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Freen's PoV

After the confrontation with my father's family, I knew it was only a matter of time before my mom's side of the family would show up. Becky and I were sitting with my mom in the living room, trying to explain our plans for the future. It wasn't easy, and I could see the conflict in my mom's eyes as she listened to us. She was trying to understand, but years of tradition and expectations were weighing on her.

"Freen," she started, her voice soft but heavy with emotion, "I want to believe you. I want to support you both, but this is all so new to me. I need time to adjust."

I reached out and took her hand, feeling the roughness of her skin. "Mom, we understand. We're not asking you to change overnight. We just want you to see that what Becky and I have is real. We love each other, and we'll do whatever it takes to be together."

Becky nodded in agreement, her hand resting on my knee, grounding me. "Aunty, we're not trying to hurt anyone. We just want to live our lives in peace."

My mom sighed, her gaze dropping to the floor. "I just... I'm scared. Scared of what people will say, scared of what this means for our family."

Before I could respond, the door opened, and my mom's sister and my grandmother walked in, uninvited but expected. The moment they entered the room, the atmosphere shifted. The warmth that had been slowly building between my mom and us evaporated like mist in the morning sun.

"What's all this nonsense I hear?" my aunt snapped, her eyes narrowing as she looked between Becky and me. "Freen, you've always been a stubborn girl, but this? Loving a girl? You've lost your mind."

My grandmother, who had always been the silent type, finally spoke, her voice trembling with age and disapproval. "This kind of relationship doesn't work out, Freen. It's unnatural. How can you live like this? And you," she turned to my mom, "how can you allow this? What will people say? Our family will be ruined."

I felt Becky's grip on my knee tighten. I knew she was trying to stay calm, but I could feel her anger simmering just beneath the surface. For a moment, I couldn't speak. The words that were supposed to come out stuck in my throat as I watched the trust we had been slowly building with my mom start to crumble.

My aunt continued, relentless. "You need to think about your future, Freen. This girl can't give you anything—a home, a family, children. She's just leading you down a path of destruction."

My mom looked conflicted, torn between the love for her daughter and the fear instilled by her sister and mother. I could see the doubt creeping back into her eyes, the fragile understanding we had started to build cracking under the pressure.

Becky finally spoke, her voice steady but firm. "Aunty, Grandma, with all due respect, Freen and I are not asking for your approval. We just want to live our lives together. We understand your concerns, but this is our choice."

I saw the hurt in Becky's eyes, but also the determination. She wasn't going to let anyone tear us apart, not after everything we'd been through.

My grandmother scoffed. "Choice? This isn't about choice, child. It's about right and wrong. And this... this is wrong."

The words cut deep, but I refused to let them see the pain they caused. "You don't get to decide what's right or wrong for us," I said, my voice stronger than I felt. "We love each other, and that's enough."

My mom's eyes flickered between us and her family, and I could see the war raging inside her. "Mom," I said, turning to her, "we need you to trust us. Please. We'll prove to you that this can work."

There was a long silence, and then finally, my mom spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I... I need time. I don't know if I can ever fully accept this, but I need time to think."

It wasn't the answer I wanted, but it was something. I squeezed Becky's hand, grateful that she was by my side.

Later that day, Becky and I decided to take a walk to clear our heads. We had both resigned from our previous jobs, needing a fresh start in the city. It was too much to handle, trying to deal with our families and find work at the same time, but we were determined to make it work.

As we walked through the park, holding hands, I could feel the weight of everything pressing down on me. Becky noticed and stopped, turning to face me. "Freen, are you okay?" she asked softly, her eyes full of concern.

I tried to hold it in, but the tears came anyway. "I'm so tired, Becky. I don't know how much more I can take. It feels like everyone is against us."

She pulled me into a hug, her arms wrapping around me like a protective shield. "I know, Freen. But we're in this together. No matter what happens, we'll face it together."

I cried into her shoulder, letting out all the pain and frustration I had been holding in. Becky stroked my hair, whispering soothing words, and slowly, the tension began to ease.

When I finally pulled back, Becky wiped away my tears with her thumb and smiled gently. "We'll find new jobs, we'll figure everything out. We just need to keep trusting each other."

I nodded, feeling a bit stronger with her by my side. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'll never have to find out," she replied, her voice full of love.

We continued our walk, the city bustling around us, but in that moment, it felt like it was just the two of us against the world. And as long as we had each other, I knew we could face whatever came our way.



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