Port Horizon Harbor, south of Brookline town, Greenridge Kingdom.

The boy was silent as he observed several adult men who were busy with their tasks. Some of them were busy packing, while others were busy gathering and saying goodbye to their families before having to go their separate ways.

That day, the harbor was bustling with people intending to go on a voyage. Some of them also had different purposes. Some sailed with the intention of vacationing or going on business trips, and some sailed with the intention of doing their work as a sailor or just a fisherman.

Port Horizon is the largest port that stands in the kingdom of Greenridge. The port is located south of the capital city of Brookline. In addition to being the largest port in the kingdom, Port Horizon is also the center of cultural exchange. It is in this place that people from various countries usually arrive, and of course with various purposes as well. But most commonly, the people who stop over at Port Horizon are traders who come on business trips. They came to forge partnerships with locals to expand their businesses as well as create new connections between two different ethnic groups. After all, Greenridge was known as the largest trading empire that had already established good trade relations with more than thirty different Nations.

Ace stood there. His tiny hand grasped the hand of the beautiful woman standing beside him. Nerissa—that was her name. She was none other than his mother. While the handsome and dashing man who was now standing in front of them in his sailor uniform was Dominic, the man who was none other than his father.

Nerissa is currently busy talking to her husband, trying to show each other affection before they finally have to part ways. Dominic had to return to his duties. He would return to sailing and spend a lot of time sailing the oceans. While he was away, he was forced to leave his children and wife behind for an extended period of time.

Dominic was silent while observing his wife's face, which, for some reason, had been showing a gloomy face. She didn't usually look like this when they were about to part. With an outstretched hand, Dominic grasped Nerissa's hand. "Hey, what's wrong, honey? Why are you looking gloomy?"

Nerissa looked up while staring at Dominic's face, who was now watching her intensely. Honestly, since last night, Nerissa had actually had a bad feeling when she heard that Dominic had to return to duty. But, on the other hand, she also couldn't possibly tell Dominic everything, because after all, sailing was her husband's job, and there was no way he could just leave because of a hunch that was not necessarily true.

"Tell me, is there a problem?" Dominic cupped her face. Nerissa was still silent in thought. Just when she was about to say everything, Nerissa immediately aborted her intention.

"Nothing. Forget it," she said as she looked away. "I just felt unwilling that you had to return to duty when we had just gotten together after so long apart. But there was no way I could keep you from going to work. Because after all, I know you went to provide for me and Ace."

Nerissa tried to give an excuse. After she thought about it again, she really shouldn't have expressed all her fears. Nerissa didn't want her words to make Dominic think so much that he couldn't focus on work.

"Why are you acting like this? You're not usually like this."

"I just still miss you and want to spend more time with you. But I know that's not possible because you have to go run your errands."

Dominic sighed softly. He then smiled as he looked at Nerissa's face. He understood that Nerissa and Ace must still miss him because after all, it was rare for them to be able to meet and be together. However, duty was duty, and Dominic would not be able to refuse it. After all, sailing was their main livelihood.

"Look, I understand how you feel, because I feel the same way. But I promise, I'll be home soon. After I come back from this trip, let's spend some time together. The three of us. After all, this will be my last voyage." There was a pause at the end of Dominic's sentence.

He was actually a bit hesitant to tell her all his plans now, but he really had no other choice. Waiting until he returned from sailing would be too long. Moreover, Nerissa looked very gloomy. So, Dominic thought, it wouldn't hurt to tell her his plans early.

Nerissa fell silent with a surprised face as soon as she heard Dominic's sentence just now. "W-what do you mean?"

The woman's heart pounded even more; that sentence seemed to be a sign, and it made her fear even greater. Ace, who had been standing around observing the surroundings, could even feel that his mother's hands began to tremble.

"I intend to quit, and I won't go sailing anymore. I want to establish a business. Maybe a small restaurant that we can manage together. That way, we can always be together and spend many wonderful moments as a complete family. And there's something I have to admit: I've been secretly saving money behind your back. I set aside some of the money we earned and put it in the bank. Yeah, the money I've saved isn't huge, but it'll be enough to start the business I've been dreaming of. I just need a little more money to get things started. That's why I accepted this assignment."

Dominic's words had left Nerissa speechless. She never thought that her husband had thought of such a plan for their future life. At first, Nerissa thought, she would continue to be separated from Dominic because she knew that being a sailor was her husband's dream since childhood.

