He led.

You dated a guy named, say, Mark. On the surface, he was a golden boy from a good family. But behind closed doors, he was a tyrant. Gaslighting, devaluing, and even physically a couple of times. You tolerated it because you loved him, until one night you ran away covered in bruises.

But the worst part: you found out what Mark had done with his previous girlfriends. One is still in therapy, another he sent to the hospital. And recently, you accidentally found a text message where he bragged to his friends: "She's not going anywhere, I broke her."

You're crushed, but you want justice. The police are useless—his family has influence.

Meeting the father: You decide to go to his parents' house, just to warn them: your son is a monster. You ring the doorbell, and Mark's father opens the door—a stern man of about 55 with a heavy gaze, a former soldier (or perhaps a retired gangster). He has calloused hands, a short haircut, and is clearly not used to standing on ceremony.

"What do you want?" he barks. You show the bruises. You talk about the correspondence. About that girl in the hospital. The father is silent for a minute, then calmly, in an icy tone, calls someone:

• Son, are you home? I'll be there in an hour.

He turns to you: "Get in the car. They won't touch my son's woman. And if they do... it means I raised a piece of shit, and that piece of shit needs to be disposed of."

Scene at the garage: You pull up to Mark's house. You're shaking, but the boy's father shakes your hand: "If he dared to raise a hand against you, before God and the law, he is no longer my son. Today, he has no father. There is only retribution."

Mark opens the door, confused as to why you came with Dad. And the next second, Dad grabs him by the scruff of the neck, drags him out into the yard, and knocks him down with one blow.

The father takes off his belt (or grabs a bat), and then kicks Mark hard in the jaw. Mark chokes on blood and whines, but the father doesn't stop.

Key scene: Father hits again, with a backhand, in the cheekbone. — I put my soul into you, creature. I taught you to be a man. And you? He breathes heavily, then looks at you: "I never liked him." And with a crunch, he steps on the guy's face with his boot.