Under That Niqab

35. Final Stroke

"He does what now?" Haya sucked in a breath and tried to remain obtuse. Acting dopey because she had to, she couldn't let Rabi know and if that happens Rabi would bestow another wrath and everything would become a mess.

And in the end she would suffer, because she was forever stuck with Adnan, he was her husband for Heaven's sake, correction- Hell's sake.

There was no escape.

She was never taught to escape but to fight. What other options are really left when fighting is against someone you just can't actually win? loose and suffer.

Haya was lost, lost in the thick darkness of agony and pain.

"Let me tell you one thing" Rabi spoke calmly, not imposing her conclusion on Haya that what she feels is in fact true. "All my life I have lived with a fear of my doubts being true. I didn't know dad already had a wife before my mother. I thought I was the only daughter to him in our small happy family. I had to guess, note the details, his actions when they started changing.."

"Maybe they never changed, rather I got better at perceiving everything."

"Random mention of your name and your mother's sometimes thinking that I'm a kid and kids aren't observant to their surroundings he used to blabber stuff. My parents' fights included you people, I heard them all."

"Why are you telling me this? I don't want to know how you lived your life." Haya interrupted, displeased, she already was holding on to her past and certainly, she didn't want to know the other side of a four sided story. She wondered sometimes, what possible story her father must have. And what the actual story is.

"Believe me when I tell you this buttercup" Rabi held her cold hands into her own, providing warmth from her own self, giving her a sense that she was there with her no matter what."I'm very good at reading minute details. I've lived through it."

"Now you're just bluffing, he's my husband, why would you think he'd hit me" Haya retreated, mildly offended because, of course she was an actor when it came to feelings.

"Should I remind you that you were grounded for like, two years" She sticked out two of her fingers, "and all thanks to- I-I'm just thankful that I got your number somehow" Rabi almost mentioned Shavez but the sudden realization that it would be wrong to bring him up when there was no association of her with him, also their history..

"How?" Haya wanted to ask this way back but didn't find the right chance.

"That's not what we're on right now" Rabi cut in "I know that you have suffered a lot trust me I do, I can't see you suffer more"

"You don't," Haya said, squeaking.

"Hmm?"

"You can't know how I have lived my life, you can never know the things I have gone through, the pain... "

"Wow" Rabi took a pause, that was straight a pin to her heart, a blunt one, causing exceptional ache.

"Just because we have different problems doesn't mean one's bigger and one's smaller. I should be offended you know, but I'm not, again, because I know how that feels"

It's different really to bear everything and to watch someone bearing. No one can ever relate to anything unless it's drawn on their own selves. You feel nothing close to the person suffering.

"Why are we having this talk?" Haya averted her gaze to glance at the clock.

"What have you done to yourself, you look like your expiry date is around the corner"

"There's nothing you have to know, I'm perfectly fine and Adnan is good too"

"Explain to me those wounds then, also the burn. Oh my god the burn! " She exclaimed "Did he do that?!"