Gone From the World for Good
On my eighth birthday, I begged my mom to video call my dad, who was supposedly working late.
The moment the call connected, a version of him from ten years in the future appeared on the screen.
My mom held me close and smiled, asking him, "Ten years from now… our Lily has grown up. Was her coming-of-age ceremony a big celebration?"
Dad replied coldly, "She kept trying to one-up Sarah's kid, so I sent her abroad. Too bad her luck ran out—her plane went down."
My mom's face went pale.
On the other end, my dad let out an icy laugh. "Claire, back then, you lied to me. You said if your 'plan' didn't work out, you'd die. I believed you. I gave up Sarah and her child to marry you."
My mom's body started trembling. I reached out toward the screen. "Daddy, when are you coming home to celebrate my birthday with me?"
Dad sighed and looked at her calmly. "The truth is, I wasn't working late that night. I was celebrating Sarah's daughter's birthday. Now you know everything. What you do next is up to you."
Suddenly, a cold robotic voice echoed in my ear: [Host, do you choose to abandon the original world and stay here forever?]
I wiped the tears off my mom's face and, barely understanding what was happening, said, "Mommy, does that mean Daddy doesn't want us anymore? Then let's not want him either. Okay?"