Zainab’s hands went still.
“Father, I do not know him.”
“You do not need to. Be ready by the end of the week.”
There was no discussion.
Later, Zainab would learn the marriage had been arranged because of a dispute over water and a debt Malik owed. But at the time she understood only this:
Her opinion had never been part of the bargain.
The wedding passed like weather she could not stop.
Women painted her hands with henna and told her a bride should be grateful. No one asked whether she wanted to become a bride at all.
On the morning of the ceremony, Malik looked at her and said, “Do not shame this house.”
Zainab lowered her eyes.
The ceremony was modest, but she felt displayed. When someone told her to smile, she shaped her mouth into the expression they wanted and let the day continue without her.
