19 February 

Matthias stepped out of his office and noticed one of the staff members talking on the phone

“Absolutely… Yes, I’ll be finished with work in half an hour… Yes, son, I won’t miss your play – what sort of father wouldn’t support his son’s success?”

Matthias felt a lump in his throat and a pang of guilt. Was he really a father? Did he deserve to be called a father when he was simply turning his son away?

He continued on his way, left the company building and got into his car.

“Peter, drive home.”

Matthias leaned against the windscreen, gazing at the road and talking to himself, unheard by anyone.

“Am I a bad father? No, certainly not. I want the best for him. He’ll grow up and realise that I looked after him better than…”

He paused for a moment, thinking of his ex-wife Karen, and wondered:

“Is she trying to get her own back on me through Max?”

He remembered what had happened between them 15 years ago as if it were yesterday. 

“Well, congratulations on winning custody, Mr Adler… I just hope you don’t teach my son to betray his future wife.”

“Karen, stop this nonsense! You’re the one who asked for the divorce – don’t act as if you’re the victim.”

“You’re the one who cheated on me with that whore – don’t act as if you’re a respectable man whose honour has been tarnished! Look after Max properly… just as you looked after your own desires.”

The court battle over Max’s custody had been a long affair, dragging on for months.

“Have I lost my mind? I fought her tooth and nail to stop her taking Max away from me, and now I’m just going to let him go and live with her? Impossible!”

Matthias sat up straight and said to the driver 

“Peter, take me to my ex-wife’s house.”

He arrived at her house and, luckily for him, the university term had ended by that time 

He got out of the car and knocked on the door… He rang the bell several times until Sofia opened the door for him

“Hello, I’m the father of your half-brother Max… could you call him for me?”

“Max isn’t here.”

“What? University classes finished two hours ago… where is he?”

“I don’t know. He’s always late coming home.”

“Where’s your mum? Does she know about this?”

“Hold on a moment.”

Sofia closed the door and went to call her mother.

“Mum, your ex-husband’s asking for Max.”

“What does he want with him?”

“I don’t know, but he wants to know where he is.”

Karen got up, silently cursing Matthias, and opened the door to speak to him.

“Yes, what do you want?”

She said it with great brusqueness.

Matthias adjusted his tie, swallowed hard and said,

“Where’s Max? I want to speak to him.”

“Max is with his friends. What’s this important matter you want to discuss with him?”

“It’s a private matter…”

“I’m his mother, Matthias! Tell me what you want.”

He sighed, shook his head and turned to leave.

“Matthias, stop messing with me! I don’t want to see your face again.”

Matthias got into the car with just one question on his mind.

“Has Max gone back to that scum? Is Karen letting him do this to get back at me?”

Matthias slammed his fist down on the car seat as he thought to himself

“She’ll definitely do that… She hates me so much… I won’t let her ruin my son.”

Matthias opened his phone and sent a message to Max

“Max, come back to the mansion. There’s something important I want you to know.”

Then he closed his phone and went back to staring at the road

To be continued…