I thought about the day she turned eighteen and went off to college. I helped her set up her dorm room, made her bed, bought her lunch. When I was leaving, she grabbed the hem of my jacket and said, "Dad, I'm going to miss you." I cried the whole ride home.
I thought about three days ago, the moment I found out the company was going under. The first thing I thought of wasn't the eighty million dollars—it was her. I'd stayed up all night pushing through her visa paperwork, transferred every last dollar I had into her bank account, and made sure she wouldn't be touched by any of it.
And now she was standing here, pointing at me, calling me a rapist.
I pressed my hand to my chest. The pain felt like someone dragging a knife through me. "So, you've made up your mind. You're going to forgive her. Is that it?"
Marta looked at me. She hesitated for just a second, then she nodded.
"Fine." I stepped back. "Go with her, then. I spent all these years raising a kid who couldn't care less about me. We're done. As of today."
Saying those words felt like someone had reached into my chest and ripped out a chunk of flesh while I was still breathing, but it didn't matter. I wasn't going to be around much longer anyway. Eighty million in debt; I had no way out. My original plan had been to wait until she was on that plane, then jump from this window. If she didn't want to leave the country, if she wanted to go with Laura instead, fine. Let her go. At least she wouldn't have to watch me fall.
But before I could finish the thought, Marta frowned. "Dad," she said, "we're not the ones leaving. You are."
I stared at her. "What does that mean?"
She didn't answer. She turned around, pulled a document out of her bag, and set it on the desk. "Dad, the company's almost ready to go public. You've worked hard enough. It's time to rest." She tapped the document. "Because of you, Mom's had a really difficult life all these years. Think of this as making it right."
I stared at the document. Every muscle in my body locked up. It was a stock transfer agreement.