The voice on the other end was trembling and frantic.
“I… I told him.”
“What did he do? Did he do anything to you?”
“He… he…”
Hazel’s words were cut off by a scream, followed by Nicholas’s furious roar.
“Who do you think you are calling? Give me the phone!”
Then came the sound of something smashing, and the line went dead.
“Hazel! Hazel!”
I yelled desperately into the phone, but was met with only a cold, dead tone.
My hands and feet went numb.
Cold sweat dripped down my back.
I knew something had happened.
I redialed again and again, dozens of times, but no one answered.
I imagined the horrifying scene unfolding in that condo, the scene I had witnessed once before.
My son, the monster in human skin, was torturing his wife.
About half an hour later, my phone rang again.
This time, it was from Nicholas’s number.
I answered with a trembling hand.
“Hello, Mom.”
The voice on the other end was ice cold, filled with rage and menace.
“What have you been telling her? Who gave you the right to incite my wife to cause trouble? Are you trying to tear my family apart?”
“Nicholas, what are you doing? You cannot hurt Hazel.”
He let out a cold laugh.
“Hurt her? I am just teaching my wife a lesson. I have given her a lesson she will never forget. Let us see if she ever dares to mention divorce again.”
Then his voice turned cruel.
“And you—you listen to me. From this day on, I will not let her take a single step out of this house, and she will never see you again. You just stay put in that retirement home.”
With that, he hung up.
I was stunned.
The plan had failed at the most critical step.
Not only had Hazel not escaped, but she had been brutally beaten and was now being held captive.
All contact was cut off.
She was in mortal danger.
I was truly panicked.
I immediately dialed Mr. Rodriguez’s number.
“Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Rodriguez, something has happened.”
My voice was shaking.
“My son, he found out. He hit the girl, and he has locked her in the room. We have to do something. We have to get her out now.”
The fight for Hazel’s freedom had entered its most difficult and dangerous phase.
This was no longer a legal battle on paper, but a real life rescue mission.
After that terrifying phone call with Nicholas, Mr. Rodriguez and I took immediate action.
We reported him to the police for domestic violence and unlawful imprisonment.
With official intervention, my son was forced to open the door, and they rescued a terrified Hazel, her body covered in fresh bruises.
She was taken to the hospital to have her injuries documented, and Mr. Rodriguez arranged for her to stay in a safe, temporary location.
The plan was exposed.
