Zeroed Out
Once everything was in order, I gathered every gift Jasper had ever given me and burned them all.
Under cover of darkness, I took my son in my arms and boarded the next flight out of the country.
The following day, the banquet hall was full of guests who were here for the celebration, but there was no sign of me anywhere. Jasper called my phone over and over again, but every call went straight to voicemail.
Panic crept in. Something felt very wrong.
He raced home but found nothing on the nightstand but a single note.
'The Gamma homeworld has summoned me back to my planet. I'm taking the kid and ditching the dad. Don't miss me. Don't wait up.'