Regretting The Wife He Threw Away

Gallagher fell silent again.

The director asked, "Do you hate your ex-wife?"

Gallagher replied, "Yes. I do."

"Why do you hate her?"

"I hate that she divorced me. I hate that she took my son away."

The director's tone turned clinical: "When you hit your ex-wife, had you been drinking?"

Gallagher shook his head. "No."

"You weren't divorced yet. So why did you hit her?"

A twisted grin spread across Gallagher's face as he looked up at the director. The camera caught the moment-his smile cold and warped. "In my family, if a wife doesn't listen, she gets punished."

The director paused for several seconds, then asked quietly, "Did your father hit your mother too?"

Gallagher shrugged. "All the time. Right up until two years ago, when my dad died of liver cancer. My mom never even mentioned divorce. I only hit her a few times, so why did she get to leave me?"

For a moment, the director's professionalism cracked. He muttered a curse under his breath, though the editors later cut it from the final film.

The last scene of the documentary was Karen and her mother taking her son to a follow-up appointment at the hospital. The little boy was recovering physically, but the trauma of being abused by his own father lingered in his young heart.

mother and grandmother

her son, her mother carrying her handbag, the three generations walking side by

the credits rolled, a

dark night sky hangs low, bright

out to the

her help, they settled in a quiet old town. Briony handed Karen a generous fee-enough to open a small shop and

Karen that if she ever wanted to return to her

ultimately titled Because

various social media platforms. It was a risky move, but since the project had been made on

Mom was

became

popularity brought more than just profits-it triggered a powerful ripple

traction, more and more women's support groups

to the cause. The spark lit by Because She's Mom ignited

and soaring profits—the numbers kept climbing.

low-budget documentary cccess.

soared for a solid week,

struggling, third-rate company on the verge of a buyout to the top three in the national media rankings in

Starlight of exploiting women's suffering for profit. But their voices were quickly drowned out by the wider public,

l.ne

rational and kind. Yes, Starlight reaped immense