She thought to herself that they really needed to talk. Yes, she needed to cool him off, then they would talk about their problems. He would be calm and tender again, she would smile and tell him somehow how much she was glad of being able to clarify everything, to be happy again.

She leaned a bit to kiss him gently on the cheek. He slapped her right on the face. No time to ask why, just another slap.

“Please, stop acting so cattish, it never helps. Simply spit it out. What are you hiding from me?”

She clenched her teeth, never to reply.Only the strenght to gather some thoughts, to try telling him what he wanted to hear, one more time.

With the last hit, her world went blank. When she was awake, men dressed in blue uniforms were dragging away his hubby. In cuffs. She opened her mouth to tell them to stop. No avail.

“Poor thing”, a policewoman shook her head…

“Stockholm syndrome”, said another man in blue. “Under that makeup she’s all a bruise”

“Bruises will fade. But that sicko cut her tongue out…”