He was here once?" Hera repeated.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Give me the spare keycard. I want to check the room."

She moved with purpose and unlocked the door. What was that man planning now?

Hera scanned the room. None of the hotel's amenities showed any signs of use. No evidence suggested anyone had lived here.

It was true, then. Sebastian had stayed only briefly before leaving. But why had he come here at all? For his suitcase?

Hera realized she had overlooked that his suitcase was gone. Then, her eyes fixed on a familiar laptop—hers.

"There you are," she murmured. Her gaze shifted to something resting on top. A letter.

The word "Farewell" was written on it. Its message was obvious.

"So this is your latest stunt, Sebastian? No calls or texts, ignoring my calls, leaving a farewell letter, and then disappearing on me?" Hera sneered. "Pathetic."

She tossed the letter into the bin without reading it.

He could vanish all he wanted. Hera doubted he had the nerve to stay away forever. Besides, this worked in Bobby's favor too. She wanted Sebastian gone for now. Whether he holed up in the hotel or somewhere else made no difference.

She pulled a chair from the table and started working on her laptop.

…

Hours passed. Dusk settled over the sky. Hera stood, stretched, and checked her phone.

The only messages came from Edmund—covertly flirtatious texts. No sign of Sebastian.

"He's really going all in on this?" Hera muttered.

She ignored Edmund's texts and scrolled through her conversation with Sebastian. His last message was days old.

Sebastian: [There's a hotel that's on fire! I have to help out!]

Sebastian: [What would you like to have for dinner? I'll buy the ingredients from the grocers once I'm done with my assignment!]

Sebastian: [Don't worry about me, okay?]

The hotel fire was how Sebastian found out about Edmund and Bobby. After that, he stopped messaging her altogether. Hera hadn't replied to a single one of his texts anyway.

Still, she felt strangely adrift. His concern, always tucked into those messages, had become a constant she didn't realize she'd come to expect. Without it, something felt off.

She stared at her phone, growing increasingly irritated.

"Whatever," she muttered.

The screen went black.

Her eyes drifted back to the farewell letter in the trash. Just a few hours ago, she hadn't cared what it said. Now, her curiosity swelled.

"Fine. I'll bite. Let's see how much effort you've put into this latest charade," she grumbled, fishing the letter out of the bin.

Sebastian's handwriting jumped out at her. As she read, her shock only deepened.

[Hera,

[I have made up my mind. You may disagree or argue about the timing with your religious obligations, but our relationship is over.

[I have decided to step out of your life so you and your true love can be together…]

"My… true love?!" Her face twisted in a grimace. "What does he know?!"

Her mind raced to her laptop and the Discord app. Since no one else usually accessed her laptop, Hera never bothered to disable Discord's auto-launch feature when the system started.

In other words, Sebastian had seen their conversation. Every single word.

[Bobby is your biological son, isn't he? You had him with Edmund.

[What I don't understand is why you went through the exhausting act of dating me, hiding things from me, and then enduring a marriage with me for half a decade. Wasn't it suffocating? Wasn't it tormenting?

[From my side, you showed me how much of a fool I was to hold on to you for five years. I ran out of tears, but I wasn't crying for you—I was crying for myself. My heart ached for me.

[As your ex-husband, I hate you. But as a firefighter, I have no regrets about saving your life and theirs. Now, I am a firefighter again. I have an assignment to carry out.

[You can imagine I die on duty if you want, because no matter what happens, we will never see each other again.

[Take care, Hera.

[Farewell.]

Hera's self-assurance vanished. The letter slipped from her fingers, and her mind went blank.

Sebastian had seen their conversation. Worse, it was the very day she had attended Bobby's Parent-Teacher Conference.

There was hardly anything he hadn't discovered.

Sebastian's determination was unmistakable. His words struck her like a hammer pounding her chest. She felt suffocated, her throat tightening.

When she finally regained control, she grabbed her phone and called him again.

"Listen! This isn't what you think! Yes, I had some kind of relationship with Edmund in the past. But that doesn't mean I cheated after we married!" she babbled to herself as she waited for the call to connect. "How dare you throw this at me, Sebastian? You can't decide if the marriage is over on your own. This is a partnership! How dare you disrespect me like this?"

She was panicking, but why? She hadn't done anything that counted as cheating.

How could he just leave without a word, acting like some hotshot? Sebastian used to share everything with her. He always sought her counsel and opinion. Even knowing why he changed didn't make it acceptable.

She remembered he had gone on a dangerous assignment. Now, he wasn't answering.

Her panic grew. Her heart raced. "He shouldn't be offline this long. No mission lasts this long... Is he... still alive?"

She kept calling, but none of her calls went through.

She switched to calling her assistant.

"Good evening, ma'am. How can I help?"

