He walked while answering the call, “What’s wrong?”

On the other end of the phone.

Instead of Vivian’s voice, there were sounds of beating, a man’s curses, and a woman’s screams, mingled with the thunderstorm outside, creating an atmosphere of sheer terror and helplessness.

Vivian’s sobs came through intermittently, “Please, stop hitting me, I’m going to die, woo woo woo, Victor, Vic, help me, woo woo woo… Ah—”

The ...