But I’m tired of eating my meals alone, going to bed alone, and waking up alone. I know he sleeps in the same bed I do simply by how the bedding looks in the morning. That is all I have to go on. It’s why, at almost midnight, I’m sitting in the kitchen waiting for him to come home.

“Fuck!” Alceu roars as he slams the front door, causing me to jump.

He doesn’t see me sitting there as he heads upstairs. But I couldn’t miss him if I tried. He is covered in blood, and my pulse spikes, wondering if any of it belongs to him. I follow behind him when my legs finally allow me to stand. He couldn’t have gotten far.

I find him in the bathroom attached to the main bedroom. Back and shoulders tight, head bowed as he holds on to the basin in front of the mirror.

“Leave, Giulia,” Alceu says lowly.

For a moment, I almost do what he says. But if this marriage is going to last longer than the week, I can’t just run away every time he’s in a foul mood. Instead, I walk past him and start the shower.

“Are you hard of hearing?” he asks as he turns toward me.

“No,” I say as I start undoing the buttons of his shirt.

He grabs my hands in his. “What are you doing?” he asks, looking slightly confused.

“What a wife should do. You need a shower, and I need to burn these clothes,” I reply, shaking his hands off.

“Don’t you care whose blood this is?”

 “Is it yours?”

“No, but—”

I interrupt him. “Then no, I don’t care. I’m going to get a garbage bag. Finish getting undressed and then get in the shower.”

I turn and leave the bathroom without waiting for his reply. My hands are shaking uncontrollably, and I need to get away from him. Alceu is my kryptonite. I don’t know why, but the thought of him being hurt terrifies me.

When I get back to the bathroom, he’s already in the shower. I gather all the clothing and stuff them into the bag before heading downstairs. Outside by the pool, I light a fire in the firepit and wait until it is roaring before I throw in one item at a time. Using a fire poker, I make sure nothing remains of each item but ash before moving on to the next item.

“Thank you,” Alceu says as he places his hand on my shoulder. “You didn’t need to do this.”

“Well, I need to do something. I’m losing my mind,” I don’t turn to look at him as I say this.

“Meaning?” he asks as he takes a seat beside me.

“Even my father let me out of the cage once in a while. Or at least made sure I had some company.” Standing, I leave him alone, yet again worried that I have said too much as I head off to bed.