"What did you find out?" I ask, alarmed. I've completely lost control of my feelings. I've lost control of everything, and I'm well aware of it even before Jakob answers.
"Your computer password," he fixes his gaze on me.
"You hacked my laptop? Are you out of your mind?" My voice trembles, and my thoughts along with it.
He knows everything.
Everything!
"That little Blohm is a once-in-a-lifetime story, you hypocritical traitor!" Jakob yells, ignoring my question. "How could you believe I wouldn't find out?"
Oh God.
How could you believe I wouldn't find out?
Those are my words!
That's exactly what I threw at my parents back then. I remember the feeling I had at the time. The deep-seated knowledge that no answer would ever be acceptable.
Jakob stands tall in front of me. "Either you write the story forRyktesspegeln, or I will. You have until tomorrow to decide."
"No, I absolutely won't do that," I snap, springing up from my chair. "Who do you think you are to demand that from me?" Certainly not my best friend anymore. Maybe he once was, but the way he's acting now is anything but that. "And how dare you spy on me like that?"
"Well, I guess we're both in the same boat," he replies bitterly, and I can sense the truth in his words.
He's hurt. I'm hurt.
All because I wanted to do the right thing. Dammit, how did I get myself into this mess?
I raise my hands. "Listen to me, Jakob, please," I say.
He swallows hard. "Okay," he says, and then I tell him everything.
Every detail, he learns now. I spill it all out, telling him that I knew Sky long before our meeting at the hospital. About the prejudices I had against her and how she debunked each one over time.
About how I suddenly found myself deeply entangled in a web of lies, without understanding how I even got to this point. About how she allowed me to see into her soul and how it shifted everything I had ever believed in into a new light.
"She's been hiding for six whole years now, all because her father demands it," I explain emphatically at the end. "It's not good for her, but she needs to realize that."
Jakob sinks into a chair. "Oh, man..."
"She needs to confront her past, be herself, and understand that she can only live a free life if she comes out of hiding," I say.
"If that's the case, everything can be okay," Jakob looks at me hopefully. "Write the article; it'll take that burden off her."
"It's not that simple," I reply, even though I wish it were. I study him, see the exhaustion in his eyes. "She needs to take this step on her own."
"We can't wait for that," he replies in desperation. "We need the article now."
There's a finality in his words that makes me sit up and take notice. It's high time he told me the truth too. "Why? What's going on, Jakob?"
"I'm so sorry, Kjell. I don't want to pressure you." Suddenly, a tear rolls down his cheek. He exhales shakily, rubbing his eyes. "If I don't come up with the money, Merle will leave me."
His words are only a soft whisper, but they hang heavy in the silent room. We sit frozen, facing each other, and I don't know what to say or what to ask.
He leans forward and lets out a breath. "We've been trying to get pregnant for years."
"You need the money for a fertility clinic?" I ask, as that's the only logical conclusion.
