As her words left her lips, both Reaghan and Norella turned to her, surprise flickering in their eyes.

Reaghan quickly dropped Norella’s hand, his cheeks turning a shade of red. “No need for a hospital. A band-aid will do.”

Raiden’s gaze shifted to her, sharp and expectant, silently demanding the first aid kit.

Once, a look like that would have sent her scrambling, her hands already reaching for the kit before he could show a hint of impatience.

But now? It didn’t matter. She didn’t care anymore.

“The kit’s in the second drawer of the TV cabinet,” she said, unmoving, her voice steady.

Raiden’s jaw clenched and the flicker of irritation in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed.

Instead, Norella crouched down, her fingers swiftly finding the first aid kit. “Raiden, it’s right here, iodine and cotton swabs, too.”

Reaghan leaned in with a curious gaze and Norella’s eyes sparkled. “Reaghan, you’re growing up fast. Do you think you can help Auntie clean the wound?”

“Of course!”

With a serious nod, Reaghan carefully dabbed iodine on the wound, his little breath gently blowing on it as if it could ease the pain.

Norella’s lips curled into a proud smile. “Our Reaghan is something special. Raiden, he’s learned so much from you.” Her gaze lingered on Raiden, her eyes soft with warmth.

Raiden cleared his throat, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, his ears turning a subtle shade of red.

Reaghan puffed out his chest. “Of course! When I grow up, I’ll protect Dad and Aunt Norella.”

A surge of bitter emotion swirled in Astrella’s chest.

She couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh, bitterly amused at herself.

The day after she gave birth, she started washing Reaghan’s diapers, which continued until he was three.

When Raiden had insisted their child shouldn't be subjected to rote learning, she had stayed home, carefully teaching him each lesson.

Years of meticulous effort, yet none of it had ever been acknowledged or appreciated.

To them, father and son alike, no matter how much she did, it was met with cold indifference.

She turned, heading back to her room and overheard Norella’s warm laughter behind her.

“Reaghan, Raiden, you two are wonderful; you’ve given me the warmth of a real family.”

Reaghan kissed Norella’s cheek.

“Aunt Norella, you’re better than my mom. Why don’t you stay and be my mom instead?”

Astrella pressed her lips together, her gaze steady and silent. She turned and entered her room, the laughter and words echoing in her ears.

She opened the bookshelf, tossing aside parenting books and children’s lesson plans, dumping them into a bamboo basket before dragging it outside.

Only Norella was in the living room; Raiden and Reaghan had gone to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Engrossed in a TV shopping ad, Norella turned quickly at the sound of movement.

Her brows knitted in confusion. “What’s in the basket?”

Astrella’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Just some useless things. I’m thinking of selling them for scrap.”

Norella stood, lifting the lid and finding the basket brimming with early childhood education books. “Why are you throwing away books? That’s so uncultured! These are good books. How can you be a mother like this? No wonder Reaghan isn’t close to you.”

Astrella opened her mouth to respond, but her gaze shifted to Raiden emerging from the kitchen. She clamped her lips shut, swallowing her words instead.

Norella’s tone softened instantly, her gaze shifting to Raiden as her lips curved into a warm smile. “Raiden, look at these books Astrella is planning to throw away. What a waste! If we used these to educate Reaghan, maybe he’d turn out as impressive as you one day!”

Raiden glanced at the bamboo basket, wiping his hands slowly. “No need. We weren’t raised with books back then and didn’t we turn out fine? Don’t trouble yourself over it.”

At his words, Norella’s eyes suddenly welled with tears, her voice thick with emotion.

“Raiden, are you still upset about me leaving to study abroad? I never said goodbye, leaving you to bear the pain alone. It was my fault. I came back to make it right. Please, let me do more for you.”

Raiden was slightly startled. His gaze dipped and his lashes, dark as crow feathers, trembled ever so slightly.

It seemed like his mind wandered back to that year, the year his mother passed, his father abandoned them and the weight of tuition had been too heavy to bear, leaving him a shell of himself, drifting without purpose.

“Forget it. You had your reasons.” His voice softened as he gently wiped Norella’s tears away. “Given everything, I can understand.”

