Lilith's mind went blank!

All that remained was the warm and unfamiliar embrace, and the cold, ethereal scent that reminded her of the Starborn.

For a long while, Hathaway slowly released Lilith.

She cupped Lilith's small face in her hands, her eyes filled with an indescribable tenderness and guilt.

"Very good... your foundation is solid, and you're even more beautiful than I was at your age."

Her voice was choked with emotion.

But soon, as if remembering something, the light in her eyes dimmed.

Seeing the change in Hathaway's expression, Lilith remained silent.

A storm of emotions stirred within her.

Even though she was still naive, she vaguely guessed what was happening.

"Hathaway..."

Just then, Leo's voice came from the side.

His voice was filled with trembling disbelief and the longing that had been suppressed for countless years.

Hearing the long-lost call, Hathaway's body trembled uncontrollably.

She quickly suppressed all her exposed emotions, returning to her cold and aloof demeanor, turning to look at the source of the voice.

"Hathaway, it's really you... you've finally returned."

Leo's eyes were red as he stared at the woman before him, as though afraid this was all just a dream.

His wife, Hathaway, had finally... returned?

Seeing Leo in this state, Hathaway felt a sharp pain in her heart.

The urge to leap into his arms almost broke her resolve.

But she forcibly suppressed it, responding with a tone that was almost cold and indifferent.

"It's me."

"Hathaway, tell me,"

Leo's voice carried suppressed pain.

"Why did you leave without a word all those years ago? Why?!"

Although he sensed Hathaway's unusual attitude, Leo wanted nothing more than to know the answer to the question that had troubled him for countless nights.

He had always believed she must have had a valid reason.

Hearing Leo's question, Hathaway fell silent.

She lowered her gaze, avoiding his burning stare.

"Does the answer really matter?"

She asked softly, her voice drifting.

"It matters to me!"

Leo's tone was firm and resolute.

At these words, Hathaway slowly closed her eyes, as if making up her mind about something.

When she opened them again, there was only cold resolution in her gaze.

"We... don't belong to the same world. Your sky is too small."

Upon hearing this, Leo was frozen in place.

Not from the same world...

The sky is too small...

Was this the answer he had waited for so many years?

At that moment, the pain in his heart surged like a tidal wave.

"Hathaway, have you encountered some insurmountable obstacle?"

"Tell me, we can face it together, we..."

Leo tried to grasp at the last shred of hope.

However, before he could finish, Hathaway decisively turned away, interrupting him with an even colder, almost deliberately disdainful tone.

"Those who stay by my side will only become my burden and weakness."

Her words pierced through all of Leo's hope and perseverance in an instant.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Slowly, he closed his eyes, burying all the pain deep within.

After a long silence, with the last trace of seeking validation in his voice, he slowly spoke.

"Then... why are you still wearing the starborn hairpin in your hair?"

That seemingly plain hairpin was the first gift he had ever given her, the symbol of their love.

At that time, he had been weak, and with his first earnings from the Adventurers' Guild, he had spent almost all of it to buy that hairpin for Hathaway.

In terms of value, the hairpin was now worth less than a blade of grass in the city.

"Since you think this way, why do you still keep it?"

At Leo's question, Hathaway's body stiffened imperceptibly.

Then, without hesitation, she raised her hand and decisively removed the hairpin from her hair, throwing it resolutely onto the cold ground.

Without looking back, she strode towards the exit, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, Leo let out a bitter smile.

The smile was filled with endless bitterness and self-mockery.

He slowly turned around and walked deeper into the residence.

His back appeared desolate and lonely under the remaining sunlight.

All that remained in the place was Lilith, standing in a daze, and the starborn hairpin lying quietly on the ground.

Tears silently slid down Lilith's cheek. She felt a wave of helplessness and confusion.

The good news was that the mother she had missed for so many days had finally appeared.

The bad news was that her mother had only been there for a few minutes before parting ways with her father.

She hadn't even had the chance to call her "mom."

But just then, a figure returned, with an almost imperceptible trace of dust and urgency.

It was Hathaway!

She walked straight up to Lilith, bent down, and quickly picked up the starborn hairpin from the ground.

She held it tightly in her hand, as if it were a precious treasure she had lost and then found again.

She stood up and looked deeply at Lilith, as if trying to etch her image into her memory.

Then, she turned and left.

But this time, Lilith noticed a faint blush on her mother's profile.

It was a change brought on by suppressed emotions.

"Mom...!"

Seeing Hathaway about to leave again, Lilith finally couldn't hold back her call.

Hearing her cry, Hathaway's steps came to an abrupt halt.

She paused for a moment, then slowly turned and walked back to Lilith.

She gently wiped the tears from her daughter's face.

"Be good, my little star."

Her voice was soft, like the whisper of the night wind.

"Stay close to your father and tell him... to drink less."

Then, she quickly took out a symbol stone carved with ancient star patterns from her cloak and pressed it into Lilith's hand.

The stone felt warm to the touch, carrying her mother's unique cool aura.

"If... and I mean if, you encounter danger that even your father cannot handle, break this."

Hathaway's gaze was filled with unwavering determination, not allowing any doubt.

"No matter how far apart we are or how dire the situation, I will be by your side as soon as possible."

Without waiting for Lilith to say anything, Hathaway's figure trembled slightly before completely vanishing, leaving no trace behind.

This time, she had truly left.

Lilith stood there, tightly clutching the star-patterned symbol stone in her hand, her heart filled with indescribable emotions.

She longed to scream out, to ask what had kept their family apart.

But Hathaway's figure had already faded away, and no one could provide her with an answer.

Remembering her mother's words, Lilith seemed to realize something.

She quickly ran toward the depths of the residence.

Soon, she smelled the strong scent of alcohol coming from a familiar room.

Pushing the door open, she saw Leo sitting at the table, the floor covered with bottles of alcohol.

These drinks had been obtained by Leo through the system, and it was said that even Divine Beings couldn't escape their intoxication.

Seeing her father drowning his sorrows in drink, Lilith became even more certain of something.

Her parents deeply loved each other in their hearts!

But why had things turned out like this?

She firmly believed that her mother's words to her father were not sincere.

"Dad," Lilith walked up to Leo's side, hesitating before speaking.

"Don't you... want to chase after mom? Perhaps she has her reasons?"

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