GOOD MAN

When Maria, Professor Rossi's ex-wife, received a call from their son, she was still playing cards. She was just one card away from winning the game.

"Maria, your phone's ringing."

Maria glanced at the screen and saw it was her son. What could possibly be the problem?

She answered nonchalantly, "It's fine, go ahead, your turn."

"King of hearts."

Maria shouted in triumph, "I won, I won!"

She gathered the cards with a broad smile. "Look at that luck I've got!"

Her phone rang again. It was still her son.

At that moment, Maria realized something was wrong. Her son, who lived with his father, usually avoided her. He couldn't stand her difficult personality and rarely called. Now he was calling her twice in a row?

Only then did she decide to pick up.

"What is it? I was busy earlier and didn't hear the phone."

"Mom, Dad hasn't come home yet."

"If he hasn't come home, so what? He's not a child; he's probably busy. Isn't he always caught up with school?"

"But it's already eleven o'clock. I went to the school to look for him, and there was no one there. Mom, can you come home?"

"I'll be right there."

Still, Maria hesitated. She was on a lucky streak and didn't really feel like leaving.

On the other end, her son continued with a worried voice, "Please, come quickly. I'm scared something's happened..."

Maria sighed, "Alright, but you'll have to give me time to catch the bus."

She hung up, deciding she'd finish the game before heading over to see what was going on.

Maria had always thought well of her ex-husband. Before they got together, he was incredibly kind—never angry, always calm and patient.

Back then, her father had been physically and verbally abusive, making her vow that she would never marry a man like him. So she chose her husband.

After the wedding, things seemed fine. Both had steady jobs, and when she got upset, he would stay silent, patiently waiting for her to cool down.

The neighbors all said she was lucky to have found such a good man.

But over time, things began to change. The fact that he never got angry started to irritate her, and she became increasingly frustrated.

Their days continued like this, until the birth of their son.

Their son… as people would say online today, was a "high-needs" baby. He couldn't sleep alone, had to be rocked and held constantly, or he would cry non-stop.

They couldn't rely on any relatives for help. Her parents favored her brothers and weren't interested in assisting, and his parents had long passed away. They were poor and couldn't afford a nanny.

During that time, her husband worked, and she was left alone with the baby, barely managing to sleep an hour at a time. She felt on the verge of losing her mind.

Having grown up in a family that favored boys, this period was the hardest and most painful of her life, worse than anything she had experienced before.

She tried to talk to her husband about it: "Having a baby has changed everything. Can't you come home a little earlier? Even if you have evening classes, maybe someone else could take over for you. I'm not asking you to help during the day, but at least at night, come home and help me with the baby so I can get some sleep."

But he, with his usual calm demeanor, neither agreed nor disagreed. He simply took the baby in his arms and started rocking him to sleep.

The baby immediately stopped crying. Even though she spent the most time with their child, the baby always cried more with her, while in his father's arms, he quieted down instantly.

That scene hurt her deeply.

It was at that moment, in her exhaustion and frustration, that Maria regretted even giving birth to that "little burden"! She wanted to strangle him right then and there.

The next day, even though Professor

Rossi had no classes scheduled for

the afternoon or evening, he told his

wife that the research group was

organizing a dinner he couldn't miss.

Despite not wanting to go, he was

forced to, leaving his wife alone at

home. When she got up to cook

herself a simple egg, she slipped on

a puddle of water in the living room

and fell to the ground. The pain was

so intense that she couldn't move.

She lay there, paralyzed, with a rage

so strong she could destroy the

entire world.

Just then, from the back of the

house, their son, who had just fallen

asleep, began to cry again. That

shrill, incessant cry made her want to grab a knife and kill herself for

bringing such an exasperating

creature into the world.

That day, blinded by anger, she

picked up the baby, who kept crying

non-stop, and went directly to her

husband's school to yell at all his

colleagues. According to them, it

was a scene that made her look

ridiculous, causing her to lose face

entirely.

From that moment on, word spread

that Professor Rossi had a wife with

an unpredictable and bizarre temper.

Behind closed doors, people

wondered how a man as calm and

gentle as Rossi could have married a

"tiger."

As time went on, the situation at

nome became unbearable. Every

small disagreement erupted into

furious arguments, but Rossi never

responded, always letting her vent

without saying a word. The more he

behaved this way, the more trapped

she felt in a vortex of anger and

frustration.

When their son turned four,

something happened that put an end

to their chaotic life.

One day, they were told that their son had injured a classmate at

kindergarten with a knife

"Why did you do it?" she asked in

disbelief.

"Because he didn't listen to me, the

child coldly replied.

It was at that moment she realized

how much her emotional instability

had affected her son. Even though

she had never hit him, he had

absorbed her violent and chaotic

behavior. If he continued growing up

like that, he would become a

dangerous person.

Once again, her husband remained

calm, apologized to the injured

child's parents, paid the medical

expenses, and patiently explained

the situation to their son, trying to

teach him that violence was not the

answer.

