Ariadna sat in her cell, arms wrapped around her knees. Tears streaked her face, no longer radiant as it once had been. She couldn’t stand another minute in that place; she’d rather be dead than keep living in that hell.

She missed her small but spotless apartment—her bed, her sheets that carried a sweet scent. She missed the satisfaction of looking at herself in the mirror wearing her favorite clothes; she missed her breakfast and the black coffee from the office.

Ariadna also missed going out to lunch with her coworkers, laughing at their gossip and jokes. She longed for the feeling of self-sufficiency and power when she got her paycheck, went shopping, and filled her refrigerator at the supermarket. She missed her freedom. She missed everything she had once complained about.

***

Jimena got up early that day, got Adrián ready, put him in the car, and set off. She was thrilled that, finally, Pablo would be leaving the rehab center and returning to his job at the company.

Just before