After a short silence, Michael uttered a sentence that made me open the door:
“Your father didn’t leave you this apartment. He left it to me.”
They both turned to me.
“Please let me explain,” Daniel said.
“No. “I’d like Michael to explain.”
Michael pulled a thick envelope out of an old leather bag. It contained copies of title deeds, court documents, and several handwritten letters.
The accusation that ruined his life
Michael explained that 29 years earlier, he had discovered that Robert was taking money from the family business. When he threatened to expose him, Robert turned the story against him and told his parents that Michael was a thief.
Soon, the money disappeared from the account, which supposedly only Michael had access to. He was arrested, but the charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence. His reputation had already been ruined by then, so he left the city.
“Then why haven’t you come back for almost 30 years?” I asked.
The expression on his face has changed.
“Because Robert threatened the person I loved.”
He took out an old photograph of himself standing next to a young woman. I recognized her immediately.
It was Daniel’s mother.
Photography and DNA findings changed everything
Daniel grabbed the edge of the table.
“No,” he said.
Michael explained that he and Daniel’s mother had been in a relationship before she married Robert. She got pregnant while they were still together, and Robert knew it.
