“Please come in and sit down. We need to talk.”

A second later the light was switched on. Iben sat down on the sofa, as far away from him as possible.

“You’re drunk!” She was pale, and her eyes appeared sunken in her young face.

“And so what if I am?”

“You’re fucking pathetic. I’m ashamed of you.” Her voice was calm and neutral. The contempt lay in her choice of words.

In the hour he had been waiting for her, he had formulated his questions over and over again, but now that she sat in front of him with her downturned mouth and her smooth forehead, the sentences swam away from him and turned into fog.

“What happened between you and Oscar’s older brother?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Why do I ask?! Answer me, damn it… Just answer!”

Iben pushed back her hair with both hands and tucked it behind her ears. It was a habit she had had since she was little, and the sight of it hit Kasper like a punch to the kidney.

“I don’t understand why I need to face the third degree just because you’ve suddenly decided to take an interest in my life.”

“What do you mean suddenly? Since when have I not been interested in you?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Every fucking night when you sit in front of your computer and work. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.”

“What are you talking about?!” Kasper could hear the panic in his own voice and forced himself to sound calm. “Iben, tell me. What happened with Vic?! I can help you.”

The look in her eyes literally took his breath away. Kasper refilled his glass, his hands shaking.

“Yes, Dad, drink some more. That will make everything okay again.” She got up.

“Sit down, honey. Let’s talk about it. You’re everything to me.” With the last sentence, Kasper couldn’t hold his tears back any longer. He knew how ridiculous he must seem, but there was no helping it.

“That’s easy to say, isn’t it? You’re everything to me.” Suddenly she looked like the little girl she no longer was. “But it’s a lie, Dad. You don’t give a damn who I am or how I’m doing as long as I don’t get in the way of your fucking career and pretend like our family is perfect and I have no idea what you’re spending all our money on.”

“That’s not true!” He rubbed his face hard with both hands and cleared his throat. “Have a seat now, honey. It’s not too late.”

“It is too late. I’m fifteen years old. There’s nothing left to talk about. What do you want me to say?” Her voice was glass shards and sharp knives. “That it’s your fault I don’t have a mother?”