Samantha Sáenz is nine months pregnant and doesn't work. The reason Samantha doesn't work is that her husband, Asdrúbal Palacios, asked her not to, as he would be responsible for supporting the family. However, Asdrúbal didn't count on losing his job just as Samantha was about to give birth.
Annoyed and out of his mind, he decided to go to a bar for a drink and returned home completely drunk.
"Get me a beer!" Asdrúbal ordered, spluttering.
"You're drunk!" Samantha replied, noticing the strong smell of alcohol on his breath.
"You're such a good guess! Now bring me the beer I asked for!" Asdrúbal insisted, starting to get impatient.
"Don't you want llapingacho? I just made it. It was delicious and it's still warm," Samantha replied kindly. Then Asdrúbal stood up, approached his wife, and hit her.
"Women like you are the ones who keep us out of work! My stupid boss fired me because she thinks I'm harassing her. Is anyone going to want anything to do with someone as ugly as her?" he said arrogantly.
"You're out of work, and I'm pregnant! What are we going to do?" Samantha asked, distressed.
"The baby... the baby. If you hadn't gotten pregnant, we'd be fine right now," Asdrúbal growled, as he grabbed all the baby's toys, threw them on the floor, and stomped on them.
"Stop it, Asdrúbal! You promised me you wouldn't hurt me because I'm pregnant!" Samantha said, raising her voice.
Then, Asdrúbal grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into the bathroom. The entire way, Samantha screamed, begging him to stop, but to no avail. He turned on the shower and put Samantha in the shower. The water was freezing cold.
"Take a shower, you're dirty!" he yelled at her, holding her tightly by the shoulders so she couldn't get out.
"Asdrúbal, please stop..." Samantha pleaded, trembling.
"Stay there, because you're dirty and disgusting!" he yelled, leaving the bathroom and leaving her under the stream of icy water.
Samantha and Asdrúbal's screams could be heard throughout the city. Since they lived in a gated community, one of the neighbors approached the house to see what was happening.
Paula, that was the neighbor's name, kept knocking on the door. Paula was not only Samantha and Asdrúbal's neighbor, but also a friend of Samantha's sister, Susana, and sister of Felipe, Susana's husband.
"Dry yourself, that neighbor's here again! She's so nosy! Listen carefully to what you tell her: that we're fine, and that you fell because you were stupid. Trying to help me with the watering can, you stepped wrong and fell. That's what you'll tell her, okay? And woe betide you if she suspects anything," Asdrúbal ordered, throwing her a towel to dry her off.
When Asdrúbal opened the door, he was holding Samantha in his arms. They both pretended to be happy in front of Paula. But she, who had already heard the argument and the cries for help, didn't believe their facade.
"Samantha, are you okay? Why are you wet?" Paula asked, genuinely worried to see her soaked, about to give birth.
"Nothing, sister-in-law. Everything's fine. I just fell while helping my husband fix the shower. I stepped wrong and fell, that's all," Samantha replied.
"Are you sure? Remember, you're pregnant and you shouldn't be straining yourself. You need to rest so your child can be born safe and sound," Paula said, still hesitant.
"Why don't you mind your own business and leave us alone? Stop being such a nosy old woman and get on with your life!" Asdrúbal interrupted in an insolent tone.
Paula, a well-preserved forty-year-old woman married to Samantha's brother, stood her ground.
"I will... as long as I see that you don't continue hurting Samantha. Remember, my husband is your wife's older brother. He's the head of the military, and he won't want to confront him," she warned coldly. Asdrúbal then remembered the times José Alejandro almost beat him to death for mistreating his sister. Just thinking about it made him nervous, although he didn't want to show his fear.
"Now I'm leaving happily, after seeing your pale face when I mentioned my husband," Paula said, withdrawing with a slight smile, satisfied that she had managed to intimidate him.
José Alejandro is the oldest brother; he is followed by Susana, and finally Samantha. He is an expert in martial arts and self-defense. He is also a Marine and a soldier. More than once, he had to intervene to defend Samantha from Asdrúbal's abuse. And every time it seemed she would finally leave him, Asdrúbal managed to convince her to forgive him, which infuriated both José Alejandro and Susana, who had also come to her sister's defense.
"One of these days, he's going to beat you and your baby to death," her brothers warned her repeatedly.
As always, Samantha chose to ignore them and returned to her husband.
Two days later, Paula had to travel. She was informed that her husband was seriously injured and was demanding to see her. So she left, leaving Samantha alone and defenseless.
"Go easy, my son and I will be fine, I promise," Samantha told her, as she hugged her sister-in-law.
"Take care of yourself. You're worth two now," Paula replied.
"I promise. And tell my brother I miss him, and to take good care of himself... that his family is waiting for him in Mexico," Samantha added.
"I will, sister-in-law." But what would make your brother immensely happy is if you separated from your husband, so you could have your baby without any problems," Paula said, as she hugged her again.
"I know. I'll be fine, I promise," Samantha replied, trying to calm her down.
"Don't promise anything you can't keep," Paula told her, as she grabbed her bags and headed to board.
Two weeks had passed since Samantha said goodbye to Paula, but she didn't have time to miss her, because things were about to change, and for good.
Samantha was home alone when a messenger knocked on the door and delivered a court summons in her husband's name. Poor Samantha didn't know what to do, and all she could do was wait for Asdrúbal to return.
"Asdrúbal, this came for you," she said, handing him the envelope.
"What is it?" he asked, taking it with disdain. When he opened it, his face changed.
"What is it?" Samantha insisted, noticing it wasn't anything good.
"Damn it! It's a subpoena!" Asdrúbal replied, truly annoyed.
