If you could load an older save before the punishment begins and confirm if the issue persists, I would appreciate it.
Played the new Abel scene again too and it is functioning. For testing purposes I restarted the newer save once more and it still acts up!
For control, I loaded a save from when you meet Sophia in the Club bar, this save functions correctly too.
It seems the hiccup comes into play when you start a save made after the punishment began, but before it ends.
But back to the Abel and Sophia visit scene. Your new version of it is an improvment allround. Not only for roleplaying purposes, but you being able to steer a bit of it, makes it fit all better. The old one was really jarring, esp. if you wanted to impress Sophia and/or Abel or just swallowing the rage, but being smart about the situation.
You know I like quirky, eccentric characters and Sophia is one of them, so it is really good to have her there and you are being able to impress her. I like the MC and Doc Lundgren having their "dorky nerds" joketelling.
For me one of the best endings would be a good Edwin one with Hana, Felicia and Sophia by his side. Not neccesarily as a throuple or quartett (which would be great), but one your wife and the two others close friends.
By the way, the pics of
"young" August and Chuck are great for immersion. I had a laugh seeing Warren with the silenced UZI. Him using the "foot tacker" amused me. For all the positives of the UZI, the safety is a bad joke. You just need to look at an UZI funnily and that thing goes off, no matter if the safety is on. Maybe the newer versions are better on this, but back then the safeties were crap.
There was a time our armed forces used that thing, nobody liked it and we were all glad once we got more MP5, which should not have been a problem, since it is made here.