My mother was 72 when she confessed to me: “Your father has been paying me money every month for years to keep his mouth shut. If you ever find out what he really did, you may never want to call him a dad again.” When my mother finished speaking, he suddenly got up and locked the kitchen door from inside…

That was the day his father died.

I sat down.

What did you have to do with his death?

My father remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he whispered:

“If it hadn’t been for me, he wouldn’t have been there that night.

I could barely breathe.

Did you force him to do anything?

My father closed his eyes.

It was I who asked him to come.

At the time I was convinced that my father had been hiding something terrible all his life.

But then he continued.

“That night a fire broke out in our factory. I got stuck inside. I couldn’t get out on my own. My best friend, Daniel, heard me scream for help and ran into the building.

His voice broke.

He managed to get me out. But he didn’t survive.