Beyond the Divorce

I fell asleep in this state, haunted by bizarre nightmares. One moment, I couldn't find Ava. In the next, Atlas was nowhere to be found.

In another dream, I was a beautiful little girl, walking hand in hand with a handsome young man. We appeared to be heading home together after school, jumping and skipping happily as we entered a grand gate.

The gate was truly magnificent. As we ran inside, we saw many people rushing back and forth, but I couldn't see their faces.

The young man released my hand and ran towards a small building. I called after him while chasing him inside.

There was a lot of mist. I wanted to yell, but nothing came out. White fog covered everything, making it impossible for me to locate the young man. I was nervous.

I saw a beautiful woman looking back at me through the mist. Her appearance was so clear, and I murmured, "Mom!"

She smiled and walked inside. Her face was beautiful. I wanted to ask her where the young man was, but she entered the small building, and I quickly followed.

That building had a very large, vacant, and cold living room. The previous group of people vanished out of nowhere.

Next to the large living room was a small hall with a white piano. I touched the piano, running my fingers over the raised golden letters on the lower right corner of the lid. The touch felt real, but I could not read what it said.

I sat, carefully opened the piano lid, and began to play. The melody was harmonious and lively.

Before long, a few people gathered around the piano, including the beautiful woman I had seen earlier. Behind her stood a scholarly-looking man who smiled gently at me with his arm around the woman. Suddenly, I noticed the young man I was looking for sitting beside me. We played the piano together, and I was immersed in the music.

The other couple, presumably husband and wife, also watched us. Standing close to one another was a tall man next to a calm and kind woman. Occasionally, they shared knowing smiles, talking about something.

The scene was harmonious.

But the next moment, everything vanished, leaving only the kind woman. Black blood flowed from the corners of her eyes and mouth.

"Chloe, what's wrong?"

I felt a warm and robust arm pulling me close. I tightly grabbed onto Atlas' hand, staring wide-eyed in terror.

"Don't be afraid, Chloe! Look, I'm here!"

I took a moment to gather myself. My heart was still pounding, and I felt bewildered, unsure if I was in a dream or reality.

When I focused on Atlas's handsome face, I weakly leaned into his embrace.

"What happened? Did you have a nightmare?" He held me gently as he asked.

"What time is it?" I asked, deflecting the question.

Atlas checked the time and replied, "It's almost five!"

"I wonder if she's sleeping well," I said.

Atlas firmly grasped my arm, comforting me. "You can rest easy! That man is her biological father, right?"

I smiled bitterly. "Biological father?"

"Get some more sleep!" He coaxed, and I could only close my eyes and nuzzle into his embrace.

However, my mind wasn't calm. Various thoughts and images kept emerging.

Biological father! Where was my biological father? Is there any news from the Triple Alliance? How is my dad doing?

This chaotic stream of thoughts prevented me from falling back to sleep.

After a while, Atlas got up when he

sensed I hadn't gone to bed. He turned on the small lamp and

stretched. "Want to go for a run

together?"

"Run?" I questioned.

I turned to look out the window, and the day was already breaking.

I reached for my phone and checked the time-it was already 6 a.m., and there were still three hours before Ava went to kindergarten.

"Okay! Let's do some exercise!" I

up

said, lifting the blanket. Getting. and walking around was better than lying there feeling extremely sore.

We got out of bed, changed into

Star, and headed dowsurelyText property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

He joined me for a

jog in the direction of the orchard.

"Atlas, any news from the Triple Alliance?" I suddenly asked.