And I want it to stay that way until the very last moment.
I froze.
That night, Daniel brought me my drink again.
—Drink it, darling.
-I don’t want to.
His expression turned serious.
—Margaret, please. Tonight is especially important.
-Because?
He did not respond.
For the first time, I saw something in his eyes that truly frightened me.
Despair.
When Daniel fell asleep, I took his phone.
Among his messages I found one that said:
“Tomorrow at 10 a.m. Everything is ready. Please make sure Margaret doesn’t suspect anything.”
The message had been sent by a doctor.
And Daniel’s response was even more disturbing.
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes.
Even if he hates me afterwards.”
That night I decided to leave.
But the next morning, as I was going downstairs with my suitcase, Daniel was already waiting for me in the lobby.
He looked at my suitcase and then at my face.
You’ve figured everything out, haven’t you?
I started to tremble.
—Don’t come near me.
He stopped immediately.
—Margaret, I can explain it to you.
“You’ve been putting something in my drink every night. I took it to a lab. I know what you’ve done.”
Daniel’s face went completely white.
—Did you go to a laboratory?
I nodded.
Suddenly, he sat down on the stairs and buried his face in his hands.
Then she started to cry.
—My God… Then it’s already too late.
He was about to call the police when he pulled an old photograph out of his pocket.
It featured a young woman holding a
small child.
—Do you recognize this woman?
I looked closely.
And I felt like my heart was about to stop.
She was my best friend, Sarah.
He had died more than thirty years ago.
—Where did you get this photograph?
Tears streamed down Daniel’s face.
—Because that child is me.
