BENEATH THE SURFACE

My dad took a deep breath before speaking, as if bracing himself for the weight of the words he was about to say. "Jarad, I know you're looking for answers about your mom's past, but I have to warn you, it's not going to be easy."

His words hung in the air like a heavy fog, thick with unspoken truth. I could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on me, my heart pounding in my chest as I waited for him to continue.

I swallowed hard, my voice steady but urgent. "I'm ready, Dad. I need to know the truth."

My dad's eyes flickered with a mix of regret and concern, and he rubbed his temples, as if gathering the strength to say what was on his mind. "Okay, but you have to promise me something, Jarad. Promise me you'll be careful. There are people—dangerous people—who don't want you to know the truth. They'll stop at nothing to keep it from you. And if they think you're getting too close..." His voice trailed off, but the warning was clear.

A cold shiver ran down my spine, but I didn't flinch. I couldn't. I had already stepped into this, and there was no turning back. "I promise, Dad. I'll be careful."

He met my eyes, his gaze searching mine as if weighing my resolve. Finally, he nodded, the sadness in his eyes deepening. "Okay," he said quietly. "Here's what I know. Your mom was involved in some shady dealings, just like Elizabeth said. But it's more complicated than that."

The words felt like a slow-motion punch to the gut. Shady dealings? My mind raced, bracing for what was coming next. But what he said next shattered my sense of reality.

"Your mom was working for the government, Jarad. She was an undercover agent, tasked with taking down the crime syndicate from the inside."

My head spun. My mom—an undercover agent? It sounded like something out of a movie, something I had only seen in thrillers. But this was real. This was my mother, the woman who had raised me, who had always seemed so normal. Was this all just a lie?

My thoughts scrambled, trying to make sense of it. I looked at my dad, trying to gauge if he was serious, if he was telling me the truth. But the expression on his face—one of pain, exhaustion, and determination—told me everything I needed to know.

"Why didn't she tell me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. The betrayal stung more than I cared to admit. She had kept this secret from me for my entire life. All the years I had spent thinking she was just a regular mom—how could she have kept something so dangerous from me?

My dad's face hardened, the lines around his eyes deepening. "She couldn't, Jarad. It was too dangerous. If the syndicate had found out she was working against them, they would've killed her. And if they knew about you... they would have come after you, too. Your mom kept you in the dark to protect you."

But how could she have thought that keeping me in the dark was the right choice? My mind raced, replaying every memory of my mom—those odd phone calls, the mysterious meetings, the strange absences that I had brushed off as nothing. Was it all part of her mission? And what about my dad? Had he known all along?

I tried to wrap my mind around what my dad was saying, but a surge of anger and confusion welled up inside me. Why hadn't she told me when I was older? Why had she chosen to keep me so far removed from this dangerous world? I had so many questions, so many unanswered pieces to this puzzle.

"Why didn't she ever tell me the truth?" I asked, my voice breaking slightly, betraying the anger and hurt I was feeling. "She put me in danger... Why? What was she thinking?"

My dad's face softened, his eyes clouded with regret. "She thought it was the only way to keep you safe. She didn't want you to be part of that world, Jarad. She wanted to keep you innocent, shielded from the darkness she was living in. She was trying to protect you from the very thing you're digging into now. She kept her distance for your own good."

I stood there, unable to speak for a moment, letting the weight of his words settle in. But as the silence stretched on, something else started to sink in—a deeper truth, one that I hadn't been prepared for. My mom hadn't just been involved in this world; she had been trapped in it, playing a dangerous game that could cost her life at any moment. And now, after everything, I was caught up in it too.

I shook my head in disbelief. "What else do you know, Dad? What am I really dealing with here?"

My dad hesitated. His eyes darted nervously around the room, as if he were weighing how much to tell me, as if even mentioning this next part might break something fragile between us. Finally, he let out a long breath, his voice barely a whisper.

"I don't know if I should tell you this, Jarad... but I think your mom's still alive."

The words hit me like a slap to the face. Alive? No... it couldn't be. My mom was dead, wasn't she? I had seen her funeral, I had mourned her, and I had moved on—we had moved on. The idea that she could still be alive felt like a cruel joke, a twisted illusion.

But as I looked into my dad's eyes, I saw something that made my blood run cold: conviction. He believed it.

I could feel the ground beneath me tremble, my world shifting in ways I couldn't comprehend. My mother, alive? How could that be possible? The thought was both a spark of hope and a terrifying revelation. If she was alive, then where had she been? What had happened to her? And more importantly—why had she disappeared?

The questions flooded my mind, each one more urgent than the last. But as I met my dad's gaze, I knew one thing for certain: I had to find her. I had to find out the truth, no matter what it cost me.

"I need to find her, Dad," I said, my voice steady, though my heart pounded in my chest. "I need to know the truth."

My dad's face softened, and he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Be careful, Jarad. I'm telling you this because I want you to understand the risks. If she's alive, and if the people she was working with think you know too much… they won't hesitate to come after you. You're already in danger just by digging into this."

But I didn't care about the danger anymore. I had already crossed that line. The truth was out there, and I wouldn't stop until I uncovered it.