Masks of Deception: The Heartbreaking Story of Sandy and Matthew: contos, #1

By Ricardo Almeida

In this powerful tale of love and betrayal, immerse yourself in the tumultuous life of Matthew and Sandy, whose marriage crumbles amid internal struggles and devastating conflicts. From the tragic beginning, when they lost their beloved child, to the growing differences in faith that separated them, witness the tumultuous emotional journey of these complex characters.

Sandy, a devout soul, clings to her fervent faith in the face of adversity, facing unimaginable losses and the darkness of tragedy. Meanwhile, Matthew, a talented surgeon, finds himself entangled in a maze of despair and temptation, seeking solace in the arms of other women while struggling to understand the transformation of his wife.

Engaged in a narrative brimming with emotion and unexpected twists, the reader is transported to the darkest and most intimate corners of the minds of both protagonists, as their lives intertwine in a clash of faith, desire, and betrayal.

With dramatic turns and moments of great emotional intensity, "Love, Faith, and Betrayal" is a gripping exploration of the limits of love and faith, revealing the depths of the human soul and the complexities of the heart in a world where hope and redemption intertwine in a delicate balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ricardo Almeida
• Release date: Nov 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223930983

Book preview

Table of Contents

Masks of Deception: The Heartbreaking Story of Sandy and Matthew (contos, #1)

I'm divorcing you.

That's it.

How much longer can I bear this?

Upon hearing these cruel words, Sandy covered her ears with her palms and buried herself

in her prayer book, saying to herself,

Virgin Mary, have mercy and light in his sinful mind.

He doesn't know what he's doing.

I beg you, mother of God.

Throw away this rubbish.

Matthew snatched the tattered book from her hands and angrily threw it away.

The pages scattered like dry leaves, detached from the worn-out cover, and sprinkled the

carpet in the living room, while Sandy wailed as if in pain.

Lord, what are you doing?

Calm down, Matthew, I'm asking you.

You've exhausted me with your prayers, your constant pleas, good deeds, and silly religious

whims, the husband yelled at the woman.

Have you really lost all your senses to the extent that you can't see anything around

you except your deceitful religion?

None of it helps you, do you understand that?

It's been years since the diagnosis was made, and you still keep going to your priests.

I told you we should have done artificial insemination before it was too late.

But now it's all over, the train has left.

Your artificial insemination is an abomination against God, Sandy pressed her lips together.

Can you really make a baby in a test tube?

Lowering the holy sacrament of the descent of the soul of God to such a level.

Well, now I'll show you the descent of a soul, Matthew said with undisguised malice,

approaching his wife closely.

I'll show you now.

What are you doing, Matthew?

Sandy exclaimed in fear, paling.

Don't touch me.

I'll scream.

Shout all you want, go ahead.

The husband persisted.

Grabbing his spouse's hand, he forcefully pulled her towards him and dragged her down

the corridor into a distant room, disregarding her screams.

Then, not loosening his iron grip, he unlocked the door, pushed Sandy into the doorway, and

slammed the lock shut, turning the latch.

Sit here, you fool.

I can't stand to see you anymore.

I'll open it when the divorce papers arrive, he shouted at her through the door.

Sandy, lying on the floor, embraced her head with her hands and cried like a beaten dog,

whimpering and sobbing pitifully, mixing her lamentations with prayers.

Oh, Lord, have mercy on us sinners.

Oh, how it hurts, he probably broke my hand, the scoundrel.

Save and have mercy on him, Lord, for he knows not what he does.

Take me to yourself quickly, I beg you, I have no strength left to endure this life.

Blessed are the believers, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

And I believe, I believe, Lord.

The woman even rose from her contorted position, and a fanatical gleam appeared in her eyes.

I believe.

Yes, all the evil he has inflicted upon me and others will return to him a hundredfold.

Let it be according to your will, Lord.

She continued to mutter something, bowing, crossing herself and sobbing, pounding her

forehead against the door frame.

Then she fell silent, calmed down, and somehow made her way to the sofa in the corner of

the room, climbed onto it, and fell asleep.

Matthew and Sandy had been married for quite a long time, over a decade.

In the early years of their marriage, a tragedy occurred in the family.

Their firstborn, a beautiful boy, died barely reaching a year old due to complications from

a viral infection.

Even his own relatives couldn't do anything to save him.

And in this family, everyone was in the medical field.

Neither Matthew, a young resident doctor at the time, nor his father, a renowned cardiac

surgeon, nor his uncle, also a brilliant doctor, could help.

And Sandy, the young beauty he married out of great love, almost lost her own life after

this tragedy.

She fell into a severe nervous fever, and for many months, she was treated by neurologists,

psychologists, and cardiologists.

But she was never the same again.

The fragile, brief happiness they had experienced together had long evaporated, dissolving into

a white cloud in the indifferent sky above their little son's grave.

It was then, at their child's funeral, that Sandy descended into true frenzy, tearing

her clothes, shrieking, and uttering horrifying curses into the pure blue sky.

She screamed so loudly that a priest came from the church to the cemetery, where the

little body was being mourned, and seeing the torment of the young mother, who had lost

her precious child, he said to Matthew,

You and your wife need to turn to faith.

It is not right to speak such terrible words to her, especially in a place like this.

Matthew just frowned in annoyance at him and waved his hand, telling him to go his own

way, as no one was asking him.

But Sandy's agitated mother approached the priest and talked to him for a long time,

crossing herself and crying.

Afterwards, when Sandy was discharged from the hospital, her mother took her to the church,

and it all