Men often hide their true nature beneath a sheep's skin, pretending to be what they'll never truly become. With this disguise, they seek to conquer the women they intend to subjugate. Some take pleasure in abusing, humiliating, beating, and raping women, because they were raised to believe that domination is their right—that women are useful only for domestic chores and child-rearing.
They grew up witnessing their fathers derive pleasure from subjugating women, and now they repeat the pattern, doing whatever it takes to avoid facing consequences. This cycle perpetuates a disturbing dynamic: some men believe that degrading women reaffirms their own superiority and strips women of their humanity.
Some see women only as objects—bodies to own, not minds to respect. If a woman refuses to submit, they resort to violence: beating, humiliating, raping her, forcing her to obey, to "understand her place."
To many of them, women serve one purpose: pleasure and servitude. But what happens when children witness this abuse? Will they ask their father to stop? Will they suffer the same fate? Will they grow up ignorant of the truth behind closed doors?
What if a third person enters the picture? What if that person encourages the abuse? These are the questions the protagonists of this story will confront. And in doing so, they'll discover a horrifying truth: reality is darker than most dare to believe.
When a couple divorces, four reasons are most common: first, love has ended; second, there's someone else involved; third, personal ambitions outweigh shared life goals; and fourth, the man shows his true colors. It was the second and fourth reasons that shattered the Santana family and turned their lives into a nightmare.
They had been married for sixteen years and had a five-year-old son named Andrés. Outwardly, the Santana family seemed perfect. They were admired, envied even, a picture of love and stability. But no one knew the hell unfolding behind closed doors.
One night, Priscilla was playing with her son and forgot to prepare dinner. Everything seemed normal—until Gregorio came home… hungry.
When she realized she hadn't cooked, she quickly told her son:
"Andrés, go to your room. Lock the door. No matter what you hear, don't come out. Turn the TV up loud."
She had already fed him a sandwich and milk, so she felt a brief relief. But when she went downstairs, it was too late. Gregorio was already in the kitchen, furious. Realizing there was no food ready, he exploded. He slapped her hard.
"This is for not making dinner. My food should always be ready. Yours too, and our son's. Forget again, and it'll be worse."
He left her unconscious on the floor, as if satisfied. Then he went to Andrés's room.
"Hello, my son. How are you?"
"Hi, Daddy. I'm fine. Mom told me to stay here and watch TV."
"Did she feed you?"
"Yeah, I had a cheese sandwich and chocolate milk."
"Good. How about we go to McDonald's? Just us men. Mom will stay home—cleaning, cooking, mopping. She won't have time for anything else."
"Okay, Daddy! Thanks!"
Gregorio left the room and returned to Priscilla. He dragged her to the bedroom, locked the door, and unleashed all his fury. He beat her until she stopped resisting, bit her skin until exhausted, and when she still showed signs of life, he raped her.
Bleeding, broken, humiliated, she lay on the floor, unable to move. As he got dressed, he warned:
"You'd better have everything spotless when we return. If you forgot to pay the tuition, it'll be worse than today. Clean up, cook, and shower. You disgust me."
Left alone, Priscilla cried in silence. Her entire body ached. She couldn't stand up, only drag herself to the bathroom. There, she wept for over two hours, staring at her bruises in the mirror. Then, despite the pain, she bathed, dressed, and cleaned the house before Gregorio and Andrés returned.
Two weeks passed in silence. Then, one day, her sister Asya arrived unannounced. When she saw Priscilla's battered face and bruises, she froze. Trying to keep calm, she asked:
"Sister… what happened?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry. Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"Because I needed to see you. And now I know why."
"Please don't tell our brothers. If they find out, they'll kill Gregorio—and end up in prison."
"I won't stay silent. He crossed the line. If you don't stop this, you'll end up dead—and your son in a foster home. You saw what happened to women like this when we were kids."
"Give me a month. If I can't change anything, I'll let you tell them. Meanwhile, if anything happens to me, take care of my son. I already signed and notarized custody over to you."
Asya reluctantly agreed, but warned her: one month, no more. Things worsened. Gregorio continued his abuse. One night, little Andrés—terrified—packed a small bag, took the card his aunt had left him, and ran out. By fate, he found his uncle Andrés on the street and told him everything.
The family was outraged. They decided to act immediately. They went to the police and reported Gregorio. With three lawyers and several judges in the family, they presented undeniable evidence. They arrived at the house with police officers.
From the street, they heard Priscilla's cries. Gregorio was arrested. Priscilla was taken to the hospital. Legal proceedings followed swiftly. Gregorio was sentenced to twenty years without parole. He lost custody of Andrés.
Priscilla never remarried. She rebuilt her life with professional help and dedicated herself entirely to her son.
Gregorio died in prison. He never saw his son again.