*Afrah had never been a nag.Throughout her childhood, she'd seen her mother constantly become the stereotypical nagging housewife. There was always something to complain about. It was either the fact that their father came home an hour too late, or he had forgotten to buy something she'd told him about in the past. Sometimes she even nagged over trivial matters, like the way their father chewed his food, or the way he couldn't seem to drink water silently. Either way, she had witnessed firsthand just how much her mother's nagging had ruined her relationship with their father, effectively pushing him away and putting a damp on their marriage. She had sworn an oath one day, in the confines of her bedroom, that she would never become a wife that nagged. No matter how bad things got, or how awful she felt, she would never complain about something indirectly rather than confronting the problem head-on. She had always been proud of that particular decision, and throughout the years, she'

*The next morning was spent in the confines of their suite. Adnan called for room service, and breakfast was a stately affair of omelettes, oatmeal, garlic bread with hummus and strawberry-flavored tea. They ate on the terrace, their silence occasionally broken by the clink of cutlery on ceramic. Below, the ever-constant turmoil of a thousand cars, buses and dreaded cyclists rumbling past reminded them that sooner or later, they would have to dive into the chaos at well. Afterwards, the remainder of the morning was spent touring the Upper-East side. Still looking to appease, Adnan took her to every jewelry store in the vicinity. Tiffany and Co. was their first stop, then they swept over to The Crown Building for a pitstop at Bvlgari, lingering just long enough for Afrah to choose a pair of diamond earrings. They crossed over to Trump Tower, where Adnan insisted on taking Afrah's picture before they headed into the Ice Cream Parlor. They popped into Gucci afterwards, where Afrah got

*Dinner was a stately affair at the L'artusi restaurant on 10th street. Afrah ordered the spaghetti with garlic, parmesan cheese and chilies, while Adnan ordered the Sweetbreads A La Plancha with lemon, capers, olives and currants. Both eyed the other's dish with a look of resigned contempt, but neither said a word. "You've been quiet all evening," Adnan spoke for the first time since they'd left the hotel. "What's wrong?""It's bad manners to speak while eating," she replied, twirling her fork around the spaghetti."Not to your husband, it's not," he said. "Talk to me.""Ever heard the phrase 'Silence is golden', dear husband?" she asked, a mocking smile on her face. "Well if silence is golden, then conversation is priceless," he replied. "Touché," Afrah said, laughing. Adnan laughed as well, reaching for his drink. "I've been thinking about getting a place here," he said, raising the drink up just to stare at it. Afrah sensed that he was trying to avoid her gaze. "You're free t

*For the first time since their marriage, Afrah decided to call his mother. She had been apprehensive at first, not wanting to involve her in something that was certainly not meant to reach her ears. But she was scared for Adnan, and she needed the help of the only woman who knew him better than she did. She answered on the first ring. "Assalamu alaikum?" Afrah cleared her throat, trying to sound normal. "Wa alaikum as salam," she replied. "Afrah dear, is that you?""Good evening, aunt," she said. "I hope I'm not disturbing.""Certainly not," she replied quickly. "This is the first time you're calling me, is it not? You don't know how happy I am to hear from you.""I'm sorry I didn't call sooner," she said, glancing up to make sure the bathroom door was still closed. "It's just that...""Don't worry about it," Maryam said. "It's so good to hear from you. How's the honeymoon?""It's fine, Alhamdulillah," Afrah said. "Or at least it was.""Oh. I heard about the news. How is Adnan h

*"Don't lie to me, Afrah," he said the moment she began to shake her head. "No more lies."Trembling all over, Adnan leapt of the rock. He couldn't sit still anymore. Not for a single second. His thoughts were all over the place, and his mind was numb from moving so quickly. Afrah meanwhile was trying to stem her tears. Of all the ways she'd imagined the truth finally coming out, she had never thought that Adnan might guess it for himself. He'd caught her off-guard with the question, and even before she could arrange a comprehensible answer, the mere shock in her eyes had given it away. She couldn't look him in the eye now. Not when he knew what she'd been hiding her entire life. The truth would surely break him. No man could live with the knowledge that his father was the vilest of creatures. "How old were you?" Adnan asked, his voice on the edge of breaking. Afrah shook her head, shaking violently as the tears kept flowing. "How old were you, Afrah?" he asked, gritting his teet