Nita sighed softly. She’d always thought her father was good, but it was nothing but childish illusions. Finding out the depth of his crimes didn’t change how much she loved him, didn’t rock or shift that core in her heart. It just made her feel lost and a little sad for the naive child she’d been who’d seen her father as the only good person in her life. Who couldn’t recognize that “good” was a relative term, who couldn’t understand that just because someone loved her didn’t make them good.

Nita wasn’t sad to see the last of that child disappear, didn’t regret letting her illusions finally die. Because even though it made her admit her father was a terrible person, she felt like she could at least see him as a person now. A flawed, weak person, but a person nonetheless.

Fabricio left the desk and wandered to the bookshelves while she read more. He ran his fingers over the spines of the books and finally said, “This was my father’s office.”

He wore a wistful, sad expression, and Nita asked, “Do you miss him?”

“Every day.” Fabricio swallowed and looked down. “I thought it would get better, you know, the grief. And I suppose it has—it’s not as sharp, not as constant as it used to be. But sometimes it comes back full force, and it’s like I lost him yesterday.”

Nita’s chest tightened, thinking of her own father. Gone. Stolen forever.

“Were you close?” Nita asked.

“We were. I was his only kid, and since my mother was gone, we spent a lot of time together. He always took Sunday off, and we’d do something fun. Go to a movie or to see a fútbol—soccer—game, or to Montevideo to lie on the beach.” His eyes were sad. “I think he wanted to make sure I didn’t feel the loss of my mother. That I had a full childhood, even without her.”

“He sounds . . . nice,” Nita admitted.

“My father used to try and comfort me about my mother’s death by telling me good people die young. They’re too good for the darkness in the world.” His smile went cruel. “You know what I used to think whenever he told me that?”

“What?”

“If  being good means you’re going to die young, why would I ever be good?”

Nita blinked, unnerved to hear her own thoughts echoed back at her. “Pardon?”

“Never mind.” The computer beeped, and Fabricio nodded at it. “Download’s finished.”

Nita unplugged her hard drive and tucked it away.