"Morgan, search for any fire or natural disaster reports from the past few days. I need details on their severity and which city fire teams responded. Focus on the Beta Team—that's Sebastian's." Her heart pounded harder. "Do it quickly, Morgan. I want a report as soon as possible."

"Understood."

Morgan stared at his phone, confused. This was the second time today he'd seen his employer act strangely. She had never shown concern for fires or firefighting in the city before.

He began pulling up information, muttering, "My boss is acting a little off, huh?"

Half an hour later, Hera received the report she had been waiting for.

Morgan: [I found it. There hasn't been any fire in Astergard recently, but there's a wildfire in the mountains west of here. Reports say many firefighters from nearby towns have died trying to contain it, which is why Mr. Grimwald and his team were sent to assist.]

Hera's face turned pale as she sprang from the bed. She trembled, her fingers shaking so violently that typing a reply became a struggle.

Hera: [What is the current situation? Any casualties on his team?]

Her emotions blurred into a suffocating haze. All she felt was a choking grip from this unknown fear.

Morgan: [I'm not sure. No reliable updates yet. The wildfire is reportedly coming under control. Ms. Bishop, I'm confident Mr. Grimwald will be fine.]

Hera closed her eyes, helpless. Only she knew Sebastian had shut off his phone long ago. She feared the tone in his farewell letter hinted he might have accepted this mission with a death wish.

She reopened her eyes and texted Morgan.

Hera: [Understood. Thank you. Send me the wildfire's location. I'm going there.]

No matter their personal troubles, Sebastian remained her legal husband. She had the right to see him—alive or dead.

Morgan: [Yes, ma'am. By the way, Mr. Castle made a reservation at a fine dining restaurant for tonight. He thought you had been too busy to answer his texts. Should I inform him?]

Hera made one of her fastest decisions.

Hera: [Tell him to cancel it. I have urgent business tonight.]

Morgan: [Understood.]

Even after the call ended, Hera's nerves did not settle. She could hardly wait for Morgan to send the location. Soon, she found herself speeding west on the freeway. Five minutes later, Morgan sent the coordinates with a warning to be careful.

Hera didn't respond. She pressed the accelerator harder as her car raced forward.

"You better not be dead, Sebastian. You can't just end this without a clear reason. I won't allow it," she muttered.

The GPS estimated the trip would take an hour, but Hera arrived in 40 minutes. Anxiety tightened with every mile. Even from afar, she smelled smoke.

As she approached, the charred forest floor and blackened trunks came into view. Soot and ash covered the ground. She could almost picture Sebastian's fate.

Hera held her breath and pressed the pedal deeper.

Finally, she reached the end of the road. She stepped out, her eyes darting nervously among the firetrucks and campsites. A few uniformed figures hurried about.

'This is it!' she thought and strode toward it.

A few steps in, Hera heard people crying inside a tent. Her heart skipped a beat as she quickened her pace.

'I'm here now, Sebastian. You better be alive,' she thought, her worry tightening her chest.

She reached the camp and faced a grim scene. Firefighters stood alongside ordinary people, all gathered around tents. Each group sobbed beside bodies covered with white sheets.

She froze, her knees threatening to buckle as a chilling thought struck her. 'What if Sebastian lies beneath one of these sheets?'

Her mind blanked under the weight of emotion. She refused to accept it. There was no way she would.

Her eyes reddened. Being near death might tarnish her aura as an Awakenist, but she no longer cared. She began lifting every white sheet within reach. "Sebastian? Are you here?"

She lifted one sheet. No.

That one wasn't him either.

Within minutes, she had revealed several corpses. None resembled Sebastian. Still, she did not relax—too many bodies remained, and hope felt fragile.

As she moved from one body to the next, a young man returned to the camp carrying an injured teammate. His eyes locked on Hera.

He froze. Why the hell was she here?

I rubbed my eyes in disbelief. No, my vision was clear. It was Hera Bishop—my soon-to-be ex-wife.

Was she here for me?

I stayed in the corner, watching her check every face beneath the sheets. Her panic was overwhelming. I had never seen her this worried about me before.

It felt as if all the coldness and indifference she had shown me over the years had never existed. For a moment, I thought maybe she still loved me.

Did she still love me?

I wanted to rush to her, to call out. But the moment I took a step forward, I stopped.

In my mind, I saw her and Edmund standing on the stage in Bobby's classroom. I heard her spinning tall tales about their romantic journey. I saw them kiss.

My heart stung, and my hope faded. There was no way she still cared for me. She was probably here to yell at me for wanting a divorce, since this time she was the one reacting to my decision.

My excitement drained away. Her panic no longer moved me.

I would leave her be. I had decided our relationship was over. There was no reason to look back now. Love or hate, her feelings no longer mattered.

In a way, the husband who loved her died in that fire. I was his rebirth, and she would never be part of this new life.

