“How do we tell the sea that we are drowning on land” Unknown No. Please,no. No. Please,no I chanted slowly, in my head. “Ummi? (Mother)” Orion called in a shaky voice slightly shaking her. “Call the ambulance” orion yelled getting off the bed. “Hey, wake up woman!” My father called out lazily looking at her with disgust. In my head I wanted to go and help her. In reality I was frozen by fear. No no no no no He killed her. He killed her. I am next. “Get her to the car, let's take her to the hospital” damien yelled, taking the car keys, I didn't know when my feet moved on their own to the car. Nobody seemed to notice I was there because of the chaos happening around. damien drove like a madman to the hospital, Orion held her like his life was hanging on her but why? They watched him torture her every day They watched him kill her. Now why are they acting like they care about her now? We finally arrived at the hospital and stopped at the emergency. “Get me the doc
“Why do you like thunderstorms?” “Because it shows that even nature needs to scream sometimes” by EB Zeynep Pov They say everything happens for a reason. I don't know who “they”are but I know it is said that:there is a reason for everything, good or bad. Three years ago, I might have disagreed but as I crouched down looking at myself in the puddle. I couldn't help but understand the saying. When ummi died I was completely and utterly devastated, I was scared and I thought that I wouldn't be able to live life without her. Guess what I was right. That's when I started my uncontrollably suicide attempts but Allah didn't want me. But then I remembered the verse mama always read to me. Allah didn't abandon me,nor did he forget me (93:03 Quran) But it was all a lie,he too abandoned me. He left me when all I have ever done was to be devoted to him, I never strayed even when I had reasons to. I recited my shahadah everyday to keep my faith strong. I recited the subhan al
“You could stab her on the chest but she would still apologize for bleeding all over you” By: Unknown The rain outside was cruel but it felt like it was crying with me. Every crack of thunder seemed to match the beating of my heart, the trembling of my body. Abbu had left me in the kitchen after the last round of slaps, but it still felt like I was being slapped I worked as fast as my aching body would allow. My ribs were on fire, and my vision blurred from the pain. Every movement was a struggle, and every breath felt like knives stabbing into my side. But I had to finish preparing his food. If I didn’t, I knew what would come next. Orion and Damien were nowhere to be found now, as usual. They had seen enough to know better than to intervene. They left me alone with the monster we called father, always watching from the shadows but never daring to lift a finger to stop him. It was easier for them, I suppose, to pretend nothing was happening. Abbu never lays
“The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel it's warmth” African proverbs The next morning, the house was too quiet. But that was expected considering the fact that I was awake by 4 because I needed to cook and clean before going to school. But the silence was different this time around. It wasn’t the comforting quiet you might get after a long day, but the kind that suffocates you, the kind that makes you afraid of breaking the silence. The kind that makes you feel like something bad is about to happen. I was still sore, every inch of my body protesting as I moved. My ribs ached with every breath, my wrists bore the bruises from where Abhu had grabbed me, and the weight of everything that had happened the night before sat heavy in my chest. But I had to get up. I had to keep moving, no matter how much I wanted to lie there and disappear. I forced myself out of bed and into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. As I
“ Am still and silent because if I open my mouth I may never stop screaming” Franz kafkaI knew the decision that was already made for me was going to change life but I wasn't sure if I should be happy or sad. In a matter of days Abbu had managed to upgrade his standard of living, he got promoted and he managed to get a new car. The man that used to beat me almost everyday was almost non-existent. Almost.I knew my fate was finally sealed when I heard him discussing the details of what would be a small ceremony.When I dreamt of my wedding I imagined a Cinderella setting, I saw myself in a white ball gown with the man I love waiting by the altar for me . Life isn't a fairytale, there is not always going to be a happy ending. Happy endings end in Disney. I know that now. The wedding took place in our small living room, only my father and his two brothers were present and none from my mother's side. I was sad about it but I wasn't s
“Walls have wars Doors have eyes Trees have voices Beast tell lies Beware the rain Beware the snow Beware the man you think you know.” Songs of sapphiqueSome hells were designed to look like heaven. The moment we turned into the street, I could immediately identify his house. Standing regal at the end of the street, on at least 1,000 acres of land,the 3-storey building looked like a cross between a church and a hotel, with its large pillars and cathedral-like windows, juxtaposed with modern lines and elaborate lighting. It stood out like a sore thumb, not only on its quietstreet but the entire sleepy neighborhood. It was everything I’d read about in books and so much more. From the gate to the house was a full five-minute drive, and I marveled at the sheer expanse of the compound, complete witha small pond and peacocks running around the lush greenery.
