Her face was covered with pimples, and her belly was so swollen it looked like she was about to give birth. Her legs were extremely swollen, and her neck was as thin as an umbrella handle due to severe emaciation. Her lips were dry and cracked as if she had been living in the Sahara. She was sitting on a stool washing her husband's shorts and singlet. After washing, she would bite her lip and rub her back. There was a loud knock on the door as if it was about to be broken down, which terrified her so much that her insides clenched. The only person who would knock like that was Naseer, whom she nicknamed Mr. Right, Habibi Da'iman, Heaven sent, or

'yallabai. She called him by these names whenever she felt like it. "I counted to three, and you didn't come to open the door. Hell will be more pleasant than this, you wretched woman," Naseer said in an extremely angry voice. Her heart pounded, and she was filled with fear. She looked down at her wrapper because she felt a cold sensation and realized she had wet herself. With difficulty, she managed to get up, supporting herself against the wall, and went to open the door. Naseer grabbed her hair forcefully, his eyes bloodshot with rage. He said furiously, "You shameless woman, are you seeing other men? This thing inside you is not mine. Either you tell me who the father is, or I'll kill you right here, and no one will question me." She felt dizzy from what she heard, and hot tears of sorrow washed down her pimple-covered face. Her voice trembling, she said, "I swear this child is yours, your blood. I've never known any other man in my life except..." A flash of light crossed her eyes, and her ears rang. She started hearing birds chirping. She held her cheek and began to cry, saying, "'Yallabai, don't do this to me. In my mind, if there's anyone in the world who can vouch for me, it's you. You know me, you know who I am, and you know my character." "You're lying, you prostitute, you worthless woman who has disgraced herself and her marriage," he shouted, grabbing her hair and slamming her against the wall. She didn't know when she let out a piercing scream and clung to him. He threw her so hard that her belly hit the tiles in the courtyard. She blacked out, and her breathing stopped. Naseer didn't check on her; he stormed into the bedroom, grabbed a pen and paper from the drawer, and wrote a divorce note. He took off his belt and went to the fridge to get some cold water, which he splashed on her. She woke up in shock, her eyes wide open and blinking. Before she could fully regain her senses, she felt the belt strike her body. She let out a loud scream and grabbed his legs, pleading...