Watching her husband and son,

Maria came to a bitter conclusion:

the problem was within her. She

wasn't suited for marriage or

motherhood. Rather than continue

living in that torment, she

understood it was better to free her

nusband and son from her presence

allowing them to live in peace.

They divorced shortly after. That day

their son looked visibly relieved, ever

happy. Children can't hide their

emotions, and all he knew was that

the "tiger" at home was finally

leaving.

Looking back on those years, Maria

realized she had been the cause of

the problems. During the divorce, she didn't fight for custody of her son, knowing she hadn't been a suitable mother.

Even after the divorce, Maria knew

the fault was hers. She had to admit

it. Her ex-husband was a good

person, and he never spoke ill of her

to others. In fact, he often made sure

their son went to visit her.

Reflecting on all this, Maria decided

to stop playing cards and go visit her

son.

:Maria, you can't leave just when

you're winning!"

"My ex-husband might be in trouble

I'd better go check, you all keep

playing"

"But it's your ex-husband! If

something happened to him,

shouldn't you be celebrating?"

"My ex-husband is a good person, a

genuinely kind man. If something

happened to him, not only would I

not be happy, but !'d cry too."

When she arrived at Rossi's house,

she found their son outside, talking

to two police officers who were

taking notes.

'Mom!" the boy exclaimed, running

over to her.

The police officers also approached

and started asking her questions

Then they explained, "It hasn't been

48 hours since he disappeared, so

we can't officially open a case

However, we'll send some officers to

look for him.

Maria nodded, showing she

understood. Her son immediately

intervened, showing the police

officers his phone: "And this? Can't

you do anything about this?"

On his phone was a sketch. Maria

examined it carefully: it was clearly

her ex-husband's face.

"Look at this," the boy said

"Someone's been spreading rumors

online, saying my dad is the culprit

behind a series of murders. Now my

dad has disappeared out of nowhere.

Something must have happened."

One of the officers took the phone

and, after closely examining the

image, said, "We're aware of the

try to track d er tne cyber police

case. We'll contact the

to try to track down whoever posted

this information. We'll keep you

updated if there are any

developments."

The boy continued, "Someone must

have played a sick joke, using Dad's

photo to create that sketch, and now

people believe he's the culprit. It

must be that group that kidnapped

him."

Maria listened, staring at the sketch,

and the more she thought about it,

the more ridiculous the situation

seemed. Her ex-husband, for all his

quiet and reserved nature, could

never be a serial killer. In fact, if

anything, it seemed like she had

always been the one more prone to

anger, not him. Finally, she asked,

"Do people really believe this

nonsense?"

The police exchanged awkward

glances, unsure of how to respond

One of them said, "We'll head back to

the station to check the surveillance

footage. If we see that he returned

home, we'll contact you immediately."

After the police left, only Maria and her son remained in the house. Feeling a bit uneasy, Maria said, "I'll make you some pasta."

But her son shook his head. "I can't eat, Mom. Dad, with his personality, could never have made anyone angry. It must all be because of that drawing."

Maria nodded, trying to reassure him. "Don't worry, the police are checking the cameras. These days, there are cameras everywhere. They'll soon figure out who did this. Your father won't have any problems."

Such a good man, nothing bad could happen to him, she thought.

It was true. Every year, at the end of classes, her ex-husband received gifts from a crowd of students, many of whom cried when they had to say goodbye to him.

"Why don't you rest a bit? I'll stay here and wait for your father to come home."

"I can't sleep." Her son sat next to her, his head lowered, drowning in anxiety.

Maria gently stroked his head, for the first time realizing just how much her son needed her. During his childhood, due to postpartum depression, she had never been particularly affectionate with him, and as a result, her son had never shown her much affection either.

In that moment, as her son leaned against her, Maria felt a strange sensation, almost like being pregnant again, sharing emotions and blood with him.

It was a new feeling, and for some reason, a tender one.

She stroked his head again, her heart filled with sweetness.

She called her regular clients and rescheduled their appointments, deciding to take a day off. She wanted to be with her son.

But deep down, she was sure nothing serious had happened.

Her ex-husband was a good man. No one could ever hurt him.

Elsewhere, in the same city, in a dark basement, the air was thick with the acrid stench of rotting leaves and trash.

Usually, when you spend a lot of time in an environment, you get used to the smell, but that stench was so overwhelming, it tortured anyone who was there.

The man's eyes were forced open with tape, his hands and feet bound, his mouth gagged with a filthy rag.

In the darkness, he desperately tried to free himself, but it was useless. His entire body had gone numb.

His bloodshot eyes searched for relief, but he couldn't close them. The more he tried to force his eyelids shut, the more the pain intensified. That tape seemed designed to keep his eyes locked in a perpetual state of agony.

Footsteps echoed in the dark, followed by a blinding light piercing his eyes, causing uncontrollable tears to stream down his face.

Behind that flashlight, it was impossible to see who it was. But the man could hear the person dragging an iron bar along the floor, making a chilling, screeching sound.

The footsteps grew closer, until the figure was right in front of him.

Then, from above, a shrill voice shattered the silence.

"Mom! I'm home! What's for dinner?"