My Future Dad Admitted He Abandoned Me Chapter 07

My Future Dad Admitted He Abandoned Me Chapter 07

The second I stepped off the plane. Sharp, freezing wind hit me hard. Endless mountain ranges stretched far into the distance, and the American flag flew high above the base housing area.

Looking at all the straight-backed soldiers in camouflage, my chest filled with excitement and

pride.

Our tour guide was Chief Wilson, a middle-aged man with sun-tanned skin and plain, warm smile.

He showed us every corner of Fort Hale Military Base and walked us through every detail of the

engineering project.

We reached the plaza outside the base office building right as a group of high-ranking officers

walked out.

An older gray-haired man led the group, wearing a crisp army general’s uniform with four gold stars

on his shoulders.

Deep wrinkles covered his face. He looked worn out and tired, and his shoulders drooped a little- but he still stood straight as a tree, carrying that strict, commanding vibe only veteran have.

The second his eyes landed on me by accident, he froze completely. The folder he was holding slipped from his hands and clattered onto the ground.

Everyone walking around stopped, staring at him in total confusion.

Wilson hurried over and picked up the folder off the ground.

“General Hale, are you alright?”

General Hale?

Those two words hit me like a lightning bolt, my mind spinning.

My chest squeezed tight, and it felt like all my blood went cold.

The old man ignored Wilson entirely. His eyes locked onto me, like he’d just seen something

impossible.

He stumbled toward me step by step, his eyes swirling with disbelief, wild joy, pain, endless regret,

and a longing so thick you could almost touch it.

He stopped right in front of me and lifted a shaking hand to brush my cheek, then froze mid-air. He

feared touching me would make me disappear like thin foam.

“Hazel… it’s really you, isn’t it?” His voice was rough and scratchy, full of tears.

“You’re finally back. I’ve spent thirteen years looking for you, thirteen whole years.”

I stepped back automatically, watching him sharply and staying on guard. My tone turned cold.

“You’ve got the wrong person. I don’t know you.”

“I could never mix you up with anyone else. You’re my Hazel.” He choked up, tears rolling down his

wrinkled cheeks.

“You look exactly like your mom when she was young-same eyes, same nose, same mouth, even the way you frown. I’m Vaughn Hale, your dad.”

Vaughn Hale.

Hearing that name out of his mouth sent cold chills all over my body, a name I thought I’d never

hear again.

Thirteen years had passed, and he’d aged so much. He didn’t look like the tough, powerful base commander who used tgo get anything he wanted anymore.

Every single hair on his head had gone gray.

Deep lines ringed his eyes, and that cold, uninterested stare he once carried was long gone. All that was left was constant weariness and sorrow.

“I told you again, you’ve mistaken me for someone else.” I gritted my teeth and turned to leave.

“Hazel, don’t walk away!” Vaughn grabbed my wrist hard. His hands were ice cold, but his grip

wouldn’t loosen.

“I know you hate me. I know I messed up everything all those years ago, that I failed you and your mom. You can hit me, yell at me. Just don’t shut me out, please.”

All the officers nearby stood stunned.

None of them had ever seen the tough, unshakable General Hale act so fragile and desperate.