Episode 2

After the Bath, Gabriela puts on comfortable clothes and heads to the kitchen to prepare dinner since her mother is not home and she loves to cook. She plays a song (*Intuition* *Mary Fernandes*) on her phone, puts on her headphones, and starts making a lasagna with four cheese sauce and a fruit salad for dessert.

She was so engrossed in preparing dinner that she didn’t even notice when her stepfather arrived, drunk and high.

He watched her, singing and dancing, lost in her own world...

Paulo(dog)- 💭This girl is getting sexier by the day!🤤 Look at those perfect curves; she'll be mine, whether she likes it or not, or I’m not called dog😈💭

Suddenly, Gabriela turns to grab something and is startled to see Paulo looking at her strangely...

Gabriela- Oh! Hi Paulo, good evening! Have you been here long? I didn't see you arrive, I was distracted making dinner!

Paulo- I just got here!

Gabriela- And where's my mom?

Paulo (dog)- She's cleaning at the joker's house; she'll be back soon!

Gabriela- Hum, okay!

Paulo goes back to the living room, turns on the TV, and slumps on the couch to watch. He went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, grabbed a beer, and spent a while staring at Gabriela as she bent down to put the lasagna in the oven. He went back to the living room but was restless. Noticing that he was frequently going to the kitchen, Gabriela turned off the oven and went to her room, closing the door, but since it didn’t lock, she didn’t secure it. She started texting Diego because she was scared. Hours passed; it was almost (10:00 PM), and her mom still hadn’t come back. She stepped out of her room to have dinner and saw Paulo asleep on the couch, or at least she thought he was. She tiptoed to the kitchen, not wanting to wake him. As she was serving her plate, she suddenly felt a blow to her head and everything went black.

...ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ...

Mom- I just got back from the joker's house where I was cleaning; his place is huge, that’s why I took so long. And I see Paulo sneaking out of my daughter’s room. My heart raced, for a mother’s instinct never lies. So I confront him.

Mom- What were you doing in Gabriela's room, Paulo?

Paulo(dog)- I just came to see if she was going to have dinner; she made food and hasn't come out; I wanted to see if she needed anything. But she's sleeping! And by now you’ve arrived!

Mom- I see! You never cared about Fernanda, who shares your blood, let alone Gabriela, who isn’t even your daughter. Saying that sent my heart racing. I ran to my daughter's room, and she was in bed, strangely wrapped up in her blankets. I pull the sheet, and she’s fully dressed, but my sixth sense doesn’t lie, and something is wrong. I rush back to the living room...

Mom- What did you do to her, you bastard? I’m reporting you right now. If you dared to touch my daughter, I’ll kill you, you bastard!

Paulo approaches her and slaps her across the face, causing her to fall. He grabs her by the hair and begins to beat her.

Paulo(dog)- Are you crazy, woman? You've lost your sense of danger challenging me under my roof. If it weren’t for me, you and your daughter would be begging on the streets. You know that! (He says while hitting her).

Not satisfied, he pushes the woman, making her hit her head on the coffee table. She breaks her head and collapses right there...

He goes to check if she’s breathing, but no, she isn’t.

Paulo(dog)- Damn it, she had to die just now! (He says, running his hands through his hair)

He leaves the house, agitated, heading toward the top of the hill where the joker lives...

...ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ...

...In Gabriela's room...

I woke up in my room with a body that ached as if I had been beaten, a headache pounding at the back of my skull. I ran my hand over my head and felt a bump. I was dizzy; every time I tried to get up, my head spun, and everything turned dark. I paused, took a deep breath, and heard arguing. From the voices, I recognized that it was my mother and that monster Paulo. Once everything fell silent, I began to feel better from the dizziness. I stepped out of my room and was met with the worst scene of my life. My mother lay on the living room floor, bloodied and hurt. I ran to her, but she wasn’t breathing anymore.

*Gabriela* - No, no, no! Mom, talk to me! Please, don’t leave me! (crying😭)

Mom, wake up, please! Who is going to take care of me? (crying desperately😭)

I didn’t know what to do. I went back to my room, grabbed my phone, and dialed Diego. On the second ring, he answered; it was already past 11:30 PM.

📲 Hello, Di, I’m sorry for the hour, but please help me! (crying😭)

📱 Oh hey, my diva! Don’t worry about that, why are you crying? What happened? (voice filled with concern*)

📲 He killed my mom, Di! (sobbing😭) My mom is dead on the floor, Di! Get me out of here! (crying😭)

📱 Calm down, my goddess! I’m on my way!

...End of call......

Gabriela packed some clothes, personal belongings, and her documents into a backpack and descended the hill weeping. Her mind was disturbed, thoughts racing; what would become of her life now without her mother? She wouldn’t even be able to give her a proper funeral...

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