Luna seemed afraid that I'd press further. Huffing with effort, she pulled a stack of textbooks from her backpack.

“Uncle Jason, come quickly!”

She wore a stern little face that struck me as especially adorable, and I couldn’t help but feel a mischievous urge to tease her.

“Sweetheart, Daddy could help with your homework.”

I plopped down beside her. She flinched and darted behind Jason as if I were something contagious.

“Daddy, I don’t have time to play with you. Can you stop being so childish? I have homework to do.

“Mommy's right. You have too much free time.”

Jason gave me an awkward smile, then crouched to comfort Luna.

“Darling, don’t be rude to your Daddy. He rarely gets time to spend with you. And he’s a teacher, he can help you better than I can. Go on, it’ll be fine.”

As Jason gently tried to nudge her toward me, the princess-clad Luna exploded in fury.

She grabbed a piece of fruit from the table and hurled it at me.

“Go away! I don’t want you! I only want Uncle Jason! Why can't you understand? Why did you come back to ruin everything?”

I froze midstep as Luna’s sobs grew louder, more desperate.

“Mommy! I don’t want Daddy! I want Uncle Jason! Mommy!”

Her tears fell like hailstones.

I retreated instantly, forcing a smile around the acid in my throat.

“All right. Daddy won’t come over. Let Uncle Jason help you.”

In our final day together before my departure, I didn’t want to upset her anymore.

No matter how much she hated me, she was still my daughter.

“I’m sorry, Dante. She’s really attached to me,” Jason said with guilt in his eyes.

I shook my head and forced a smile. “It’s fine. You're right to put her first.”

How could I blame him? It wasn’t his fault she didn’t want me.

And besides, if I said even one more word, she’d only cry again.

“If you have nothing to do, Dante, why don’t you go out for a walk instead of coming here just to upset Luna? Honestly, I don’t know how you even call yourself a father.”

Amber Sky stepped out, her gaze filled with contempt.

“Jason’s the one who’s usually here for her. No wonder she doesn’t want to be close to you.”

She made a point of walking past me and slammed her shoulder into mine—hard.

I winced instinctively, a sheen of sweat breaking across my forehead.

My shoulder had already been injured the day before, courtesy of Luna.

I had shown up uninvited at her school’s event, and she’d been furious, embarrassed in front of her classmates.

Before I could react, she had shoved me with all her strength. I crashed into some playground equipment and ended up badly bruised.

Amber knew all of this, and yet, she still rammed into that exact spot.

The message was clear: I wasn't wanted here.

I lowered my head and smiled bitterly before retreating to my bedroom.

“Yay! Mommy chased the bad guy away! I hate him! He's so annoying! All my classmates laugh at me because of him!”

Luna’s triumphant cheers carried through the door, followed by Amber’s laughter.

“All right, all right. If you don’t like Daddy, then from now on, let Uncle Jason take care of everything, okay?”

“Even parent-teacher meetings?”

Luna's innocent question twisted like a knife in my chest. Yet, part of me felt relieved as her attachment to Jason meant my departure wouldn't devastate her.

That afternoon, as I drifted in uneasy sleep, Luna barged in.

A stinging slap landed on my cheek.

“Daddy! Get up already.”

I rubbed my blurry eyes, the physical pain barely registering compared to the ache in my voice.

“Luna…”

The teacher in me wanted to scold her disrespect, but with my departure imminent, the words morphed into strained gentleness.

“What is it, Sweetheart? Did you need something?”

Luna had changed into her pajamas and looked every bit the angelic child.

When I reached to caress her cheek, another slap shattered what remained of my fatherly tenderness.

“Mommy said we’re going out for dinner. It’s Uncle Jason’s birthday today.”

Jason’s birthday?

I pulled out my phone and laughed bitterly.

This date had once marked my wedding anniversary with Amber.

In the past, I'd scour the city for perfect gifts. Now, the thought of buying anything seemed absurd. She wouldn't want tokens from me anymore.

“I understand. You can go ahead now.”

On this final day, I didn’t argue with Amber.

I changed my clothes and followed behind them.

Luna was practically glowing. She skipped along happily as she held Amber’s hand and pulled Jason’s with the other.

“What a beautiful family! You can see the love between them.”

“That little girl's adorable! She has such good genes!”

At the strangers’ praise, Luna darted over and pointed first at me, then Jason.

“Who do I look more like?” She twisted shyly in a practiced, cute pose, eliciting chuckles.

“Why, your Daddy, of course! The one holding your hand! Silly question.”

Amber’s smile froze as she shot me an apologetic glance.

“She's just a child. Don't take it to heart.”

“Actually, Luna has Dante’s features,” Jason declared, just loud enough for the crowd.

In that instant, I sensed a shift in how the others looked at me.

They surely didn’t blame a child so young, but in their eyes, I must be a failing father, and that’s why my daughter preferred a stranger.