“What if I never find love?” “ Don't worry, then. Love will find you”“How?” “ In its mysterious and magical ways” “Why?”“Because souls like you deserves to be loved” By: unknown Later that night, I was already back in the room that was given to me and I was getting ready to sleep when there was a knock on the door. Opening it, I was equally relieved, surprised and frightened to see that it was the minister.“Welcome, Sir,” I said, with a small curtsey.The minister bellowed as he sat on my bed. “Who are you calling Sir? Who is your Sir? I’myour husband, Just like you are my wife.”I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes“Come, sit next to me,” Chief said, his voice soft.My heart dropped, wondering if this was the moment I’d been dreading. I reluctantly took my seat next to him and stared ahead, not knowing what to expect.“You are the most beautiful being I have ever laid eyes on,” he said, stroking my arm, making me stiff
“ Sometimes, everything cries in you expect your eyes” Arabic quotes We were driving into the compound when we sighted a black Toyota Celica parked in front of the house. I recognized it as the car the minister drove when he came to marry me, and my heart skipped a beat. Was he home?.“What brings him here ?” the head maid mumbled under her breath, a deep frown on her face.This confused me, as I knew she had a soft spot for the minister,from the way she fondly spoke of him. If he were the one, she wouldn’t be wondering why he was in the house.“Who is it?” I askedShe said nothing in response, but I was to get my answer very soon. As we disembarked from the car, a tall figure emerged from the doorway. I felt my blood run cold as I recognised who it was. Daniel.“Where have you two been? I’ve been here for at least an hour,” he demanded, his nostrils flared and his jaw set.“Don’t be angry. We had to go and buy a few things,”
Chapter 79“There is no escape. Death will come, and it will come for us all.” — UnknownHe takes advantage of my shock to pull me back in the room.I want us to die in each other’s arms,” he says, his hands roaming my body as he lowers his face to mine. “Our naked bodies entwined in perfect union. That’s the way they will find us, loving each other even unto death.”Before his lips can claim mine, I reach for the now empty jewellery box on my table and smash it on his head with all the strength I can muster.He lets out an anguished yelp as he releases me, and I take the opportunity to run out of the room.Where ?, I have no idea. I run down the corridor towards the flames, hoping I can make my way downstairs somehow. But as I approach the stairs, the searing heat keeps me from attempting to go any further. The fire is raging furiously, obliterating the stairwell and, from what it appears, the entire lower floor. He must have started the fire d
Chapter 78"The most dangerous people are the ones who pretend to be your friend until they have the chance to become your executioner." — Unknown“That’s a nice hair style you have there. It seems strange seeing you without your head scarf,” comes a voice from the door. “I didn’t think I would find you here.”Even though the worst is over, hearing that voice still sends shivers down my spine.“Good evening,” I say to Ibrahim, as he walks into the room. “Something came up. I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”“May I join you?” he asks, smiling at my glass of wine. I shrug, and he proceeds to pour himself a glass. “I hear you were able to sell the place for a tidy amount of money.”I shrug again, not wanting to go into any details with him.“I’ve also put up the bakery and the house in New-York for sale,” he says. “My family and I are moving to Washington. With Dad gone, there isn’t much for me here anymore.”I don’t answer, and he sets his glass down. “Zeyne
Chapter 77."And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." — Anaïs NinAt his lip’s touch, I feel myself blossom like the flowers that have now been discarded on the floor. Our kiss binds not just our lips…but our hearts and our souls. Cupping his face with my hands, I want to remain in that position forever. I want him to whisk me off my feet, take me to my bedroom, and make passionate love to me. And from his heavy breathing, I can tell he wants that as well.But then he pulls away and gives me a tender kiss on my forehead, bringing me also back to my senses. There will be plenty of time for us to explore each other…in every way possible. But not here. Not in this house.We walk inside, hand in hand, and sitting in the living room, I tell him about all that has transpired in the months since we have seen; my shocking inheritance from the minister and the even more shocking amount the r
