He pauses to gauge our reactions. With my mind flashing the images of Dafne hollowed, wearing Sarah’s red dress, I must look like a feral beast, but Sarah folds her hands in front of her.

“The married ones, you can’t touch. The husband owns that shit. The only way to punish a female the Colonia way is to make her a widow. Now, I’d do that in a second and decide what to do with her cuntmeats later, but Massimo’s a bit of a pussy.” He lifts his arm in her direction, and I tense, watching as—in slow motion—he brushes the backs of his fingers against her cheek.

Sarah slaps him away and I bang the heels of my hands on the glass.

“Don’t you touch her.”

“Testy, testy.” He puts his hands back in his pockets, delighted at the impotence of my rage. “What are you going to do when I really handle her? Crack your own skull open?”

“I’m going to tear this building down with my bare hands.”

“Dario.” She tries to calm me, but I don’t want to be soothed. I want to feel this because it’s as hot as the sun and it’s as real as the gravity keeping me standing.

“Don’t do it, Agosti. I’ll kill you slow.”

“Okay, sure.” Despite the agreement, he grabs Sarah by the bicep, spins her, and puts her back to his chest, holding her to him.

“No!” I bang the glass in useless, helpless denial.

“You’re threatening me from a cage.”

“Let me go!” The more she wiggles, the tighter he holds her.

“You’re a fucking zoo animal.” He squeezes her breast through her bodice. “You think we want to keep a dumb orangutan around to watch him beat on his chest?”

“Please,” she cries, trying to peel his hand away.

Breathe. I have to breathe. I can’t kill him from here.

Sarah throws her feet up so he has to carry her full weight, and he does it by grabbing her between the legs, this fucker. This motherfucking fucker.

He’s not doing this because he wants to. He’s not doing it because she doesn’t want him to. He’s forcing his hands on her because he likes watching what it does to me. Likes hearing the way my scream sounds from the other side of the glass that shakes from my fists hitting it.

“Maybe I’ll save her.” Sergio pauses when she fights harder and he has to grab tighter. “After you’re dead. Maybe I won’t.”

Finally, she kicks and twists at the same time, getting away from him. Inertia throws her into the glass. She spins, faces him, and slaps him across the face.

The sound of it echoes against the hard walls.

Shit. I want her to defend herself, but I can’t protect her. She’s on her own with him.

Sergio has his hand to his cheek for a moment before thrusting it forward, taking the only woman I’ve ever loved by the neck and pushing her against the window.