“It’s fine,” I said quietly.

Even as I turned to leave, the weight of their assumptions weighed on me.

Luna’s rejection cut deeper than I expected. My own child had openly disowned me in front of strangers.

The dinner passed in a haze, and my distraction didn’t go unnoticed.

Amber grew more annoyed as the hours passed.

“You didn’t have to come if you didn’t want to be here. Who are you trying to impress with that attitude?” she snapped.

Luna kicked my leg under the table.

“It’s Uncle Jason’s birthday. Stop being such a downer. Even my classmates say you never smile.”

Her last words were barely audible, but I heard them.

I’d only attended one of Luna’s school events—that disastrous parent-teacher meeting. She hadn’t invited me, but I’d seen the notice in the group chat and rushed over.

By then, Jason was already there.

Luna had dragged him around, introducing him as her father.

I’d stood frozen and humiliated.

When I tried to leave, Jason had spotted me and called out loudly, drawing attention, making sure Luna felt the sting of my presence.

Now, somehow, I was the one who never smiled.

“Luna… Daddy’s sorry.”

The apology tasted bitter, but I didn’t argue, didn’t get angry.

Amber looked surprised.

In the past, I would have scolded Luna for being so disrespectful.

She’d always hated that and accused me of bringing my “teacher voice” home.

Now that I had stayed quiet, she just scoffed, “Pathetic.”

She turned away, laughing with Jason and Luna as if I didn’t exist.

The table buzzed with warmth, with inside jokes, with a life I wasn’t part of.

Then Luna, swinging her legs, tugged at Jason’s sleeve.

“Uncle Jason, how did you and Mommy meet?”

Her voice was sugar-sweet, eager for a love story—one I wasn’t in.

I turned my head in embarrassment, but their words still reached me.

Jason and Amber’s love story had begun like something out of a fairy tale.

Back then, she’d married me in haste, a decision pressured by her family.

Then Jason appeared.

He was remarkable. Though fully capable of running his own company, he chose instead to stay by Amber’s side as her assistant.

During their time together, their feelings deepened rapidly.

I was furious.

Whether we had a loveless marriage or not, Amber was still my wife.

But Jason believed she deserved better. So he pursued Amber relentlessly.

Amber resisted at first, clinging to her principles. Yet under his devotion, they reached an unspoken agreement: he would remain, not as a lover, but as something undefined.

How poetic.

I turned my face toward the shadows, hiding the redness in my eyes.

Luna raised her brows triumphantly at me.

“Daddy, why didn’t you let Mommy go? All the stories say this is how the prince and princess end up together.”

Her innocent words tore open wounds I’d tried hard to seal.

“Luna—” I began, but Amber quickly cut me off, afraid I’d lose my temper at Luna.

But I just smiled and gently touched Luna’s cheek.

“You’re right, sweetheart. It was Daddy’s fault for standing in the way of the prince and the princess. But from now on, I’ll try to be a proper knight instead. Would that be okay?”

They were the gentlest words I’d ever spoken, yet Luna squirmed away, leaving my hand suspended.

It might have been the most awkward meal I’d ever had, but Luna looked delighted, and Amber’s laughter never once faded.

And that was enough.

No matter how much humiliation I endured, as long as I could be sure they would be happy, that was enough.

Later, I turned down Amber’s offer to walk home together and headed in the opposite direction.

There was no place for me in this city.

My parents lived far away, tucked away in a quiet mountain village.

We were worlds apart.

I had once offered to bring them here, but they had refused.

Now, I needed to give them an explanation.

When the call connected, my Mom’s startled voice rang through the line.

She asked if I was doing well.

I smiled and replied, “I’m doing great, Mom. I—”

But no one knew me better than she did.

Almost instantly, she sensed what I couldn’t yet say.

Her voice softened.

“Dante, you’ve always been strong-willed. You left here all on your own. I’ve always been proud of that.

“All these years, you'd call saying life was good. I couldn't verify it, but this hesitation now… You're finally chasing that dream, aren't you? Your teacher would approve.”

Back in high school, my family couldn’t afford my tuition, so it was my beloved teacher who scraped it together for me. She had asked for nothing in return.

All she ever said was, “You must never forget where you came from. When you make it out, I want you to pass this kindness on.”

That single act had shaped my life's purpose to lead others out of difficult life situations as I'd been led.

“Thank you, Mom, ” I whispered as my voice cracked with emotion.

She began to cry, too.

She didn’t ask about Luna. She didn’t question my decision. She just comforted me.

“Dante, your Dad and I are still healthy. No matter what you decide to do, we’ll support you. As for Luna… we'll keep an eye on her.”

“Mom, I’ve transferred all my savings to you. The divorce papers will reach Amber soon. Whether or not she remarries, Luna must never want for anything.

“As for you and Dad… I owe you everything. I’m sorry.”