Roxana Moncayo is from Guayaquil and comes from a well-established family. Her parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents are all married and have never experienced any form of abuse.
She was raised with strong values and principles. Roxana has four siblings who live in the United States and visit her on special occasions like Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas, and New Year's.
The five siblings share a strong bond. For them, sisterly love and family are everything. Despite the distance, they stay in constant contact, always keeping up with each other's lives. Roxana cherishes her time with family and devotes much of her life to them, as well as to her close friends.
She has seven best friends: Antonio, Arturo, Miguel, Romina, Antonia, Roberta—and herself. The eight of them form a tight-knit group that shares everything and can talk openly about any topic. When the time came for college, it was the first time they were separated, each choosing a different path.
Antonio, Arturo, and Romina went to law school. Antonio wanted to become a prosecutor, Arturo dreamed of becoming a judge, and Romina aspired to defend women who had been victims of abuse.
Miguel chose Economics; Antonia studied Marketing and Finance; Roberta pursued Foreign Trade; and Roxana enrolled in Languages, hoping to one day become a writer.
Though they attended different universities, they always found time to meet and catch up. Everything seemed perfect—until Ivo Montecarlo entered Roxana's life and changed everything.
Ivo Montecarlo is Argentine, of Italian descent, and carries himself with an air of superiority. He looks down on anyone who isn't Argentine, Uruguayan, Paraguayan, or Italian.
He's the kind of man who, simply due to his heritage, believes he has the right to belittle women. He thrives on female attention, enjoys being worshiped as if he were a god, and takes pleasure in humiliating women in every possible way. He physically and verbally abuses his mother and aunts, using whatever is within reach. He is narcissistic and obsessed with being the center of attention.
Although he comes from a structured household, he lacks values. He shows no empathy toward women and sees them merely as objects for his amusement. He firmly believes that Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay are the only Latin American countries of any worth, and deems the rest of Latin America "useless."
He is obsessively clean, disinfecting everything before use—even the place where he sits. He believes women exist solely to serve him. He has even declared that women are "God's worst creation" and claimed that "women want and enjoy being raped." He is used to abusing women whenever he pleases.
Curiously, Ivo manages to present himself as the perfect partner to many women, and a trustworthy friend to many men. But he despises humble people and avoids them entirely.
He loved being the center of attention wherever he went. Every woman seemed drawn to him—except Roxana. She remained indifferent, focused on her studies.
Little by little, Ivo began inserting himself into Roxana's life—getting close to her, her family, and her friends. He eventually became part of her inner circle and started spending time with her friends' partners, sharing secrets and bonding with everyone.
Soon, the group of eight expanded to sixteen, and they were seen everywhere together—at every university party, constantly in each other's company. Two months later, Roxana and Ivo made their relationship official. Friends and acquaintances congratulated her, saying she "couldn't have found a better man."
Even before they were a couple, Roxana's family adored Ivo. His family, however, was another story. One of her sisters-in-law warned her:
"Run while you still can. These pigs don't understand morality or respect a woman's dignity."
One of Ivo's aunts also cautioned her:
"Run from this hell, dear girl. These degenerates think women are only good for being beaten, raped, and prostituted."
During her time in that house, several women from Ivo's family echoed the same warning: run. But Roxana, deeply in love, chose not to listen.
The only thing her maternal grandmother said was:
"My dear… time will tell if we were wrong to warn you."
Roxana never mentioned any of this to Ivo. She preferred to believe her family had been mistaken. She pushed the warnings to the back of her mind and carried on as if nothing had happened.
After six years of dating, they decided to get married. Everyone was overjoyed—except for some of the women in Ivo's family, who feared Roxana would suffer the same fate they had.
Both sets of parents went all out for the wedding. For their honeymoon, the couple toured Italy, took photos, and enjoyed gondola rides. Upon their return, Roxana's parents had already bought them a house and helped Ivo secure a well-paying job. Grateful, he was charming and courteous—at first.
But soon, Roxana would remember the warnings she had received. That moment came a year later. It was nighttime when Roxana came home after a long day at work. Exhausted, all she wanted was to rest. But Ivo wanted sex.
"I don't want to, Ivo. I'm tired," she said as she walked toward the bathroom.
"Every time I ask to make love, you say you're tired. I'm sick of it," he snapped, his voice rising.
"But I really am tired," she replied, trying to calm him.
Enraged by what he saw as yet another excuse, Ivo brutally beat her—and then raped her. As it happened, Roxana had a chilling moment of déjà vu. The warnings from the women in his family echoed in her mind. But once again, she tried to dismiss them.
Desperate, Roxana struggled to avoid the attack, screaming and pleading to be left alone. The neighbors, alerted by her screams, approached the house to check on her, but no one responded. They waited a few minutes. Hearing no more noise, they returned home.
What happened was that Ivo had managed to cover her mouth in time to avoid suspicion. Once he was sure the neighbors had left, he continued raping her savagely and brutally.
When he finished, he dressed indifferently and said,
"You asked for this by not giving me what I wanted."
He left her lying on the bathroom floor, covered in blood.
Roxana burst into tears. She felt dirty, humiliated, annihilated as a woman. As she showered and examined her body, her tears became uncontrollable. She was covered in bruises, bites, and marks. Blood stained the floor and her skin. Her left eye was completely black.
She knelt, broken, not knowing what to do or who to turn to. All she could do was shower, put on her pajamas, and go to bed early, not wanting to wait for Ivo's return.
The next day, she woke up in deep pain. A pleasant aroma filled the room. When she opened her eyes, she saw Ivo beside her, holding a bouquet of flowers and wearing a false expression of regret.
