Summary

Mercuro told the hosts he believed forgiveness was possible if he showed “genuine remorse” (73). The hosts referred to the followers’ comments online before responding. Most of the followers believed Mercuro deserved “to die” (73). Although shocking, their responses made sense to Mercuro. Everyone needed someone to hate, and he was “the object” (74). Desperate for forgiveness, he apologized to Penelope. When she realized Soledad was “the only one” Mercuro was “thinking of,” she accused him of abusing her (75). The hosts gave Mercuro the opportunity to explain. He said that one evening while they were together, he had checked his phone. Convinced Mercuro was cheating, Penelope accused him of contacting his “whores” (78). Startled and furious, Mercuro attacked Penelope, careful not to hit her where she could “sustain internal damage” (78). He became more aggressive when Penelope insisted he would kill her. Mercuro told the story too...