And Then, The World Ended

Chapter 20 Hayes

"Dad?"

The word catches in my throat. I step back, away from Noah, away from the plane, away from any sense of reality. My father, the man I buried, the man who haunted my dreams, stands there, very much alive, a ghost returned from a past I thought was sealed shut.

"Liam," he says, his voice thick with emotion. He takes a step towards me, arms outstretched, but the years, the lies, the crushing weight of his supposed death holds me frozen in place.

"How?" I manage, my voice a dry rasp. "You're supposed to be..."

"Dead?" he finishes, his smile a sad, tired thing. "A necessary fabrication, Liam. I had to disappear."

The world tilts on its axis. Fabricated? Disappeared? I glance at Noah, his eyes wide, confused, mirroring the chaos raging inside me.

"What the hell is going on?" Noah asks, his voice tight.

I shake my head, unable to even process his question. My father, my supposedly dead father, pulls me into a tight embrace. It feels real, solid, nothing like the phantom hugs I'd conjured in my mind for years.

"I'll explain everything," he promises, his voice low. "But first, we need to get you all inside. It's not safe out here."

He ushers us towards a sleek, modern building, far removed from the rustic charm of the airstrip. Questions claw at me, a torrent of confusion and anger threatening to spill over.

Inside, the building is sleek, minimalist, all sharp lines and cool colors. It feels more like an art gallery than a home. We gather in a spacious living room, my father pouring us all drinks with steady hands.

"Start from the beginning," I say, my voice cold. "And don't leave anything out."

He sighs, taking a seat across from me. "It all started with your mother."

He pauses, his gaze distant, lost in a memory only he can see.

"I met her in Seoul, she was kind and beautiful. We married young, too young, and soon after you were born, she disappeared."

My mind reels. My mother? Gone? He'd always told me she died in a car accident when I was a baby. Another lie.

"I hired investigators, the best money could buy, but she'd vanished without a trace. It was like she never existed." He runs a hand through his hair, his face scored with pain.

"Years later, I discovered the truth. She was part of the Hanami Organization, Liam. A high-ranking member. They'd been watching me, studying me, long before I ever met your mother."

"But why?" I ask, the question a strangled whisper.

He takes a slow, measured breath. "They knew about your grandfather, Liam. He stumbled upon something, a secret the Hanami would kill to protect. They were using your mother to get to him, to get to his research."

"Research?" I echo, my head spinning. "What research?"

"That's when things took a turn," he continues, ignoring my question. "I received a message, a warning. They knew I was getting close to the truth about your mother, about their operation. They threatened you, Liam. Said if I didn't back off, they'd make you disappear just like your mother."

The air thickens, heavy with unspoken threats. My father, my entire life, built on a foundation of lies, of secrets and hidden agendas.

"I couldn't let them hurt you, Liam," he says, his voice raw. "So I staged my own death, made it look like an accident. Even the CIA thought I was murdered by them. I cut all ties, went off the grid completely. It was the only way to keep you safe."