20 years ago, my father disappeared without a trace. Last week, he called me from his deathbed — and what he told me destroyed everything I thought I knew. I was 14 when he left. No warning. No goodbye. Just the sound of the front door slamming — and then, nothing. For two decades, I learned to live without him. Or at least, I pretended to. Then one night, my phone buzzed. Unknown number. I let it ring. Seconds later: “Alice, this is your dad. Please call. I’m in the hospital.” I stared at the s