“But now you are older. Now you can decide what kind of person you want to become.”
I wiped my face.
“Your father kept secrets.”
My heart tightened.
“He told people I was unstable. He told people I abandoned you.”
The room felt colder.
“But the truth is…”
The recording suddenly became distorted.
The sound broke apart.
I leaned closer.
“No…”
I tapped the recorder.
“Please.”
The static grew louder.
Then her voice returned.
Only for a few seconds.
“The truth is that your father…”
The recording cut off.
Silence.
I stared at the device.
“No.”
I pressed the button again.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
The final words were gone.
Or maybe they had been hidden.
I didn’t know.
And that uncertainty was almost worse.
The next morning, I called Clara.
She arrived within twenty minutes.
That was Clara.
She never asked if I needed her.
She simply came.
When she entered the condo, she looked at my face and immediately understood.