I turned away, left quietly, found a corner where she couldn't see me, and resumed my work.

I wasn't even worried about my teammates recognizing her. Hera never attended any work events anyway. Who would know this stunning woman was my wife?

I watched as grieving family members berated Hera for lifting the sheets off their loved ones. She left, forlorn and defeated. I looked away, uninterested in where she disappeared.

Unbeknownst to me, Hera was nearing a breakdown in her car.

Hera could no longer hold back her emotions and burst into tears. "Sebastian, you bastard! How could you leave me like that?"

She had been terrified. She feared none of the bodies belonged to Sebastian. Yet she feared even more what she would see when lifting the sheets and facing his face.

Calmness or stoicism was impossible. She sat on pins and needles. Was he dead? Really dead?

Years of practicing Awakenism had convinced Hera she had strong mental fortitude. This moment shattered that belief completely. She buried her head in the steering wheel and wept.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

Hera jolted upright and grabbed it. Could it be Sebastian?

Her mind raced, making excuses for his silence. He was busy with his mission. He had no time or energy to update her. Of course. Maybe his phone was off because he couldn't charge it on the mountain.

'Either way,' she reassured herself mentally, 'Sebastian still loves you. He still holds you dear.'

That had to be why he was calling the moment he could. Hera felt a flicker of hope. Then she glanced at the screen and saw it was just "Ed."

"What?!" she cried in disbelief.

Until now, nothing repulsed her more than seeing Sebastian's name flash on her screen. Edmund's name had always made her smile.

Now the opposite was true. She wished it was Sebastian.

Her phone rang again. Hera scanned the forest around her and closed her eyes wearily.

She opened them, wiped away her tears, and composed herself. She started the car and answered, "Hi, Ed."

"Ira! Why haven't you replied to my messages today? Are you okay?"

Hera hesitated before replying, "I… I was busy at work. What's going on?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Bobby kept pestering me to see you. I was at my wit's end! Haha. That's why I'm calling." He paused and asked gently, "I hope I'm not bothering you?"

Before Hera could respond, Bobby snatched the phone. "Mommy! Where are you? Are you coming home? We miss you! Daddy planned to eat something good, but you're not here, so he's sad…"

"But he brought the good stuff home! Will you eat with us?"

Hera's eyebrows relaxed. She took a deep breath and smiled.

"Oh, is that all?" she said, her voice brightening with effort. "Please tell Daddy I'm sorry, okay? Wait for me. I'll be home soon and we can have dinner together!"

Bobby cheered.

Edmund took back the phone. "Alright. Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Got it. Drive safely. I'll be waiting at home with Bobby."

"I know," Hera replied softly.

The call ended. So did her pretense. Her smile faded and her eyes darkened. Quickly, she called her assistant again.

"Good evening, ma'am."

"I need you to check the list of firefighters who died on duty during this event. See if… If Sebastian is among them," she said carefully.

Morgan froze. "What?! Is it that serious? Give me a moment! I'll get the data as soon as I can."

"It's not that urgent," Hera said softly and glanced out at the campsite through the window. "You can tell me tomorrow at work. I don't want to be disturbed tonight."

"Understood, ma'am."

Hera set the phone down. Without hesitation, she pressed the pedal and drove off.

For an Awakenist, life came full of trials. The emotions that rose with them were just as much a part of the test as the hardship itself.

Hera couldn't stop herself from feeling, but that didn't mean she had no control over how long those feelings ruled her. Staying there wouldn't help. Sebastian might still be out there, battling the fire. He might be avoiding her out of resentment. Or he might be lying among the bodies she hadn't been able to identify.

She would have her answer by tomorrow. For tonight, she needed to focus on the time she still had with Bobby.

…

Albert narrowed his eyes at the car disappearing in the distance. He turned to me with a thoughtful look. "That car looks familiar, Grimwald. Seems like the one you have at home. Was that your wife?"

My heart skipped a beat, but I forced a calm smile.

"No, Captain Holst. That's not our car," I lied, shaking my head.

"Huh. Maybe someone took a wrong turn," he muttered. "Did you tell her how you've been these past few days?"

"I did. She knows I'm safe, Captain Holst."

"Good. Our work here is almost done. I've heard the last part of the fire has been put out." He sighed with relief. "Thank God. Looks like we survived this battle. We'll regroup tomorrow and head home. I want to send every one of you straight back."

My teammates cheered. They could finally go home. Everyone was overjoyed.

Except me. I had no home to return to.

I remembered Hera's departure and fell silent. How was I supposed to believe her? She had seemed panicked when looking for me, only to start smiling happily during her call.

It had to be Edmund on the other end. I just knew it.

I saw her pick up the call. It made me feel glum. The familiar pain I had come to know surged back in full force.

I figured she came just to look around, like a tourist.

This time, I buried the pain deep inside my chest and let nothing show on my face.