Beyond the Divorce by Third Blossom

Before I could fully think about the hidden meaning in Poppy's words, the large screen showed that Archie's flight had arrived. Ryan and I hurried forward.

Not long after, Archie walked out. He was dressed plainly, wearing a mask and carrying a small bag as he strode toward the exit.

Because of his status, he always kept a low profile when returning to Foswood.

I greeted him with a smile as I approached, quickly taking the luggage from Archie's hand without saying a word so we wouldn't alert the media.

Ryan hurriedly took the luggage and walked ahead to unlock the car. Archie and I got in and drove away from the airport.

Once in the car, I happily said to Archie, "What made you decide to come back today, Dad? We were supposed to go to Solaris tonight."

Archie took off his mask and looked at me lovingly. "I was worried about you traveling back and forth, so I came back. Besides, it's getting cold there. Our little girl isn't used to cold weather like that. What if she catches a cold? And now that your father's back, I need to see him. We used to be close friends, but it's a pity Louis is no longer here with us."

He sighed, then immediately continued, "How is he?"

"He's doing okay. He's finally home and in high spirits. Right now, the dads, including Anson, are all chatting downstairs. They have no idea you're coming."

Archie chuckled. "Great. We can surprise them."

I smiled back at him. "How long are you staying, Dad?"

"I have a meeting in Kinenich on Tuesday, so not long. But I might come back again after the meeting."

"It's not easy for you to be here for even just a day. You're always so busy." I sighed and nodded.

"The meeting in Kinenich is just for an opening ceremony. I won't be there long. I'll come back here after."

Ryan drove fast, heading straight for Pleca Park.

In fact, not even Atlas knew that Archie was here.

When we arrived at Pleca Park, Jim called Atlas downstairs. Atlas seemed a little surprised. "Hello, Archie. What's with the sudden ambush? But your visit does save me some time though."

"That's why I decided to come back," Archie said happily.

Arnold came downstairs too. "Dad! I'm here too."

Archie glanced at him and asked, "Are you feeling better?"

Arnold grinned contentedly. "It's nothing. I just wanted you to know that I was injured while protecting your precious goddaughter."

That statement made me nervous. "Dad, I..."

"I told him," Grandma Rose quickly intervened.

I felt a little regretful. I hadn't

mentioned anything about it in the car on the way back, afraid he might be worried. But now, I felt awkward, as if thad been hiding something from him.

But Archie reacted quickly. "Don't mind him. He's tough. He got injured a lot when he was a child."

"Arnold really did get injured to

protect me." I said quickly. "If it weren't for his quick reaction,

know what might have happon't

me."

"You're his sister. He should protect you." Archie pointed at him.

Arnold immediately said, "Now that you're his daughter, he doesn't care about me anymore." When I heard that, I immediately said, "No! I can't do without you. You're my brother."

Arnold looked at Atlas triumphantly. "See? I finally have someone who cares about me."

Everyone laughed. My mother quickly asked Archie to settle down and rest, but he waved her away. "I'l go see Rory. Our time is limited."

Atlas quickly led him to the rear annex.

Jared turned to me and said, "I'm leaving for a moment."

"But we agreed to have dinner together here tonight," I said quickly.

"Yeah, I'm going to pick Ivanna up," Jared said naturally, then smiled at me.

"Okay." I nodded.

But when I saw Jared turning to leave, I thought about something.

Did he say he was picking up Ivanna? Did I hear that right?