Magon, exhausted mentally and morally from heartache, had no strength and desire to argue with Baalhanon, and he yielded to his father. Subsequently, during the long years of their life together, he was never able to love his wife. And to be honest with himself to the end, he never even tried. In fact, he didn't care whether she was with him or another. His heart was forever faithful to only one woman, about whom he thought both day and night. Therefore, the relationship between Magan and Arishatbaal was always strained, and conjugal duty was performed only for the continuation of the race or in case of acute physical necessity.
Arishatbaal, of course, was not satisfied with this state of affairs. Preparing to become a wife, the girl dreamt of a happy marriage. But when she became a lawful wedded wife, like a wounded bird, she quickly lost the height of her dreams of happiness. Every time the woman tried to get closer to Mahon, he persistently pushed her away. And all her efforts to please or please her husband ended in his demonstrative indifference. Arishatbaal found it hard not to take this attitude to heart. The feeling that she was not good enough haunted her obsessively. As a result, both the spouses suffered. Arishatbaal from not being loved. Magon from not being loved. Neither his wife nor his only child, Matan.
And then, as if wishing to reward Magon for his years of mental suffering, fate decided to give him the answer to the question that had been tormenting him. It happened on the day when Azdrubaal threw out his manager for drunkenness. He came to Magon to take revenge on his former master and to make a profit at the same time. He knew that the man had never stopped searching for his beloved. For a generous fee, the former manager told Magoon that Bertina had been imprisoned by Azdrubaal all this time. Having learned about her father's despicable deed and the bitter fate of the unfortunate girl, in a few hours Magon stood on the threshold of the house where his beloved had been forcibly taken. As if maddened, he rushed at the guards blocking his way. Scattering them like puppies in different corners, he burst into the house to rescue Bertina from her humiliating captivity. But terrible news awaited him: a few years ago, the girl died during childbirth. Her body was burned, and the child was given to other slave girls to raise. At that moment Magon's heart burned alive with the body of his beloved. Enraged by the unbearable pain, he smashed everything he saw in the house. Those who tried to stop him immediately felt the force of his suffering on their bodies. Azdrubaal did not escape the reprisal either. For such a low act, Magon beat him to a pulp. Once he had vented his rage, Magon was able to stop himself and demanded that Bertina's daughter be shown to him. After all, she was the only thing left of his beloved woman in this world. Afraid to object, the servants immediately brought the girl in. Her name was Alice. She looked just like her late mother. The same night-black eyes, the same curly black hair, the same plump lips and face. Her little body was very thin and long unwashed, and judging by the disheveled appearance and the rags she was wearing, she had not been treated well. So as not to frighten the little girl, Magon slowly approached and knelt down in front of her. And Alice, as if sensing the warmth coming from Magon, took a step toward the stranger. The girl's unconditional trust reminded the man of Bertine's sincerity. And her open, innocent gaze struck long-dormant strings in Magon's soul. And it was not a false tone, sounding long and painful years, but - a gentle, reverent and sincere melody. Listening to it, Magon thought with horror that the little girl standing before him might repeat the same bitter fate of her poor mother. He wanted a smile on her thin face, he wanted her to wear expensive clothes instead of dirty and old ones, he wanted her to get a good education instead of a grueling job. He wanted to give her everything that Alice and her unhappy mother had been deprived of. Even though Bertina's daughter was from another man, Magon did not hesitate to take her with him, determined to raise her as his own daughter.
Of course, having learned the truth, Magon could no longer stay in Baalhannon's house. Taking only the bare necessities, he moved with his wife and young son from the aristocratic district of the city to the outskirts, where a settlement of ordinary artisans was located. Without any regret, Magon cut off all communication with his parents. He decided that Baalhannon had committed a crime and could not, like his grandfather, take part in Matan's upbringing. So he forbade the father any contact with his son. There was little justice in this decision. Magon simply wanted to hurt his treacherous father, knowing his weakness - his love for his only grandson. So Matan became a bargaining chip in Magon's quest for revenge against his father and lost the only source of love he had - his grandfather.
Baalhannon himself suffered from the separation from his grandson. Having lost both his son and Matan, he realized for the first time that he had put the wrong values first. Neither his money nor his influence could help bring his family back. The only one who stayed by his side, despite the fatal mistake, was his wife, Sofonisbu. The woman perfectly understood that her husband committed a terrible crime, but to abandon or condemn him - she did not even have a thought. The faithful wife did so not because of blind obedience, but because Baalhannon executed himself for what he had done. Sophonisbou was determined to be by her husband's side and support him to the end.
Rumors of Baalhannon's cruelty to the slave girl and his son spread quickly. His power was immediately shaken, as was his authority. But that wasn't enough for Mahon. He wanted his father to suffer as much as he had made him and the innocent Bertina suffer. For justice, Magon turned to the Council of Elders of the city and demanded that Baalhannon, who had broken the law, be brought to justice. In order for the Council, which included many of his father's friends and partners, to accept his request, Magon also summoned a popular assembly, which played the role of arbitrator in the political life of Carthage. Fearing popular disruption, the Council of Elders was forced to charge Baalhannon with barbarizing a slave girl and try him according to the laws of the state.
The chief accuser, Magon, demanded that his father be imprisoned and deprived of all his property. The people's assembly, together with many slaves who were outraged by the incident, supported the son's action against Baalhannon. During the trial, mass protests broke out in the city by slaves who feared that if the ruthless master was not exemplarily punished, such mistreatment would become the norm. To avoid internal conflicts and a slave revolt, the Council of Elders sentenced Baalhannon to imprisonment and forced him to work in the mines for 5 years with full confiscation of his property. Already elderly, Baalhannon was never to be released again. Three years later, after physically demanding labor, he fell ill and died. Soon after him, his faithful companion, his wife Sofonisbu, also passed away.