WrongSufferedAtHands

14.

How would you classify the afterlife of a marriage: blissful, romantic, outings, feasts, and children? No, none of these came to pass for Afiyah. She discovered she was no longer at her old home when a thunderous knock against the door the following morning startled her awake. It took her a moment to recognize that she wasn't in her bed, and that Sameer wasn't sleeping on the mat on the floor. The ceiling was foreign, as was the surroundings.

The instant she discovered Affan laying next to her with a decent distance between them, her throat tightened as if she were being strangled by her own breath.

The ritual began with Soraya instructing her to prepare something sweet, saying, "That's exactly how the daughter-in-laws starts their day in our household, they prepare sweets for the family."

The situation was calm up until Soraya let out a bloodcurdling screech to prevent Afiyah from pouring all the milk into the sauce pan.

"Learn to be frugal."

Afiyah was quite agitated by the brief, straightforward phrase. It will require some time for Afiyah to adapt the unfamiliar setting.

"Are you contented here?" While giving Afiyah a hug, her aunt asked.

Afiyah detested inquiries of this nature. How could she be content after only two days there when she needs a few weeks to get to know everyone?

She said, "I am glad for now, the rest would vary depending on the circumstances." precisely as she had opined.

"Look, You don't know how marriages operate," she said as she guided Afiyah to a corner while holding her arm. "You'll need to be astute, deliberate, and decisive."

Afiyah stared at her and despised the way she attempted to be her mother even though she had ignored her pleas in the kitchen.

"Keep your husband unexpected. I'm not suggesting that you engage in combat with him, but you'll need to learn how to maintain control over your husband. Get Affan in your palms before it's too late, and his mother is wise, as she seems."

Afiyah grimaced inside.

"You get it?"

"Yes, I do." She had the warmest grin. However, she was struggling internally with the words she had just witnessed; a woman provoking another woman to hold her husband in her hands. The ideas caught her off guard and made her feel guilty.

Before the night of her wedding, Afiyah had discarded her phone, repeatedly pounding at it with a sledgehammer until it was broken into multiple pieces. When she tied the pieces together in a knot and threw them in the garbage, she exhaled with relief. She was relieved when she realized there wouldn't be anyone to frighten or terrify her anymore.

However, she was wholly mistaken. When she caught Khizar sneaking looks at her from the corner, her hopes were shattered. The venue wasn't too packed, but it was plenty for Khizar to sit in the alcove and perform eye tricks with Afiyah.

When he gestured for her to follow him with a simple tip of his head towards the door and then headed outside, she knew his recent intentions towards her weren't positive.

Afiyah looked across at Affan, who was laughing at some jokes his cousin had just said. He had a crooked grin that was so pleasant that it even reached his eyes.

She followed Khizar with trembling legs and weak knees after analyzing her environs.

"I didn't think you'd show, but you're brave."

"What do you want now?" She spat at Khizar, who was standing by the wall. The area was an alleyway inside her house on the opposite corner.

"If you're prepared to offer it to me, I want everything." He nibbled at his lips in the most sensual way, which actually caused Afiyah to feel queasy occasionally.