Absaar | ابصار

chapter 9

Amayra was three when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. The treatment was hella expensive. Her father was working day and night to pay for her treatment. To the point, he was indebted to lots of people. But her mother's health got worse and worse. In all this chaos, little Amayra was forgotten. Everyone seemed to forget that there was a little human craving her own mother.

Her small figure would be unaware of her surroundings. She didn't even know where she was sleeping. The only thing she knows is that the next morning, she will be wrapped in Maryam's Api arms.

At the age of five, her mother passed away.

Strangers were coming and going, some pitying her, others talking, others eating, and the list goes on. Why didn't they visit her when she was all alone? Now everyone is here because someone died. So, it's important for someone to die, so people would come and actually look at her.

Three months went by in a blur. Her father was stressed. Maryam was taking care of Ayaan and Amayra. One day, her grandmother told her father that it was time for him to get married. She was old and Maryam was too young to take care of two kids.

Nadia was a bipolar woman. This society changed her for the worst it was possible. Due to a childhood injury, her height was small, and her body was too big. Which is why she was unmarried at 38. Her grandmother thought that there wouldn't be any other good match. After months of convincing, he was married to Nadia.

Amayra grew up to find her sister and stepmother arguing every single day. At the end of the day, Maryam would come to her room with tear-stained eyes and would hug Amayra tightly. She knew her stepmother was not a good woman because she made her sister cry.

Meanwhile Tahir was always working three jobs at a time to pay his depts off. In which he forgot he had kids. At night, the only time he had for his children, they would be asleep.

However, his wife was always awake with tears complaining about how badly his children treat her.

Problems started afterwards. The only side of the story he would listen to was of Nadia. He never knew anything about his children. What they were going through or what they needed. This all lead to Tahir being brain-washed by Nadia and the only thing he would believe in was Nadia's. He wouldn't even ask them, just go, and punish or scold them.

Maryam was tired of fighting so when she got married, she left everything behind and for once started living a life of her own.

After her marriage, Amayra realized what suffering was. Every day she would be taunted to use things. Nadia would make her feel guilty about spending her father's money, gaslight her, twist her own words against her. It was too hard. She even felt guilty living in that house because she did not 'deserve' it.

Every time she was happy, her stepmother would ruin it for her.

So, at the age of just 16, she started working. She would pay for her own things. Do her own savings. And she felt relieved because no one was there to count every penny she was spending.