A walk on thorns

Chapter 61| Misery Or Mystery?

Sabrina's POV

I woke up to a relentless throb in my head, a harsh reminder that it had been three days since I last ate. The ache was a constant companion, pulsing in rhythm with the dizziness that spun my world. I hadn't even realized I was wearing yesterday's clothes until I felt the discomfort, as if my body had become numb to the passage of time. All I could do was drink water on top of my misery, trying to keep some semblance of life in me. The cup of coffee I had made the morning before ended up spilled on Nadeera's face. Nadeera... How had she been, how has she been dealing with herself? I wondered if they had come back and finished with Anisha. The thought was bitter, if only torture could kill.

The pain in my head was unbearable as it throbbed relentlessly, swirling like a storm inside my skull. I could barely stand, but I knew I needed to do something. I stumbled toward the bathroom, hoping that a hot bath might offer some relief, something to break the tension. I ran the water and let the steam fill the room, soothing my senses. I finished, slipping into beige silk pajamas, an ankle-length vest and robe that felt almost too soft for the moment. I left my hair to air dry, too drained to bother with a hand dryer. The house was still quiet, 6:00 AM, Baaba Larai and Umaima still asleep.

The kitchen felt like the only safe space, the only place I could find something for myself. I shuffled in and began brewing a cup of coffee, hoping it would steady my shaking hands. I needed strength. I needed something to numb the ache of everything that had been spiraling out of control. My life felt like it had taken an irreversible turn. It was as though the fabric of everything familiar had unraveled. Anisha, how she must have suffered. I couldn’t even begin to imagine it. She was trapped. But me? Mentally, emotionally, I was just as broken. Finding out what she had been through was shattering, but everything that had happened after? I was now walking a path I never thought possible, marrying my father’s friend, someone I had always seen as a second father. And all of it just after losing AbdulMajeed. My heart clenched at the thought.

I couldn't help but chuckle bitterly at how impossible it all felt. The coffee I had brewed tasted like cooking cream, bland and almost insipid in my mouth, but I drank it anyway. I closed my eyes and forced myself to swallow it like a bitter medicine, the harshness lingering long after. I stayed like that for a few minutes, sitting at the kitchen table, trying not to think about how my life had twisted into something unrecognizable. It was the worst kind of irony: everything I wanted, everything I dreamed of, seemed to slip further away with every passing moment.

I opened the fridge to find some leftover Tuwo and Okro soup, God bless Baaba Larai. Despite the numbness in my taste buds, I found myself savoring every bite. It was the only thing that felt real, the only comfort I could still hold onto in this storm of confusion and betrayal.

I was almost done when the door alarm rang, sharp and sudden. My heart skipped a beat. Who could possibly be here so early? I drank the last of my water and wiped my hands, already knowing who would be standing on the other side of the door. Aunty Haseena. She was the only one who could be so desperate to show up unannounced. I could almost hear the frantic energy she always brought with her. But then, a flash of unease shot through me. I prayed she wasn't alone. If she was, this day would only add to the pile of misery that had already been heaped upon me.

I rushed to the door, my mind racing. I peered through the peephole, and for a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Tapdi jam! Was it my vision, or was something truly off? I threw open the door in haste, my pulse quickening as her face finally came into view.

“Anisha?!” I gasped, my voice trembling as I saw her standing at the door. She looked like a ghost, pale and unrecognizable, with blood dripping from her nose. Before I could even process the sight, she collapsed into my arms, lifeless.