One quiet afternoon, my son called me unexpectedly.
His voice sounded softer than usual.
He wasn’t asking for money.He wasn’t in a hurry to end the conversation either.
He simply said,“Dad, I love you.”
That alone caught me off guard.
He has always been the independent type — handling things on his own and rarely expressing emotions openly.
After the call ended, I sat there for a long time replaying his words in my mind.
There was something about his voice I couldn’t ignore.Not panic.Not sadness.Just… heaviness.
That same evening, I booked a flight.
I didn’t tell him I was coming.Part of me didn’t want to make it dramatic.I just wanted to see him for myself and know he was okay.
The next day, I stood outside his hostel room feeling strangely nervous.
When his roommate opened the door and saw me, his face changed immediately.He quietly stepped aside and let me in.