"As you know, being a sailor has been my dream since childhood. I really enjoyed it. But as I've gotten older and since I've had a full family, I've realized that this job can be very torturous for me. I'll have to be apart from you, and I'll even have to miss out on precious moments in my son's life. Furthermore, I don't want to be a bad father who misses out on every precious moment of his son's growth and development. Therefore, I intend to retire and start a new business. That way, we can always be together."

Grab!

Nerissa could not hold back her tears at all. She immediately hugged Dominic so tightly and cried into his chest. "All this time, I was also very tormented by having to separate from you. I really felt tormented because we could never spend beautiful moments together. But all this time, I've been holding back because I thought it was the only support I could give you. During this time, I found it difficult to live my life without you. Every day I thought about your condition and always hoped that you would return safely. And every time you come home, I always hope you'll never leave me again. I couldn't bear to lose you..."

Ace stayed silent as he looked at his parents, who were now embracing. Nerissa was sobbing. She could no longer hold back her tears. While Dominic seemed to be trying hard not to shed tears in front of his son. The man just didn't want to make Ace cry to see his parents.

At that time, Ace didn't know anything. He never understood what was going on or what conversations his mother and father had been having. But one thing was certain: Ace could never stop watching his father's face.

Dominic tried to calm Nerissa down. He wiped away the tears that pooled on his wife's cheeks, then kissed her forehead. "I'll be home soon. Wait for me until the time comes. After that, we won't have to feel any of this," he whispered.

Nerissa nodded her head in response.

After that, Dominic moved over to Ace and stood in front of his son. Ace was still silent and staring at his father's face. Until then, Dominic crouched down to align their gazes. He spread his arms and hugged Ace tightly.

"Ace, my son, be a good boy. Take care of your mom for me, and always protect her, okay? You're Dad's proud son, and you're the only person I can trust to take care of Mom. While I'm gone, don't cause her any trouble. Make her happy, and never make your mom sad. I will be back soon, so just wait. Once I'm back from duty, we'll have more time to play together. And when I come back, I promise to buy more toys and good food for you."

Ace was silent. His eyes started to tear up as soon as he heard the message from his father. Maybe because he knew they were going to be separated, Ace felt like crying. The boy even tightened his embrace. Deep down, Ace said "Don't go," to Dominic. But for some reason, that sentence seemed so hard to come out of his little mouth.

Unconsciously, Ace began to sob. His heart felt tight knowing he had to part with Dominic. They had just spent a few weeks after Dominic's last cruise which had taken over four months. And Ace still wanted more time to spend with his father.

"Don't cry, my son. The son of a true sailor will never cry. Always keep your chin up, and hold back your tears. Coming and going is something common in life, so there's nothing for you to cry about. Besides, I'll be back soon. I promise." Dominic smiled as he raised his little finger. The usual thing he did when promising his son.

Ace tried to stop his crying. The boy wiped away his tears and lifted his chin as instructed. But even so, he couldn't lie to himself because he really wanted to cry. Neither could Dominic.

After trying to calm his son down, Dominic finally said goodbye to the two. He hugged them so tightly before he finally had to leave. The ship he was going to run on this voyage would be leaving soon, and the time they had was really running out.

At that moment, Ace could only remain silent with tears in his eyes as he continued to watch his father's face. So did Nerissa, who was carrying him. The woman stared at her husband's departure while waving her hand. Tears also seemed to keep flowing out of her eyes.

Goodbye, my wife, my son. Wait for me to return, and after that, all this tormenting will be over. After I return, we will be able to gather as a real family. Dominic said it in his heart. While continuing to wave his hand, he stood on the ship. Before finally stepping towards the control room to advance the ship.

*

"Sigh~" Nerissa let out a long breath. She was trying to get rid of the tightness in her chest. Once she felt calmer, the woman then turned her attention to Ace, who had been in her arms.

Everything will be all right, Nerissa. Nothing will happen to Dominic. He will return as he promised, and he will go home to rebuild his family. You have to believe in his promise, because Dominic will never break his promise. Nerissa tried to convince herself.

"Ace, since the ship is gone, how about we go home?" Nerissa asked Ace. The five-year-old boy just nodded his head slowly in response. Nerissa then left with Ace in her arms to leave the harbor. As they walked away from the harbor, Ace's eyes never once looked away from the ocean as the Dominic-controlled ship continued to speed away from where they were.

Dad, don't go...

***