From Aliya to Hafiz

Forty-six.

Hafiz.

I curled up underneath my blankets, shivering, whether, from fear or the fever or the pain, I didn't know. At some point, the burning in my ears got too much and I came out of the blankets and went downstairs one painful step at a time.

It was almost seven in the evening and Nikita said Father was coming back home today. I haven't seen him for almost six months now, Nikita said he was very busy with an important project in the company and was always going from one country to another.

But he was coming home today.

I could finally see him.

I missed him.

I wanted to talk to him, I wanted to tell him how tired and in pain I was. I wanted to ask him if he could take me along with him, that I was very lonely here.

I sat on the couch in the living room, shivering. My head hurts, and I felt something drizzling down my ears. When I touched it, I saw red.

My ears were bleeding again.

They had been bleeding since Gabriel and Theodore cut it with a blade, they said the scar would make me manlier. Apparently, I looked too much like a girl. I wanted to tell Father about that too, I had so much I wanted to tell him.

I didn't know how to treat the wound, it felt too painful when I touched it. I didn't like looking at it, it made me feel faint. Nikita wasn't around so she couldn't help me, I didn't know where she always went.

I was all alone in this house, it was so scary.

"It'll be fine," I whispered to myself. "Father is coming home soon."

That made me smile even through the pain. When Father comes back, no one would ever dare to hurt me anymore, I wouldn't have to always be in pain.

My shivering got worse so I curled up on the couch, eyes glued to the door eagerly. Somehow, I managed to fall asleep and only woke up due to the excruciating pain coming from my ears. When I looked at the clock, it read 8:30 AM.

I stood up shakily and ran up the stairs to Father's room with a grin on my face. The smile though, fell when I entered the room. Everything was the same. Even the tray of his favourite fruits I left on his bedside.

He didn't come back.

Why?

What was I supposed to do now?

I don't think I can keep going through this anymore.

What should I do now?

I stumbled to my room and searched around crazily for my phone. When I found it under my bed, I dialled Father's number but it went straight to voicemail. Hands shaking, I tried again and again only to get the same result. When I tried Nikita, it said she was out of coverage.

My gaze blurred and I belatedly realised it was due to the tears swirling in my eyes.

Why was this happening to me?

Why was I always alone?

Why doesn't Father love me?

Where was my mother?

The moment the first sob escaped, it was followed by more until I was on the floor, choking through the tears. I scrolled through my contact list but there were only Father and Nikita saved.

I suddenly remembered my cousins came to visit our grandfather a week ago and the guy gave me his number and told me I could call him whenever. He was very tall and looked very powerful. He was also older than me by four years.