Endurance

CHAPTER TWELVE

Surayya's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at the revelation. Nothing on this earth, nothing had prepared her for the bombshell that Layla dropped on her at that moment. She stared wide eyed with a hand over her mouth at the face opposite hers that was void of any emotion.

"I...I oh Layla.. I'm really sorry." She whispered heartbreakingly, a tear rolling down her cheek. Layla was surprised at her friend's reaction, out of all the people in her life nobody had ever shed a tear on her behalf or because of her misery apart from her mother. And now Surayya. Her heart warmed at the prospect of her friend's genuineness towards her.

"It's alright. I'm over it ." Layla declared shrugging.

"How did it happen?." She looked at her friend, gauging just much she should open up to her about her life. She'd spent the few years after marriage hiding her true situation from her friends and sometimes even family that she had gotten so used to bottling up her feelings from all of them

"I was young, just nineteen and reckless." She breathed, remembering one of the worst years of her life. "I met this man. Charming and loving. Honestly, I don't even know what drove me to become so obsessed with him, but I was in every sense of the word. He wanted us to get married and I did too, but my father was against it. Abbu didn't even like him but I was not having it with his opinion over the supposed love of my life." Layla sadly smiled, tugging on a loose lint dangling from Surayya's duvet. Clearing her throat she continued.

"My mother was turned between two walls and I didn't even think about her at all when I made the decision. Abbu refused to grant it so I threatened him."

"You what?." Surayya gasped and Layla took a shaky breath.

"He was deeply in politics at the time campaigning for Reps, and I threatened to ruin his chances if he doesn't conform to my interest. I rebelled against almost every single one of his rules and principles."

"Layla...your own father." Her friend whispered and Layla could see the wheels turning in her head, thinking how she'd never do that to her own father, certainly not over a man.

"I didn't even have any evidence of ruin against Abbu, I was simply going to fabricate stories and being his daughter, people were bound to believe me even if I retract whatever I might have said after the whole thing at the time, it was going to be my words against his. He consented to the marriage, not before telling me that he had washed off his hands from any affair that involved me. I was a little scared and skeptical about my father's decision to cut me off, but pride didn't allow me to call it off so we did it. I was so happy yet, hesitant. The first few weeks were nice, Malik was loving and everything, we were okay. On the third month it began getting bad. We were surviving and depending solely on the money I made from my bakery, more like I was running the house with it. He didn't provide anything, didn't pay the rent and bills and before the year ended, I had squandered every penny in my savings. A year and a half passed and it got from bad to worse as I was already sinking in debt and Abbu had cut off my allowance right after I got married. I sold my business in the end because I couldn't maintain it and I had to settle the debts I've accumulated, and I had to eat. I lost the business and shop that my father built for me Ray, because of Malik's cruelty and irresponsibility." His name sounded like bile in her mouth, the regret washing all over her again.

"The second year was worst. All that I've been through in the first year were just preambles, if only I had known. I used to spend days without food, I only survived on water and garri and locked in the house alone, he'd take the keys and wouldn't come home till midnight. My clothes were raggedy and I had no idea that I've completely lost myself. I was a lost case living in a big house with an overindulgent husband. I lost every single one of my friends and my brothers were beefing mercilessly with me, well except Mas'ud. He had been the one who reached out to me once in a while, before Malik took away my phone. Sometimes I call my mom for help before he took away the phone, but she didn't have much on her too because she had siblings to take care of so what I got from her wasn't that much. Sometimes it was aunt Salma, my mom's sister who sent me whatever it was she could afford. What Maama gave was enough for me to pay for food and toiletries. At first if he saw the money he forcefully took it away, until one time I refused and he hit me. So I took him off guard and cut his hand with a knife as a warning. " Layla looked to her friend, chuckling at the horrified look on her face.