Chapter 1167: Can I save them this time?

After that fire incident, Enzo was never the same. He might have been the same father to Zoren, but never the same husband. He shunned all news about Naylani, and no word about her reached his son’s ears.

And after that incident, he never mentioned her name — not even once.

The once affectionate husband, who would have caught the entire universe for the love of his life, had coldly thrown out all of her things. Some of them, he burned. The man who used to think about his wife and son in his waking moments and thanked the heavens for blessing him with such family every night was no longer the same. He never looked for her, cried for her, or even dreamed about her.

It was as though she never existed.

For Enzo, it was only him and his son.

Love? He didn’t need that anymore, not when he had an adorable, yet very smart kid by his side.

Was it easy? Hell no. But that was the only way Enzo could protect his son from anything. Therefore, even if it killed him, he had to forget that, once in his life, there was someone he had promised everlasting love. Even if every waking moment was crippling, he remained headstrong for his son. Even if he felt ashamed for failing to protect his promise of a complete family, he would still offer his son the best smile he could.

Eventually, it became a habit.

Did he forget Naylani? Not even for a second. But pretending that she had never existed eventually got easier. Before he knew it, two years had already passed.

As for Zoren... time just passed.

Peeking up at his father, who was seated on the garden chair across from him, little Zoren kept his mouth shut. The father and son were currently working on a crossword puzzle from the newspaper—something they did every day.

Enzo scratched his head, a look of struggle appearing on his face. Despite that, the orange rays of the setting sun cast upon him, making him appear warmer.

"Huh?" Deep lines appeared between his brows as he glanced up at his son. "Renren, are you done?"

"No." Zoren’s little hand slowly covered his answer, making his father suspicious.

"Let me see."

"I don’t want to."

Enzo narrowed his eyes. "Renren, why are you covering your answer? It’s not like I’ll copy it!"

"You did it many times, though."

"What?" Enzo gasped. ’When did Renren see me peek at his answers before?’He cleared his throat. "Ahem! Renren, that’s impossible! We have different crossword puzzles! Even if you show it to me, it’s not like that will answer mine!"

"..." Zoren pondered, then nodded. "Okay."

Zoren slowly turned his newspaper and showed it to his father. The moment Enzo saw the answer, his face twitched.

"There’s only one unanswered word," said Enzo with an awkward laugh. "Renren, are you not answering it because you’re going easy on me?"

"No..." Zoren murmured, sliding his eyes to the side. "I didn’t answer it because... even if I take a nap, I’d still win."

Hearing that from a boy wasn’t a good feeling for a grown man. ’Sometimes, he’s a bit sadistic,’Enzo thought, knowing his son was simply giving him some hope, only for the little master to crush it.

A sigh escaped Enzo, followed by a laugh. He sprawled his arm over the table to pinch his son’s cheek. "God, my boy’s a real genius. Good thing you’re so cute."

"..." Zoren barely reacted as his father pinched his cheek, but even when looking away, the blush on his cheek was unmistakable.

Enzo chuckled as he watched his son try to hide his happiness. ’He’s still so young, but he’s also too shy. Hehe. So cute.’

"Very well!" Enzo retrieved his hand and laughed. "Renren, just because you only have one unanswered question left doesn’t mean you’ve won. Just wait and see; I’ll let you realize why the turtle won against the rabbit."

With that, Enzo eagerly resumed answering his crossword, now even more serious and determined. Zoren, on the other hand, watched his father with a subtle smile on his face.

Little Zoren slowly looked around, staring at the beautiful garden they had both built. He squinted as the setting sun hit his eyes, raising his little hand to shield them. Slowly, he set his attention back on his father.

’Naylani is gone,’

In his first life, Enzo had been taken away from him on this day. Today was supposed to be the day Enzo would die, the anniversary of his death. But Enzo was still with him, eagerly answering a crossword. Not to mention, they had moved into a different house—a place they had never lived in during his first life.

’I changed it; he lived,’ Zoren told himself. ’Maybe... that’s why I’m here.’

Peace swelled in Zoren’s heart as he kept his gaze on his father. He had never felt so at peace for as long as he could remember, so this moment was something he wanted to remember for as long as he lived.

When Zoren woke up in the body of a child, he didn’t know his purpose. He didn’t understand why he had to live as Zoren Pierson and live with Naylani once again—not that he wanted to understand. He just knew that he shouldn’t be there.

He thought it was a curse—someone had cursed him. Or perhaps it was heaven’s way of judging him. It was a punishment from heaven for everything he had done, for all the lives he had taken and destroyed.

But now, a part of him wanted to believe it was neither a curse nor a punishment.

It was a gift of life.

A chance to live and save at least one person—just one. But now that he knew he had saved Enzo from the man’s impending doom, Zoren wanted to believe he could do more.

’Grandma...’he thought, eyes down. ’Penelope.’

Can I save them this time?

"Done!" Just then, Enzo announced proudly, beaming from ear to ear. His eyes twinkled as he laughed. If not for the obvious physical differences, one would think the child was Enzo, and the father was Zoren, given their demeanor.

"See? Haha!" Enzo laughed, feeling a bit proud that he had beaten his son this time. "This is why the rabbit lost..." He trailed off when Zoren turned his paper, only to reveal he had already finished his. Enzo was rendered speechless, looking up at his son to see the subtle yet proud smile plastered on Zoren’s little face.