My Future Dad Admitted He Abandoned Me Chapter 06

My Future Dad Admitted He Abandoned Me Chapter 06

My grandparents had fixed up our whole house nice and warm long before we got home. My

bedroom was stuffed full of toys and picture books and every wall was covered with photos from my childhood.

All the fear and unease I’d carried slowly faded away.

I finally got it-someone had loved and taken care of me quietly all those years I couldn’t

remember.

Mom went back to her architecture design job. She was insanely good at it, and in just two years,

she rebuilt her reputation in the field and opened her own design studio.

She was gentle and patient with me every single day. No matter how swamped she was with work, she’d make it home to cook dinner, read me bedtime stories, and take me to parks, museums, and

the beach every weekend.

Little by little, I stopped thinking about that cold alternate world and all the hurtful memories from it. I turned into a cheerful kid surrounded by endless love.

Even so, I always felt a weird pull toward soldiers.

I’d stare every time I saw someone in uniform out on the street. I couldn’t look away from military parades on TV. When our school took us to lay flowers at the veterans’ memorial, I cried harder

than any other kid there.

When senior college application season rolled around, I brushed off Mom’s constant begging and listed Aerospace & Defense Engineering at Norwich University as my top major pick on every

application.

Mom’s hands shook so bad she could barely hold my application. Her eyes filled up with tears as

she talked.

“Hazel, why do you have to pick this major? You’re my only daughter. I hate thinking you’ll be put in dangerous situations.”

I knew exactly what scared her.

She hadn’t forgotten the future we saw in that other world-me getting sent to Frontier Military Academy and dying out on a mission.

I wrapped my arms around her and rubbed her back softly to calm her down.

“Don’t stress, Mom. I’ll only work on engineering design, no risky frontline jobs. I wanna protect people like us, make sure no one else has to hurt we did.”

Mom stayed quiet for a long time. Later she sighed and gave up arguing.

She brushed my hair back, her voice heavy with worry.

“You gotta promise me you’ll stay safe, and call me every single day to tell me you’re okay.”

I nodded hard and buried my face against her shoulder.

“I promise.”

For all four years of college, I worked harder than anyone else. My grades stayed in the top three of

the whole major.

I didn’t just ace all my core classes, I even taught myself hand-to-hand fighting and shooting too. I never wanted to be that little girl hiding behind Mom, crying helpless, ever again.

When graduation hit, I was the top student in my major and got a rare chance. I could join a one-year national defense engineering exchange program at the Northwest Border Defense Zone, redesigning border outposts.

The second I told Mom the news, all color drained from her face. The mug she was holding slipped out of her hands and smashed all over the floor.

“Hazel, can’t you turn this down?”

She grabbed my wrists tight, her nails digging into my skin, and her voice shook nonstop.

“The border’s way too dangerous. I can’t lose you. Pick any other project, anywhere else-just don’t go out there.”

My heart ached seeing how terrified she was, but I shook my head anyway.

“I fought so hard for this shot, Mom. The border’s safe these days. I swear I’ll come back without a single scratch.”

Mom stared at my determined face, she knew I wasn’t changing my mind. She finally nodded, but I heard her crying alone in her room all night after that.

A week later, I boarded a plane headed for the Northwest Border Defense Zone.