At the first instance I felt for Mercy.
The story is a typical story of 'born-again' couples until the point the man manned up, rebelled and did the unthinkable.I have come to realize born-again husbands are the most sat on men in Kenya. Your wife insults you but you cannot do anything - like argue back with a slap, you cannot cheat on her, etc.
The lack of 'release' builds up to a point of NO RETURN hata kama ni mboch or cutting your wife's throat ISIS style (the Kikuyu/Thogoto old man was a quiet church guy).
Mercy's case wasn't tragic physically but emotionally it was almost.
I think born-again men should stand and stop entertaining crap from their wives....keeping quiet just builds anger or lust and the day of release ni ngori! (Well I'm not insinuating Mercy is to blame only that the gaps in the story reads like the common script).
Born-again women should also learn to differentiate between playing roles in church and the submission required at home.