grew volatile. She blamed Beatrice for his disappearance, accusing her of meddling and sabotage. Her behavior soon spiraled out of control—she started going out late into the night, began bringing a new boyfriend into the house without shame, and eventually forced Beatrice to move into the cold, cluttered garage under the pretense of “needing space.” For months, Beatrice endured the humiliation and loneliness, clinging to hope that her son might still return. And then, against all odds, Matthew did come back—weak but alive. He had been in a serious accident shortly after arriving in Europe and had been hospitalized, unconscious for weeks. When he finally recovered,
he discovered that none of his messages had made it through. Returning home, Matthew was horrified to see what Rita had done. Seeing his frail mother relegated to a makeshift bed in the garage filled him with rage. He confronted Rita, threw her out of the house, and apologized to Beatrice with tears in his eyes, vowing never to let her suffer again.Beatrice was overwhelmed with joy—not just for being welcomed back into her home, but for the miraculous return of her son. Holding him close, she felt as though the long nightmare had finally ended, and her heart was whole once more.