Summary

At four in the morning, Julián starts to wonder if Verónica is having an affair. The more he imagines her having sex with another man, the more convinced he is that “she is in bed with her drawing teacher” (55). Aloud, he tells Verónica not to worry because he has “already put Daniela to sleep” (55).

In spite of his imaginings, he knows Verónica is not with another man. The image of her “lost out on the highway” looms (55).

Lying on the floor, he tells himself if they survive this, they can take a family trip “to Valdiva or Puerto Montt” where there is snow (56). The plan quickly dissolves as Verónica still has not returned. However, the image of snow prevails. He has “never seen snow,” but conjures images from books he has read (56). Studying the white walls...