HER WORTH ✓

14~Shattered 2

Habiba's POV:

"Come here, come closer!" She says harshly.

"Can't you hear me?" She yells pulling me closer with a tight slap.

"How dare you feed this rubbish to my guest? Didn't you taste it before serving the meal?" She points at my food scattered and spilt all over the floor.

"I'm sorry... Mother...

"Don't mother me!" She growls pushing me away.

"God forbid I be your mother; I can't be a mother to a worthless girl like you; not only have you proved yourself worthless, but you've embarrassed me in front of my friends." She roars with anger.

"But I tasted everything,g, and they were fine; the head chef was there; you can ask her yourself," I muttered.

"So now you're calling me a liar?"

"No! I could never." I cried.

"Then have a taste, go!" She pulls me to the floor.

Once I taste the food, my tongue burns out of pepper and salt.

"This is impossible, it was okay just now." I ran towards the head chef.

"Please tell them, this isn't how I prepared it," I begged as my tears now to stream like a river.

"Head chef!" I called out her name, but she stood numb without a word.

"Why are you quiet? You were there and you tasted everything." I cried.

"I can't remember tasting your food ma'am." She replies her head bowed to the floor.

Once this escaped her mouth, I knew I was doomed, and no one would believe me, but I didn't understand why she was lying when she knew the truth.

This was my only chance to prove myself to my mother-in-law, and now everything flopped.

"I can't believe you're trying to cover up your mess, instead of owning up to it and apologizing." Mother-in-law glares in disgust.

"What can I say? I knew this villager was too good to be true." Her friend scoffed.

"I can't believe I called you a beauty with brains, how can you serve us this?"

"If this is what you eat in your village, you should know that you're in the city and we don't eat much here, or didn't you learn how to cook?"
Another asks with irritation.

"Even if she didn't learn how to cook, I made sure the head chef taught her everything she needed to know; I didn't force you to cook for me; you agreed because you wanted to humiliate me in front of my friends?"

"No Mother, I have no idea how this happened."

"Shut up! I trusted you and this is what you pay me back with, humiliation?" She pulls my ear while cursing and yelling nonstop, I continue to cry in pain.

"I'm sorry, this was not how I prepared it." I sobbed.

"Stop lying; if I'd known this is what you called food, then I wouldn't have entrusted any food to you, and after all, what can a villager like you do, right?"

"Just yesterday, you were eager to take up the responsibility of being an idle daughter-in-law, but this was the result; in the end, you wanted to kill us with your disgusting salty food." She continues to lash out stuffing some of the salty food into my mouth.

"I guess your mom forgot to teach you how to cook and some manners as well." Her friend sneered.

"I swear I didn't do this...