Silence. Mara’s hands shook. Mark said nothing.
I explained briefly: the sketches at the kitchen table, the patent, the company, the years of quiet work.
“You bought this house?” Mara asked.
“My company identified it for a project. I didn’t know it was yours until I saw the document.”
Her eyes dropped to my leg. Then she whispered, “I made a mistake, Arnie. I was wrong. Our daughters… Can I see them? Just once?”
I answered calmly: “They stopped waiting for you a long time ago. I made sure they didn’t have to.”
Mark finally spoke: “It wasn’t supposed to go like this, man. Things just… didn’t work out. I made some bad calls, alright? I thought I had it handled.”
Mara snapped at him, “Don’t start. You promised me this would work. Look at us now.”
I had nothing more to say. “There’s nothing left here. For any of us.”
