Chapter 38

Gloria, overwhelmed by a dull anger and a throbbing pain, decided not to go directly back to the residence she shared with Samson. The memory of the humiliation she had suffered earlier prevented her from being alone in that space. So, without hesitation, she chose to take refuge at her mother's house, where her younger sister also lived.

Her phone kept vibrating, but she deliberately ignored it. She knew it was Samson trying to reach her, perhaps to apologize, perhaps to continue justifying himself. But each ring only intensified her distress and reinforced the weight of the shame that was crushing her. Gloria kept thinking about all those times she had praised her husband in front of her family. She remembered how she had insisted on his generosity and elegance, even though she knew very well what he was capable of. Today, everything was falling apart.