Astrella, however, felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness. She glanced at the clock on the wall, slipped on her coat and moved to leave.

“Where are you going now?”

Raiden frowned, his gaze sharp with confusion. This wasn’t like her.

In the past, she always told him where she was going. If he ever said he didn’t like it or didn’t want her to leave, she’d quietly listen and stay without question. But now, it felt like she had turned into someone else entirely.

Norella quickly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, forcing a gentle smile. “Astrella, I know this talk of the past must be difficult for you. Why don’t we go out and clear our heads a little?”

Astrella made her way to the night market, a determined air about her. She spread an old bedsheet on the ground and boldly scrawled a sign. [2 dollars per item, nothing left behind!]

Raiden’s expression darkened as he watched her set up the makeshift stall. “Astrella, what are you doing? Are you trying to embarrass me? Do you think I can’t afford to take care of you?”

Before Astrella could respond, Norella tugged at Raiden’s arm, her voice calming, “Raiden, don’t be upset. Let’s walk over to the candied hawthorn stand instead.”

The mention of the sweet treat immediately caught Reaghan’s attention. He beamed and eagerly followed Norella, his mood shifting instantly.

Once the trio had walked away, Astrella set to work, pulling out the items she intended to sell. There were fountain pens, a few worn books, plush toys with frayed edges and some handmade trinkets she had crafted herself.

As Reaghan happily licked his candied hawthorn, he suddenly froze mid-bite. His gaze fixed on a child nearby, who was holding a bamboo dragonfly in their hand.

“Dad, that looks like mine,” he murmured, his voice filled with curiosity.

Raiden glanced down at the fountain pen in the father’s hand and a wave of recognition washed over him. The sleek, silver pen was too familiar to be a coincidence.

Raiden quickly pulled Reaghan back, making his way toward Astrella’s stall. A crowd had already begun to gather around it. He shoved his way through the onlookers, only to spot her handing over a small glass horse to a man in exchange for two dollars.

"You’re not selling that!"

"Why not? I paid for it. It's mine now," the burly man said, slipping the glass horse into his pocket with a smug smile, radiating arrogance.

Raiden’s frustration bubbled to the surface. "Because it’s mine!"

The man chuckled. "Yours? Will it answer to your call?"

Laughter rippled through the crowd at the remark and a few eyes turned to Raiden, making snide comments.

"Got a family, yet still spouting nonsense!"

Astrella remained silent, simply tucking the two dollars into her wallet, unbothered by their ridicule.

Raiden, his patience fraying, grabbed her hand, his voice tight with emotion.

"Astrella, have you lost your mind? Why are you suddenly selling our things?"

Our things?

Even Reaghan’s temper flared. "Mom, why’d you give away my bamboo dragonfly too?"

Astrella cast a brief glance at Reaghan, who was still happily munching on his candied hawthorn. Her voice was unshaken, but there was an edge to it.

"Didn’t you say you liked the frisbee Norella gave you more?"

Then, she shifted her gaze to Raiden, her tone hardening, her voice colder.

"And didn’t you say you didn’t want these things and I could give them away to anyone? What’s the problem now? I sold them and that’s suddenly wrong?"

Every item she’d sold today had been carefully chosen, gifts she’d poured love into for the father and son. Yet neither Raiden nor Reaghan had shown any care for them.

And now, when they were sold for barely anything to strangers, they suddenly seemed valuable?

Things that weren’t cherished were simply misplaced treasures.

Raiden’s silence seemed to scream frustration, but Norella’s voice cut through the tension, laced with guilt.

"Forget it, Raiden," she said, her voice filled with remorse. "Astrella’s clearly upset with me. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have gotten so close to you two."

Astrella’s words rippled through the crowd, sparking hushed whispers.

"A man caught between two women, what’s that about?"

"He seems so polished, but who knew he was such a charmer?"

Raiden’s face darkened at once, his jaw tightening as he grabbed Reaghan’s hand. Without sparing a glance, he stormed off, his steps heavy and fast.

Norella, on the edge of tears, hesitated for a moment before scrambling to follow him, her heels clicking nervously against the pavement. But the rush caught her off guard. She stumbled, losing her balance and falling hard.

