A tale of love, loss, and new beginnings.
Hareem wants to start over, Momin is stuck in the past. Can a newly wedded couple learn to love and accept one another while also dealing with an uncertain future and a haunting past?
Trigger warning: ptsd...
dedicated to my new readers, thank you so much guys
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Chapter Thirty Eight
"Hareem, please open the door." Momin whispered, pressing his head against her bedroom door.
"It's no use," Hareem's father said, standing a few feet away from him as the rest of the family members crowded the hall. "She won't open it like this, we'll have to use the keys."
"I think we should respect her privacy." Momin countered, feeling his patience grow thin.
"You don't know her like we do," Her father announced, heading to the hallway closet to get the keys. "In our previous house she didn't have a lock for this same reason."
Momin's jaw tightened as he glanced at Ahmed and Hareem's mother, they seemed to be familiar with the routine as well, which told him all he needed to know. Her family knew about her self-harm yet acted like it didn't exist.
Frustration cruised through his blood. It was deeply troubling to think that people could turn a blind eye to the saddest realities happening right under their noses just because they weren't familiar with how to deal with them.
Ignorance and denial, two vices that had brought so much damage to society. Ignorance about what right and wrong was, and denial instead of acknowledging that the problem existed.
He clenched his fists, bottling his anger. He wanted to take Hareem away from any and everyone who caused her any pain.
"Hareem, please let me in." He repeated, knocking on her door again. His anxiety was rising, he wasn't sure what Hareem was doing inside but it made him uneasy. With her history of self-harm, he didn't want her to be alone in a troubled state.
"Get aside son," Her father stated, bringing the thick ring of house keys. He met Momin's eyes before inserting the key into the lock and twisting open the door.
Hareem sat on her bed, silently staring out the window with her back towards the door. Her mother entered the room first, rushing over and settling down next to her. Ahmed lingered at the door, while her father stood a few feet away from the bed, watching. Momin cautiously planted himself in front of the window, obstructing her view.
As expected she stared at the spot he had blocked, before her eyes trailed over to his face. Her face was tear stained but she wasn't crying any more, which eased some of his worries. He had been imagining countless scenarios he wasn't ready to face.
"Why didn't you open the door?" he asked her, earning an angry glare.
"What part of 'leave me alone' did you not understand?" She furiously questioned.
"Hareem, we were worried sick."
"Stop it." She announced. "Stop trying to play therapist, Momin." His brows shot up in surprise.
