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When he sits down in the chair, he is so tired that he feels an intense physical discomfort. He sighs deeply as his body settles into the chair. ”Who am I kidding? I’m getting old.” He sighs and pours the whisky before opening the cigar box. He touches the cigars.
    "Hmm. Dry. They might be OK after all. It’s a good thing I didn’t offer them to my clients, though. Petra must get some new ones."
    With a practiced movement, he lights the cigar.
    "Hmm."
    He picks up the glass and holds it up to the fire, the light playing in the cut crystal. He inhales deeply, and tears start to fill his eyes.
    "Honey, I know you don’t approve, but today has been ..."
    He wets his lips.
    "…confusing, even for an old defense lawyer. I don’t know what to believe and what not."
    He turns his hand, and the golden liquid spins in the glass, making a wonderful display of colors. He carefully tastes it, and feels the same sensation as the first time: A dusty taste that tears a little and then suddenly hits the sense of smell.
    Wow! It’s been a long time. Ha, I guess it had become a little too much of a habit at the time. I never even tasted it back then."
     
    With empty eyes, he stares at the fire, drinking and inhaling by turns, and soon he feels the effect. He smiles and moves down further in the chair. For a long time, he doesn’t move. He remembers the worried look on the doctor’s face. Both times Nathan was there, he tried to get an answer from him, but the doctor just shook his head and said.
    "The tests will show. I will let you know as soon as I have the results."
    The look in the doctor’s eyes suddenly seems frightening, just as it had when he had been there with Denize. He scratches at his neck, his movements gradually getting more abrupt, faster and harder. His body is tense. He sighs and slowly lets his inner calm return.
    "I wonder if we’ll meet again soon, Denize."
    He smiles as if he’s smiling at his wife, but his smile soon fades. He can no longer picture the small mole next to his wife’s right eye. With a sudden movement, he gets up. He stands in front of the chair with a vacant look in his eyes, wobbly from the whisky. He remembers all the times Denize had asked him to drive by the yellow house. Almost, every time, they had seen the two girls sitting in the swing. He remembers the first time he had met them. They had smiled at him, genuine and trusting smiles. Now it’s as if Evy’s face resembles the face of the blonde girl, but also contains something more, something more familiar. ”Now I’m just a drunk old man...” Nathan falls back into the chair and lets the memories of the time before Denize got sick overwhelm him. Slowly he realizes that Evy’s eyes resemble Denize’s, and the thought is pleasantly comforting. But it also makes him feel a slight unease – and Stuart is lurking in that uneasy feeling.

 
    Chapter 4
    Evy squeezes her eyes tight when the sunlight hits her. A sigh escapes from her lips, and she slowly pushes away the cover. She quickly glances at the windows on the other side of the street. They seem empty, and she gets out of bed. Her naked body is caught in the sunlight, but her hands still stroke her arms when she feels the cold in the room. She sees her own reflection in the wall of mirrors toward the living room, and she slowly stops, letting her hand move over her stomach. ”To think that I could have had an heir to Stuart’s fortune...” She forgets about the windows across the street and stays in front of the mirror for a long time, watching herself. She senses movement in one of the windows, looks one last time at her body and walks casually around the bed. The letter is sticking out of her bag next to the bed. She looks at it, annoyed, but soon a more cunning, challenging look shows in her eyes. She puts her hand on her stomach again and stares vacantly at the city outside. She feels like a spectator in her own life, and is slowly filled with fear and anger at