He examined her hands and saw a small but bleeding cut on her palm. She must have hurt herself on a piece of glass while trying to find her way to us.

Still confused, my mother-in-law mumbled:
— I… didn’t mean to bother you… I just couldn’t find my room…

I stood there in silence. All my expectations for that first night — the romance, the warmth, the tenderness — had shattered, like the rose petals scattered on the floor.