Bewitched

22

MUMTAZ

I sat cross-legged on the bed, staring at my phone, messaging Sasha and Piper. They were my lifeline to sanity right now, with their jokes and updates from Milan. It was so much easier to get lost in their world than face the suffocating reality of being here. I could still hear the echoes of my father's angry words, his voice seething with disappointment. My brothers weren't any better. Ridwan wouldn't even look at me.

And to top it all off, I couldn't even stay with Badiyya because Uncle Jamil was mad at me too. Great. My entire family was upset, all because I wanted to live my life on my terms.

My mother was the only one who was even slightly tolerable right now. She'd been surprisingly calm, despite how I'd snapped at her. I felt bad about that... okay, maybe I felt a little bad. But she hadn't forced a conversation about it, which I appreciated. I'd been tiptoeing around the house, staying in the bedroom as much as possible, avoiding any interactions that could lead to another guilt trip or lecture.

As I sent off another message to Sasha, complaining about how I was being treated like a criminal, the door creaked open, and Badiyya waltzed in, as if she owned the place.

"You owe me fuel money, you know," she said, flopping down onto the edge of my bed.

I groaned, putting my phone down. "What? Why?"

"Because I went to your dad's house first," she said, raising an eyebrow. "They told me you weren't there, so I had to drive all the way here. That's like twenty minutes of my life I'm never getting back."

I rolled my eyes. "I have no money to give you. Dad cut me off. He's even blocked my cards."

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," she said, pulling out a 500 Naira note and dramatically handing it to me. "Here, I'll help a sister out. Don't say I never did anything for you."

I glared at her, slapping the note away. "You're such a cheapskate."

She grinned, finally settling more comfortably on the bed beside me. "So... how are you holding up? You've been hiding here for days."

I sighed. "It's not exactly a hiding spot. More like a survival bunker." I leaned back against the headboard. "Dad and the boys aren't speaking to me."

Badiyya chuckled, and it was the most annoying sound at that moment. "The princess has been dethroned," she teased. "Never thought I'd see the day."

I shot her a look. "Very funny."

She pointed across the room to the corner where Mr. Whiskers was lounging. "What's going to happen to the cat? Is he part of the breakup too?"

I groaned, remembering the whole mess with Muntassir. "I want to take him to Milan. But I'll have to ask Muntassir first. And I don't even know if he'll respond."

"Better ask him soon," she said with a smirk. "You're leaving in two weeks, right?"

My stomach twisted. The idea of leaving was still this huge, looming thing that I hadn't fully processed yet. The guilt from how I handled everything with Muntassir weighed heavily on me. He didn't deserve the mess I created, but I had to stand my ground.

"I don't even know if he'll talk to me," I admitted, pulling a pillow into my lap and hugging it. "And then there's Dad. He hasn't even agreed to let me leave."

Badiyya's smile faded. "So how are you going to pull that off?"

I glanced at her, chewing on my lip. "I'll have to take the risk. I've already applied for a work visa. The agency is helping me with it. Sasha or Piper will let me stay with them until I can afford my own place."