The Abandoned Long-lost Son

The day I was discharged from the hospital after the accident, I signed a confidentiality agreement right there in the ward.A representative from the space agency grasped my hand, visibly excited. "Welcome aboard."He reminded me again, "This research project is strictly classified. You can't speak a single word of it to anyone. For the next five years, you'll be completely isolated—no contact with the outside world."He gave me three days to say goodbye to my family.I let out a small, self-mocking laugh. "I'm an orphan. I don't have anyone to say goodbye to."I handled my discharge paperwork alone. When I got home, my parents were waiting, eyes dark and heavy with displeasure.My mother was the first to speak, holding back her anger. "Jason, where the hell have you been? You've been gone for three months without a single word! Carson waited half the night for you, just to celebrate the dog's birthday with you. Do you know how disappointed he was?"My father's voice was colder

Carson looked genuinely surprised. "Jason, what are you doing here?"He hesitated, then added, voice growing quieter with each word, "This symposium is by invitation only... Don't tell me you stole someone's pass?"There was a flicker of shame in his expression.Our mother's face tensed the moment she saw me. Clearly, even she knew she had no right to pretend ignorance."Jason, don't make a scene," she said with forced calm. "We brought Carson here for business. His company needs to secure a patent."But the moment she noticed the professor standing behind me, her entire demeanor shifted. Her eyes lit up. "Professor, we're very interested in your university's latest aerospace patent. Would you consider licensing it to our son's company?"The professor glanced at me. "That patent was developed by Jason. You'll need his approval."Carson's gaze darkened—vicious, even—but he masked it well. He turned to the others with a disappointed sigh. "What can I do? Jason hates me. He'd never

My father was shocked, as if he hadn't quite grasped the words. "What?"His assistant said again, "I've tried every method, checked everywhere he might've gone. There's no sign of Jason."A frown pulled at my father's face, the first trace of unease flickering in his eyes.He stayed silent for a long time. Then, all at once, he slammed his hand on the table and burst out, "That ungrateful brat! That traitor! He knows Carson's getting engaged and hides just to spite us? After everything our family has done for him! I spent so much raising him—"But he stopped short. The words didn't come.Because, suddenly, he realized—he hadn't really spent anything on me. Not money. Not time. Not even the smallest sliver of attention.Everything he had to give, he'd given to Carson. And me—his actual son—he had left to fend for myself in the shadows, clinging to whatever scraps of existence I could find in the cracks of this family.And just like that, the anger drained from him. He fell silent

By the time I completed my research, five years had passed.With a suitcase in hand, I boarded a flight to a new city, ready to begin a new chapter and pursue a new scientific direction. I no longer longed for the warmth of family. Strangely, solitude suited me. There was a kind of peace in having no one to wait for, no one to disappoint.By chance, I reconnected with my old PhD professor. He told me, "Your parents have been searching for you all these years. They seem truly heartbroken. Now that you're back… don't you want to see them?"I considered it, then shook my head. "I don't want any contact with them. Please, don't tell anyone I've returned."He nodded, understanding. He knew what my home life had been like—how, during my PhD studies, I'd almost gone hungry. He was the one who quietly paid my tuition when I couldn't manage it myself."I understand," he said without hesitation. "I'll keep your secret. Still, you should come back and visit when you can. Your labmates miss