Raiden turned in an instant, his instincts kicking in. He shot a quick, pointed glance at Astrella, then hurried to Norella’s side, lifting her effortlessly into his arms. With one last look at Astrella, he walked away, the tension between them as thick as ever.

As Raiden and Norella disappeared from view, Astrella calmly finished selling the last of her items. She paused for a moment, her gaze steady as the crowd began to disperse and then, with two boxes of steaming buns in hand, she made her way toward the residential compound for faculty families.

It was a place she’d visited often, a second home of sorts, where the retired professors lived quietly, relying on each other for support. Many had no families to care for them and the simplest tasks became increasingly difficult with age. Astrella had seen their struggles and stepped in without a second thought, bringing meals, doing laundry and helping with the day-to-day chores. One of them had even been the mentor of her late coach, a connection that had always stayed with her.

With her departure looming, she felt a deep urge to see if there was anything more she could do for them one last time.

To her surprise, as soon as Astrella stepped into the building, her eyes were drawn to the funeral wreaths that lined the entrance. A chill ran through her as she knocked on the door, waiting through a long silence before it finally creaked open.

When she learned that her late coach’s mentor had passed away as well, she could feel the weight of the news settle heavily on her chest. Her heart ached as tears welled up and without a second thought, she left every bit of money she had on her with the family before leaving, the grief too overwhelming to express in words.

Returning home, her steps felt heavy and the restlessness in her heart refused to settle. She switched on the desk lamp, its warm glow falling on the model airplane displayed on the table. She sat there for what felt like an eternity, her thoughts drifting.

Outside, the sounds of doors opening and closing, punctuated by the laughter and lively chatter of others, seemed so near, yet somehow distant from her own turmoil.

She picked up the borrowed English cassette from the library, flipped it open and started the familiar routine of listening, repeating the words over and over as if trying to drown out her thoughts.

As she prepared to go to bed, a knock echoed through the quiet room, followed by the unmistakable rattle of the door handle. She waited, heart in her throat, until her pager beeped, bringing her a message.

Raiden: [It’s me. Why are you locking the door now?]

It wasn’t like she’d just started locking it today.

They had been living apart for six months and for six months, Astrella had kept the door locked. Since he hadn’t made the first move to reach out, she had been more than content with the peace it brought her.

When she didn’t respond, another message chimed in. "Open the door!"

Raiden stood outside, the words stirring something in him that he couldn’t quite define. In his mind, Astrella had never been this cold toward him. He couldn’t remember when it had all shifted.

The Astrella he remembered had been like a small sun, always glowing with enthusiasm, chasing after him with eyes full of life. Her gaze had always sparkled when it landed on him, brimming with warmth and affection.

But now, something was different.

Just a few nights ago, when Norella had shown up at their door late, wearing nothing but a bathrobe, Astrella hadn’t even flinched. There was no surprise in her eyes, no reaction at all.

Even when their son became too attached to Norella, clinging to her like a lifeline, Astrella had simply stayed silent.

And now, today, she had done something unimaginable: selling the gifts she had once given them.

A heavy discomfort pressed against Raiden’s chest, like a thick block of cotton, suffocating him with its weight.

Astrella had turned into something cold, a lifeless stone. The warmth and light she once radiated toward him had disappeared, leaving only emptiness.

The thought of it made his heart tighten. As his hand rose to knock on the door, his phone rang, breaking his troubled thoughts.

"Raiden, the university needs you to go on a business trip to Maplewood. With the year winding down, considering your situation, you’re allowed to bring your wife and child. It’ll be a good chance to relax and all expenses will be covered."

Something stirred deep inside him.

Astrella was from Maplewood, yet after their marriage, she had never once returned. She’d been too busy caring for him.

Without thinking, Raiden found himself agreeing to the offer, the words slipping out of him as if they were the only solution.

After hanging up, a faint smile tugged at his lips, the first one in what felt like ages. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, soft, delicate hands snaked around his waist, pulling him gently back.

“To Maplewood? The snowy scenery at Pinecrest Lake is absolutely breathtaking. Can you take me with you?”

Before he could respond, Reaghan emerged from his room, clutching his Ultraman toy with excitement.

“Dad, take Aunt Norella and me to Maplewood! We don’t need Mom anymore!”