"Why did they summon you? They're just now bringing that subpoena, we have no money, and our baby is about to be born. Who will we turn to?" she asked anxiously.
Then Asdrúbal glared at Samantha's belly. He couldn't believe the baby was about to arrive. Filled with anger and resentment, he began to beat her savagely, knocking her to the floor, where he unleashed all his fury.
For more than two hours, Asdrúbal beat and abused her mercilessly, like the beast he was. He let himself be dominated by rage, frustration, arrogance... unleashing everything he'd repressed on her. He couldn't allow that baby to be born.
After that brutal attack, he left, leaving Samantha completely beaten and covered in blood.
Out of maternal instinct or a sixth sense, her sister Susana arrived twenty minutes after Asdrúbal left the house. Upon arriving, she noticed the door was open. She ran in and found her sister lying there, brutally beaten, unconscious, and covered in blood.
Frightened, she called an ambulance, which arrived immediately and took her to the hospital. While she waited, Susana decided to call her husband, Felipe, who was with José Alejandro and Paula. She told them what had happened.
"Please, love, don't tell my brother. I don't want this to be more traumatic for Samantha," Susana pleaded, trying not to burst into tears.
"I'm sorry, love... but your brother already knows," Felipe said, as the three of them appeared at the hospital.
"Little brother..." was all Susana managed to say, unable to hold back her tears.
When she was able to calm down, Susana explained what had happened. José Alejandro couldn't control his anger. The same thing was happening to Felipe and Paula.
"Please, don't do anything. We've already had enough with the terror Samantha experienced. Let's not add to the damage," Susana begged.
"Where is the bastard?" Felipe asked, enraged.
"He's in jail. I had no choice but to report him. With the photos they took of Samantha, he'll get 20 to 40 years in prison. And that's not even counting the other lawsuits already being filed. If they're added together, they could give him life imprisonment," Susana said, with the firm voice of a lawyer.
"I'm glad for his luck. That's what comes from being a sexist who enjoys beating women," Paula said.
"We're all happy about that. But my happiness isn't complete after seeing how Samantha ended up... and that she's about to lose our nephew, all because of Asdrúbal," Susana added sadly. "What did the doctor tell you, little sister?" asked José Alejandro.
"The doctor told me that my sister's life and the baby's are in danger. He thinks one or both of them won't make it through the night," said Susana, holding back her tears.
"What...?" José Alejandro couldn't finish the sentence. He broke down and began to cry.
No one could believe everything Samantha had gone through at the hands of Asdrúbal. Because she was stubborn, she always went back to him... and now, both she and the baby were at risk. Shortly after, the doctor appeared. His expression said it all.
"Unfortunately," he announced, "Samantha lost the baby. And... she'll never be able to have children again."
After hearing that, the silence was devastating. No one knew what to say. They were devastated. At the same time, they knew Paula and Susana were pregnant... and they didn't know how to tell Samantha.
"I hope Sammy wakes up and realizes Asdrúbal is no good. If she stays with him, he'll end up killing her," José Alejandro said, his voice breaking.
"What will her reaction be when she finds out she'll never be able to be a mother?" "And when he finds out we're pregnant?" Susana asked, distressed.
"We don't know. Let's hope he doesn't reject us," Paula said.
"Noooo!" Samantha shouted from the room. Everyone ran to see her.
When they arrived, they found the doctors, nurses, and police officers gathered in her room. They had informed her that she would never be able to have children... and also that Paula and Susana were pregnant.
"Why did they tell my little sister? Why didn't they wait for us to tell her the truth?" José Alejandro shouted, furious.
"We told her the truth because she has to report him, before he goes out and does to other women what he did to her," said one of the nurses.
"She's not ready," Felipe intervened.
"She is, and now is the time to act, before it's too late," said a member of the police force.
"I will." "I'll report him," Samantha stated.
As soon as she left the hospital, Samantha went straight to the police department to report her husband for abuse and for killing their son, recounting in minute detail everything he had done to her.
After two hours of recounting the horror she had experienced, she was told to go to a specific address to have photographs taken of the injuries all over her body and to undergo several medical examinations. Samantha complied without question and underwent all the required evaluations.
The photographs, medical reports, and visible signs of Asdrúbal's abuse became irrefutable and compelling evidence that led to his imprisonment. During the trial, the prosecution presented all the evidence of the abuse Samantha had suffered to the judge, the jury, the defense attorney, and the public. After hearing both sides, the jury issued its verdict: Asdrúbal was found guilty of aggravated domestic violence, attempted femicide, and prenatal homicide. He was sentenced to between 40 and 60 years in prison.
Samantha, overwhelmed by what she had experienced, asked her family for time to process what had happened. For that reason, she joined an organization called MAM, which stands for Mujeres Aportando Mujeres (Women Contributing to Women).
"I need time for myself. To heal inside and out. Congratulations on my nephews, but... I need this space," Samantha said calmly.
"How long will that take?" Susana asked, fearful after hearing her sister's decision.
"I don't know," Samantha replied in a low voice.
"We'll be visiting you," José Alejandro said, hugging her tightly.
"The truth is, I don't want you to visit me. I need time for myself, without you." Please... give me that time," Samantha said, tears in her eyes.
"Okay," was all José Alejandro managed to say.
"Remember, we'll be there for you," Felipe added firmly.
"I know... but I need to be alone. I need to heal... but alone," Samantha affirmed, her voice breaking.
And so they did. Samantha remained in the organization for six years, without receiving any visitors. During that time, she worked on her emotional and physical recovery. When she finally left, she was a different woman: renewed, strong, with plans for the future.
She managed to start over, this time with the support of her family. Today, she is a lawyer defending women's rights and runs her own law firm.
As for Asdrúbal, died in prison.