EMILIO
I gritted my teeth, trying to bear the pain as my father's whip came down on my back again and again.
I was only wearing my pants, and my chest and back were exposed to the cruel lashings.
My mother sat in the chair, sipping her wine, her eyes fixed on me with a mixture of disdain and disappointment.
"How could you be so stupid, Emilio?" my father spat, his face red with rage, as he took the opportunity of his resting to curse out at me.
"You're the only son I have, and yet you can't even take care of the family business. The warehouse burned down, and you have no idea who did it or how to fix it."
I looked down, my anger and frustration boiling over. For the first time, I missed Isabella.
She always knew how to calm my parents down, and how to make them see things from my perspective.
