”

He paused for a moment, then asked carefully, “Did Moon tell you she was giving the family slot to me? Are you upset about that?

“Nathan, Moon had no choice. The island needs a doctor. You wouldn’t want her to get sick, would you?”

Even though his words were meant to comfort Nathan, the faint smugness in Xavier’s eyes revealed his true intentions.

He was clearly showing him how important he was to Moon and implying that Nathan did not matter to her.

Nathan had already decided not to follow Moon on the deployment. He no longer cared about the slot.

Hearing Xavier’s voice, Moon and Yara quickly came out of the study.

Yara ran into Xavier’s arms and hugged him tightly.

Moon smiled as she watched them.

“Yara really likes you.”

Xavier laughed and patted Yara’s head.

“I like Yara too.”

Watching the heartwarming scene, Nathan blinked. He pushed back his hurt and got ready to leave.

“I’m going to the department store to buy some things.”

He needed to pick up essentials for life in Javerton.

Before he could leave, Xavier smiled and grabbed his hand.

“Nathan, I was planning to go shopping with Moon and Yara today anyway. There’s no place to buy daily supplies on the island, so we need to get ready in advance.

“Come with us! You can help us decide what to get.”

Before he could refuse, Xavier pushed him toward the door. Nathan had no choice but to go with the three of them to the department store.

At the store, Xavier held Yara’s hand and began picking out items.

Moon stayed close behind. She never left their side. She looked like a devoted mother and wife who always kept an eye on her husband and child.

Nathan looked away and went in the opposite direction to choose the things he needed.

As he passed a newsstand, a flyer about pilot recruitment caught his eye.

He picked it up without thinking. The bold headline read: Guard the Skies, Make the Most of Your Youth.

A wave of excitement ran through him.

In this life, he had been successfully selected. He could finally make up for the regrets of his past life.

“What’re you looking at that recruitment flyer for? Are you thinking of applying?” Moon’s low voice came from behind him.

Nathan did not think much and nodded instinctively.

Moon’s face darkened. She stared at him for a long moment before speaking.

“You don’t know anything. How could you possibly be selected? I suggest not to waste your time. Stay here and wait for me to come back for you.”

Yara let out a soft snort and muttered from the side, “Dad only knows how to do laundry and cook. He has no skills at all. There’s no way he could become a pilot.

“Dr. Quinn is better. He’s a doctor who saves lives.”

Her voice was quiet, but both of them heard her clearly.

Moon glanced at her and said nothing.

Nathan looked at the two of them. Their expressions of disdain were exactly the same, and he felt a deep sadness in his chest.

Although he had met Moon through a matchmaking arrangement, he had told her before they married that his father was one of the first generation of Air Force pilots in the country. Inspired by his father, he had trained as a pilot from a young age. His physical condition was far above average.

Five years ago, he had taken part in an Air Force selection program and had been on track to pass.

But Yara was only one year old at the time. He could not bear to leave her, so he gave up the slot.

He had told them about this.

Yet none of them even remembered.

Had they ever truly cared about him?

Nathan wanted to tell them that he had successfully been selected.

But he was worried that if Moon found out, she would stop him from leaving. In the end, he held back.

“I was just looking.”

Moon felt like something was off. Nathan usually only cared about the family. When had he ever paid attention to anything about the military?

Before she could think further, Xavier called out to her. Her attention shifted to him.

Yara quickly grabbed her hand and ran toward Xavier.

Nathan forced out a bitter smile.

Once he left, they would realize that he was more than a stay-at-home dad who cooked and did laundry.