Chapter 76 ."Out of difficulties grow miracles." – Jean de La BruyèreTears pool in my eyes as the contents of the note hit me like a slap in the face. Jacobi has left me, and despite what he has written, there is a high chance that he might not return. My heart, soul and spirit are crushed. Without him, what is there to look forward to?Early the next morning, Catherine eaves for New-York. By noon, the minister’s lawyer arrived. Barrister Evans is the minister's longtime associate, who was even part of the contingent that accompanied him to India when he came to marry me. A pleasant man who wears his age just as regally as his friend did, he is one of the minster's cronies who never lusted after me once, and was always genuinely nice to me. But today, sitting before us in the living room, he isn’t his usual humorous and playful self. He is here for serious business. He coughs before he starts to read.I, Omar royale wahah , a legal ad
Chapter 75 "“Some goodbyes are not farewells; they are promises to return or maybe not Unknown.But one thing I have not forgotten is the love of my life. Jacobi.The day after the manhunt for madam Maria i, I heard he was released from police custody, and I regretted afresh not having the wisdom to have saved his phone number when I had the chance. With madam Maria, the only person who could have helped me with it, I was even more regretful of the loss of the person I had once considered my closest ally in the house. As the days rolled by, but with no word from him, I have had to accept that he had probably realised I just wasn’t worth all that trouble. On my account alone, he lost his father’s hospital and was almost imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Nobody would blame him for walking away from someone so toxic.But just when I have brought myself to accept that, this time, I have lost him forever, and that I will just have to m
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” — Charlotte Brontë, Jane EyreThe call came at 4:12 a.m.I was already awake, lying rigidly atop the silk sheets he insisted I sleep on, staring into the heavy darkness. The phone rang—sharp, slicing through the stillness—and even before I heard the soft knock at my door, I knew.I knew but ignorance was a tool dangerous in the Right hands."The Minister has passed,and his burial will be held in the coming days" the news reporter whispered, her voice trembling.Maybe he was one of her benefactors too.Passed.Such a gentle word for a man who had been anything but gentle.Dead.Gone.Just like that.I swung my legs over the side of the bed and sat there, feeling absolutely nothing. No gasp, no collapse to the floor. No tears.Only a strange, hollow stillness in my chest, as if I had been emptied out long ago.The Great Minister. The champion of reforms.The man loved by the people — a
"And suddenly you know… It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings." – Meister EckhartHer eyes clouded with tears, and I turned back to look at the officer. “Can I speak with her in private first?” When he hesitates, I add. “I promise, she’ll answer all your questions later. Just give me the chance to talk to her first…to get her more comfortable.”That seems to do the trick, and he nods in agreement. I look at Ibrahim and Yusuf, and neither one expresses any reservation.Taking Catherine's hand, we enter the old vintage house. “Are you the only one home?”She nods, her body shaking like a leaf. “Zeynep, I didn’t know she was going to do it. Please, don’t let them take me.”“Nobody is going to arrest or take you,” I coax her.She wipes her eyes. “I know you’re angry with me. Angry because of…”“Because of the minister ? Catherine, you should know better. I wish you had trusted me enough to tell me. I thought we were friends,”
“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” — Stephen King“Poor girl, you don’t know how much I pitied you every time you came here, thinking she was your friend,” he said, still looking at me. “Almost from the moment you arrived, she did everything she could to get you out. I used to shake my head as she encouraged you to continue to receive that one,” he beckoned at Ibrahim with his chin, “in your bed, deceiving you that it was the only way to have some footing in the house, though she knew full well that the more accepting you were of his son, the more it angered Omar and pushed you away from him. She thought he would have sent you away years ago and didn’t anticipate you staying for as long as you have.”“But the minister had so many other women. Amanda, Clara, Lauralee, Clementina…just to name a few,” I say, my head still spinning. “I was the least of her problems.”“You were the one he ca
“The axe forgets, but the tree remembers.” — African Proverb“Where is maria?” Ibrahim demands.That soon becomes the question on everybody’s lips. Where is madam maria?Mary answers when she is summoned to the room. “I don’t know where she is. She hasn’t come upstairs today.”That in itself is an ominous sign, as madam maria has not for one day missed coming up from her basement apartment. Even when she hasn’t felt her best, she has at least ventured up to monitor the progress of work.“Let’s not get too hasty,” I pleaded. “Anyone could have intercepted the minister's meals. Let’s not jump to the conclusion that she did it.”“I agree,” Yusuf supports. “There’s no way madam maria could have done such a thing. Have you seen the state of her since he died? She’s even taking it worse than the rest of us.”“Nobody is suspecting her,” officer mark clarifies. “It’s just important that I ask her a few questions about who she believes might have had a