PART 4 – DANIEL'S GUILT
The footsteps grew closer and closer, and my heart hammered against my ribs. I had only a few seconds to decide what to do. If Sofia found me here with that secret dossier in my hands, the mask would fall completely. There would be no turning back. I looked around the small study. There was no other exit besides the door Sofia was about to enter. Quickly, I slipped the dossier under a pile of old magazines on the shelf and stood there pretending to look at a yellowed photo hanging on the wall.
The study door flew open. Sofia stood on the threshold, her face drawn with irritation. She wore an expensive coat soaked through with rain, and her hair hung messily across her face. “What on earth are you doing, Mom?” she asked sharply, sweeping her gaze across the room. “Daniel has been calling me in a panic for an hour. The notary is furious because we're late.
Why are you still wandering around in this freezing house?” I turned around slowly and looked my daughter straight in the eye. For the first time in my life, I did not see a loving daughter before me, but a stranger whose eyes were driven by fear and pure self-interest. “I was just saying goodbye to the house, Sofia,” I said in a surprisingly calm voice, even though my hands trembled with rage inside my pockets.
“This house means a lot to me. It's no small thing to hand over the keys forever after all these years.” Sofia rolled her eyes, a gesture of absolute impatience that I had once always dismissed as 'youthful temperament,' but which I now saw for what it was: cold selfishness. “You've had enough sentimentality now, Mom,” she said bitterly, stepping forward and grabbing my arm to pull me away.
“Let's go. Daniel is already waiting outside the notary's office. Everything is ready. We have to sign now, otherwise I'll miss my flight to London tomorrow.” I let myself be dragged along, but inside me burned a fire that could no longer be extinguished. She thought I was still that same naive mother who would do anything to please her children. She didn't know that I had just unmasked their entire web of lies.
We drove in silence toward the notary's office downtown. The rain continued to fall without letup. In the car, Sofia kept checking her phone, typing rapid messages to Daniel to confirm we were on our way. She didn't turn around to look at me even once. When we arrived at the office, Daniel was already on the sidewalk, pacing back and forth impatiently under a large umbrella.
As soon as he saw our car, he strode over to the door and pulled it open. “Hurry up! Why did you take so long?” he scolded Sofia and me simultaneously. “The notary has another appointment soon. If this falls through, we can say goodbye to the deal.” “Calm down, Daniel, we're here, aren't we?” Sofia said coldly. “Mom just needed some time to handle her emotions.” Daniel shot me a quick glance.
In his eyes there was no warmth or filial affection, only cold calculation. “Fine, Mom. Let's go inside. No drama now, just sign where we agreed.” We entered the imposing building and took the elevator up to the third floor. The hallways of the notary's office smelled of old paper and floor wax. The receptionist escorted us directly into Notary Van de Berg's office.
The notary, an elderly man in an impeccable gray suit with glasses on his nose, sat behind a large mahogany desk. In front of him lay a thick binder of official documents. “Good morning,” the notary said in a solemn voice. “The paperwork and identity documents are in order. Mrs. De Jong, you are about to sign the deed of sale for the property located on the outskirts of town. Are you aware of the conditions?” Daniel and Sofia held their breath. They both leaned forward, eyes fixed on the pen in my hand. I took hold of the pen. Its metallic weight was cold to the touch. I looked at the line designated for the signature on the page. And then, slowly, I set the pen back down.
