He even recognized the old wooden clock in the living room. It was he who gave it to Robert for his thirtieth birthday.
When Daniel was 11 years old, Michael suddenly disappeared. His parents told him that his uncle got involved in drug problems, stole family money and fled after facing charges. A few years later, his mother told him that Michael had died.
It turned out that none of this was entirely true.
The conversation from the kitchen that revealed the first secret
The next morning I woke up before six o’clock. Daniel wasn’t next to me, and there were muffled voices coming from the kitchen.
I quietly approached the half-open door.
“You’ve got to tell her,” Michael used to say. “If you intend to continue with this, your wife deserves the truth.”
“I need proof first.”
“You’ve seen the documents.”
“I’ve seen copies.”
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.
