I Finally Let Go of My Wife After 20 Years

Nathan said nothing more. He turned and left the hospital without looking at Yara.

In the days that followed, Nathan packed his things for Javerton and focused on his physical training. He did not see Moon again, nor did he go to the hospital to check on Yara.

He had finally accepted the truth. They had no place for him in their hearts.

He would not humiliate himself by clinging to them.

…

The day Nathan was leaving was also the day Yara was discharged from the hospital.

For the first time in a long while, Moon called. Her voice was still a little cold, but the sharpness was gone from it.

“Yara’s coming home today. Make some at noon. Let’s have a family lunch to celebrate.”

Nathan paused. The words “family lunch” hit him straight in the heart.

In his past life, Moon had only returned twice during the twenty years she was away.

Each time, she stayed two or three hours before rushing off with the excuse of catching a train.

In those twenty years, the three of them never shared a proper family meal.

By the time he died, that wish had never come true.

This time, Nathan decided to make it happen.

He would finish what he could not in his past life.

He would close that chapter of his life and begin a new one full of possibilities.

After packing his things, Nathan cooked a huge meal and waited for Moon and Yara to come home.

The clock on the wall ticked steadily.

The time went from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., but they still had not returned.

Nathan had a feeling that they would not come home.

Just as he expected, the phone rang.

Moon’s voice was unusually apologetic as she said, “Xavier has been taking care of Yara these past few days. I want to take him out to lunch to thank him. We won’t be coming home for lunch today.”

There was a brief pause on the other end. Then, a hesitant voice said, “Why don’t you come too?”

Yara’s voice drifted into Nathan’s ears.

“Dad hasn’t come to see me at all these past few days. Why should he come with us to eat? I don’t want to see him! This lunch is just for Dr. Quinn.”

Nathan did not feel sad. He chuckled instead.

“I won’t come. You two enjoy your meal.”

He paused, then added, “Moon, Yara, goodbye.”

With that, he hung up.

Outside, he could faintly hear the sound of a horn.

Nathan took his suitcase from the bedroom and placed the divorce certificate under an untouched plate of food.

He looked around the house one last time. This was the place where he had spent nearly forty years of his life, combining the past and the present.

He would never return here.

As the car drove toward Javerton, the buildings of Southwest Military Command slowly receded.

From that day onward, he would be stationed in Javerton while Moon and Yara would be in the South Sea.

They would be separated in the north and south and probably would never meet again.

Nathan would spend the rest of his life flying in the sky and guarding the country’s airspace.