Sabrina's POV
At this point, if I were Mama or Baba, I would take a step back, let the storm pass, and allow Anisha to calm down before attempting to impose any opinions or control over her. But pride,it blinds people, doesn't it? Especially Baba. His ego is a towering beast that leaves no room for compromise or humility. He doesn't see the fissures he's creating in the delicate foundation of respect Anisha has clung to for so long. And Mama? She's the puppet master of hypocrisy, the queen of double standards. How can I still call them parents when they stand here, stone-hearted and oblivious, feeding the very fire they claim to want extinguished?
Anisha stood there like a raging tempest, her eyes unyielding, her stance firm. The woman who once followed Baba's every command without hesitation now met his authority with defiance. This wasn't her nature, this rebellion. Baba had always been her pillar, the sun around which she orbited. But today, that sun had dimmed, casting her into the shadow of doubt, forcing her to fight for her survival.
And my heart? It was breaking. Shattering. Watching her exchange words with Baba was like witnessing the collapse of everything we once held sacred. Baba, who prided himself on his dignity, was throwing it all away. For what? Ego? Power? To prove he still ruled over us like a king?
Mama, as usual, stood cloaked in self-righteousness. Her hypocrisy hung in the air like the thick stench of decay, suffocating and vile. I could feel Anisha's despair, her pain, in every word she threw at them. And all they did was prove her right. They didn't act like parents. They didn't act like humans. They acted like dictators, drunk on their own authority.
Baba, his chest heaving, finally slumped into the couch. The weight of Anisha's words seemed to press down on him, but his pride wouldn't let him show it. Mama hovered behind him, her face a mask of agitation, while Aunt Saudah sat silently, her judgmental eyes darting between us. Anisha stood rooted in the middle of the living room, a storm in human form, while I knelt beside her, my knees aching but my heart aching more.
"Anisha," Baba began, his voice strained but no less commanding, "for the past 23 years of your life, there was never a 'no' moment between us. You always obeyed my rules. My terms and conditions were your priority. But today, today, you stood on your feet and blinded your eyes, exchanging words with me nonstop. And for what? For your daughter? For yourself? You've forgotten who you are."
Anisha's laugh was bitter, sharp like shards of glass. "Blinded my eyes, Baba?" she repeated, her voice trembling with anger. "No, Baba, my eyes are wide open. For the first time in my life, I see things clearly. And do you know what I see? A father who lacks compassion. A father who would rather defend his pride than his child. If I have obeyed you for 23 years without a single 'no,' doesn't that mean I've earned your sympathy? Doesn't that mean I deserve to be heard? Baba, I came to you for refuge, for protection, but all you've given me is rejection."
Her voice cracked, and tears began to stream down her face, but she didn't stop. "I have told you, time and time again, that this man will kill me. I have said it until my voice has gone hoarse. And even if this is the first time you're hearing it, have I not given you enough reason to stand by me? What more do you want from me, Baba? My corpse? Would you rather collect my lifeless body from that man's house than see me alive here?"
Baba's face twisted with rage. His voice, when it came, was a thunderclap. "I should better receive your corpse from your husband's house than for you to come here and burden me! Do you know what shame you are bringing to this family? Do you realize the pointed fingers, the whispers, the disgrace you will cause? Just look at your Aunties and your mother. Haseena has been married for thirty-five years. Salmah for twenty-eight. Saudah here for thirty. Your mother and I have been married for decades. Do you see any of them running home crying like you? No! Because they know their place."

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A walk on thorns
General FictionIn the unforgiving North, societal norms thrive on shaming women, and the pursuit of affluence overshadows humanity. Marriage is a cage, once locked, there's no escape, no matter the cost. Mukhtar Abdul Samad, a ruthless and cunning industrialist, e...