"Good morning, love. I brought you these flowers. Forgive me, I don't know what happened to me yesterday. Can you forgive me?"
Seeing his apparent remorse, Roxana decided to believe him. Ivo swore it would never happen again.
For a month, they lived as if they were on their honeymoon. But, like so many times before, everything changed again... for the worse.
One night, Ivo arrived drunk, accompanied by several friends, also drunk. Roxana, surprised, asked if they were planning to stay.
"They're staying," he replied without even looking at her.
Everything seemed normal until Ivo called her to join the party. Roxana agreed, but upon entering the room, she noticed there were only men. No women.
An hour later, Ivo shamelessly ordered her:
"Take off your clothes. My friends want to see you naked."
Roxana refused, remaining calm on the outside, even though inside she seethed with indignation. She remembered the values, respect, and dignity her parents had taught her. Enraged, Ivo transformed into a beast. Together with his friends, they beat and raped her throughout the night.
"This is what you get for being a whore," Ivo told her as they attacked her.
Roxana fought with all her might, but it was in vain. When they finished, they left her lying on the floor, unconscious, with bruises, bites, blood on the floor, and a blackened right eye.
She waited, with what little breath she had left, for everyone to leave. Then she dragged herself to her room and, looking in the mirror, burst into tears. She remembered those warnings she had ignored:
"Escape this hell while you still can. These swine have no morality or respect for a woman's dignity."
"Run, my dear, because these degenerates believe that women are only good for being beaten, raped, and prostituted."
He looked at himself in the mirror and muttered:
"They warned you, and you didn't listen. That's what you get for being stupid. For believing in him."
And yet... she forgave him. Once again.
Ivo promised he would change, that he would be different. For another month, they lived in a false calm. But the wounds—both visible and invisible—remained open.
One day, while bathing, Roxana began to bleed profusely. She cried, screaming in rage and pain. She felt her life was no longer worth anything.
As she left the bathroom, she saw a voicemail from Ivo on her cell phone:
"If you don't shut up, I'll kill your parents. If they find out, it will be your fault."
Horrified, she returned to the bathroom... and shuddered when she saw her dead son in the bathtub, surrounded by bloody water.
She screamed and wept desperately. First the threat. Then, the consequence of the beatings and rapes: the loss of a child she didn't even know she was pregnant with.
Heartbroken, she wrapped the tiny body in a garbage bag. She decided not to tell her family. At least for now. For the next two weeks, she avoided Ivo at all costs, arriving home late from work. Noticing her behavior, he exploded with rage. He could no longer control himself.
Roxana had no idea what hell awaited her that night. As soon as she stepped through the door, Ivo attacked her by surprise. He beat her, stomped on her, raped her, and disfigured her face with his fists.
"When I'm done with you, no one will want you. I'm going to break you," he shouted as he attacked her.
Roxana screamed, tried to escape, but each attempt was useless: he always caught up with her and continued. He kicked her, raped her… and bit her all over her body. She screamed, cried for help, and cried inconsolably.
This time, the neighbors heard. They ran to her house and banged on the door, but no one answered. Ivo had changed the entire security system. No one could get in. No one could get out.
The police arrived minutes later, but they were still unable to get in. Inside, hell continued. The nightmare lasted two days. When Ivo, exhausted, decided to stop, he dressed calmly and said:
"This is what you get for not being home, for hanging out with your slutty friends."
And before leaving, he added:
"From now on, you're locked up. No friends, no family. And forget about your phone."
Ivo had achieved his goal: isolating her from the world, from her loved ones, from any possibility of help. But inside, something had changed. Roxana wouldn't allow fear and hatred to win without first healing her wounds.
With enormous effort, she managed to recover physically. Although in pain, she knew she had to make a decision: escape from that hell. One night, while Ivo was fast asleep, Roxana couldn't take it anymore. She went to the kitchen, took a knife... and cut off his penis.
Ivo woke up screaming from the immense pain. Roxana left, taking the severed member with her. He threw it onto the street and walked away. Bleeding, Ivo called the police and then the hospital. An ambulance arrived a few minutes later. Paramedics found him unconscious in the house and took him to the emergency room.
Meanwhile, the police searched for the penis. They didn't find it… until someone discovered it on a sidewalk. It was immediately handed over to the officers, who placed it in a cooler for safekeeping.
Upon arriving at the hospital, doctors attempted reconstruction. The surgery lasted hours but was a success. What no one knew was that Roxana was hiding in the same hospital. When she found Ivo's room, she quietly entered, took a scalpel... and destroyed his organ again.
Ivo screamed in pain. Roxana, without looking back, left the hospital unnoticed. She disappeared for a week. Eventually, she realized that this wasn't the life she wanted either. She surrendered to the police and told everything: from the marriage to the mutilation.
The authorities listened to her testimony. Afterwards, she was arrested. The trial against Roxana for mutilation and against Ivo for domestic violence generated controversy. Both sides presented witnesses—testimonies that confirmed her character, history, and the abuse she had suffered.
After deliberation, the jury issued a unanimous verdict: Roxana was cleared of all charges, as she had acted in self-defense. Ivo was found guilty and sentenced to forty years in prison without bail.
Afterward, Roxana and her family moved to Guayaquil to start over. She had told her parents she wanted to go to a center specializing in cases of abuse against women. Her mother, who had already researched the matter, suggested the MAM institution—Mujeres Aportando Mujeres (Women Contributing to Women).
Roxana agreed without hesitation, and they went there immediately. It took her more than ten years to fully recover, although painful memories of her marriage to Ivo still linger.
Despite her healing process, something inside her prevented her from feeling completely at peace, as if a part of her remained trapped in that past.
As for Ivo, neither his family nor his friends ever reappeared. They simply disappeared.