The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 534

The warm, yellow lighting of Luigi's Pizzeria cast a soft glow over the father and son. The heavy scent of charred crust and melted cheese filled the air.

Garrison used his right hand to expertly maneuver the pizza cutter, slicing the pie into small, bite-sized squares before pushing the plate toward Archie.

His left arm remained tightly bound in its sling. His movements were slow, but deliberate.

Archie didn't touch the food.

He sat in the booth across from his father, his small hands resting flat on his knees, his back perfectly straight. His bright, observant eyes locked onto Garrison through the flickering light of the table candle. He chewed on his lip for a long time before finally breaking the silence.

"Dad, that lady earlier... is she really my mom?"

Garrison set the pizza cutter down. He looked directly at his son and gave a slow, imperceptible nod.

"Yes. She's your mother."

Archie's eyes instantly filled with tears. His voice began to tremble as if the fragile foundation inside his chest was suddenly giving way.

"But... didn't she die five years ago? She died in Antarctica, trying to get the White Microbe... Wasn't she... even honored as a fallen hero?"

The tears pooled in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall. "Was all of that... a lie?"

"It wasn't a lie."

Garrison's voice was steady, but his right hand, resting on the table, twitched slightly.

He knew that every single word he was about to say would brand itself permanently into his son's mind, but he couldn't keep the truth hidden any longer.

"All of that was real. It happened exactly like that."