He pulled her hair and hit her head against the bathroom wall again. She cried out softly as hot tears ran down her face.
“You useless, dirty girl! You street girl! What did I tell you before I left the house?” he shouted.
He forced her to look at him, lifted her chin, and squeezed her mouth hard. Then he pushed her out of the bathroom so hard that her head hit the chair by the dressing table. Blood started coming out of her head. The pain was very strong, going deep inside. She screamed again and fell to her knees, rubbing her hands together to beg for mercy.
“For God’s sake, AK, please stop! I’m begging you. I’m sorry, my husband. Truly sorry!”
He walked toward her. She crawled back, trying to get away. He caught her hair again and dragged her across the floor to the bed. He sat down, opened his legs, and pulled her bloody, tear-streaked face close to his mouth.
“Tell me what you did. I’m listening,” he whispered.
He touched the blood on her mouth with his finger.
“I’m hungry,” she said quietly. She knew he already knew, because he always locked the kitchen when he wanted to punish her. “That’s why I’m hungry. I’ve had a fever since yesterday. It’s been so long since I’ve eaten…”
“Shhh,” he cut her off, closing his eyes and looking at her with disgust. “Is that why you could lie down and sleep without washing the cars I told you to wash? You useless witch! I bring so much food into this house, and all you do is eat like a donkey. Oh, yes, a donkey. A street donkey. A men’s donkey. You’re fat in front and fat at the back. You’re useless. All you do is eat and make my house smell. Is that why you married me? I married a servant, not a wife,” he said, poking her head.
“You must lose that fat. I won’t make a big body for another man. You could walk around naked all day and you still wouldn’t please me. You’d better start losing weight. Ha ha ha,” he gave a short, cold laugh. “You’re a liar. Since you took away my happiness, this is how we’ll live. None of us will get what we want. We pretend to be good people, but you have a heart like Pharaoh.”
He pushed her down. “Ugly witch who runs after men. You have so many faces, you ugly pig.”
He left the room, and she heard his car drive away. She lay on the floor, hot tears on her cheeks.
Is it wrong in this world to obey your husband? Is it wrong to have a clean heart and pure love? Did it become wrong to open my heart’s secrets?
Full of regret, she stood up slowly, her feet aching. She went to the bathroom, poured hot water on herself, and gently rubbed her body. Then she found some warm oil and rubbed it on her skin. She went back to bed, knowing that whether she did his work or not, he would find a reason to beat her again later. She decided it was better to lie down now and wait.
The hunger woke her at about 5:30 in the evening. She hadn’t even prayed the afternoon prayer. With great effort, she crawled and prayed, asking God to open the kitchen for her. She felt like she would die of hunger. She was dizzy and could hardly open her swollen eyes. Her face was puffy. She held the wall and slowly walked to the kitchen. Before she got there, she saw that it was open. A wave of happiness came over her. She used the last of her strength to go straight to the fridge, hoping to find food.
