Page 46 of Releasing the Djinn
For a brief moment, Nazma stared at her brother-in-law before looking at her furious husband who seemingly could not speak and then nervously to their mom. Hope flowered inside of Nadira as she watched Nazma nod emphatically.
Idrak inhaled deeply. "Thankfully, you are not pregnant, it will make this much easier," he said matter-of-factly before pulling out a paper from seemingly thin air. Setting the piece of paper onto the table he slid it forward until it bumped up against her plate. "Sign this, and the divorce will be final. Sign this, and you will be free from your abusive in-laws and these people you call parents."
Finally, her father found his voice and stood up from the table as his chair clattered backward, nearly toppling over. "Get the fuck out of my house, both of you!" he yelled.
"Samad, please," Candrii urged, her face a mixture of worry and anger. "Sit down, we need to discuss-"
"No," her father bellowed. Turning back to them, he looked at Nadira with a hatred so pure Nadira could feel something within her die a little.
"Do as your wife says and sit down," Idrak snarled.
Color drained from her father's face, and he sat in his chair immediately and Nadira knew it wasn't of his own volition.
Looking back to Nazma, Idrak tapped a finger on the paper and continued. "Sign this paper, and you will devote two years of your life as a teacher in a boarding school in Quebec. Your charms and beauty will not work in the all-female school," he advised mercilessly. "Your lazy, irresponsible nature will be broken under the yoke of hard work. You will be surrounded by the very type of women you grew up envying," he waved a hand towards Nadira that made her only want to hit him more. Didn’t he see her sister was hurting, who knows what she had been enduring in her household?
"There," Idrak explained, "you will break down and see yourself for who you are and either hate yourself for it or change for the better, it's up to you, little sister. Or you can simply stay here and watch yourself grow round with the children of a man who doesn’t even respect you."
Nadira felt the cold feeling in her stomach spread as she looked from her sister to her father, who must have been put under the same silent spell Kedar was put under as he sat and struggled to speak. Kedar was now looking as if he was trying to get up or scream or both. His face was red from the struggle as he looked desperately to his wife, trying to get her attention, but Nazma would not look at him. Looking to their mother, instead, she gave the woman a pleading look for guidance.
Nadira's throat tightened as she realized tears were glistening in her mother's eyes as she held her youngest daughter's gaze and nodded encouragingly.
Picking up the pen that Idrak produced, Nazma signed the paper.
Once her signature was complete, Idrak took the paper. "I've ordered you a car, it's waiting out front, it will take you to the airport," he advised. "Life will not be easy, little sister, but take it from both of us—freedom is never easily gained."
A few minutes later, they waited and watched as Nazma waved a tearful goodbye from the car as it drove away. Nadira could still feel the girl's strong hug gripping her just before she left. It made her want to cry. Leaving the house to her parents and now freed, Nadira felt as if they were turning their back on a warzone. Guiding her unsteady body to the car, Idrak tucked Nadira into the back seat before following her inside and commanding the self-automated car to drive.
Nadira couldn't say anything, it was if all the blood and energy from her body had been drained, leaving only a tired husk behind. She was joyous over her sister's new potential life and heartbroken at the memories of her father's hatred. She wanted to yell and scream at Idrak for what he had done while at the same time, kiss him and never let go.
Settling for slumping against him in the seat, she closed her eyes at the feeling of his hot, coal-black skin pressed against her cheek. Having dropped the disguise, he sat silently next to her, wrapping one arm around her, drawing her close.
"I'm sorry if I took it too far," he said eventually.
Yellowish orange street lights flashed by them outside as the car turned onto another street.
"I could feel you need me, and I could not allow you to face them alone any longer," his hands stroked through her hair, and she closed her eyes as his voice rumbled in his chest. "I know what it feels like to be trapped—to be powerless. For a long time after I was captured, I tried to close my eyes to the outside world. To stubbornly refuse to see as life passed right before my eyes but out of my grasp. To not see or hear any of it, but it was impossible, that boy—my captor would not allow it."
Nadira's heart clenched as warmth and calm returned slowly back to her body, and she listened with held breath for him to continue.
"He paraded my power as if it were his own flaunting my gifts to the world and wreaking havoc. I wanted him to die. I watched, praying that his foolishness would get him killed while at the same time protecting him from any harm. How could I let him die? I would be signing my own sentence for eternity."
Nadira glanced up at him as she heard the breathless pain in his voice. With his head turned, Idrak did not meet her gaze as he stared out the window victim to his memories as he recounted the past. "I had never cried before that moment," he confessed. "I never begged and cursed the creator's name as I did then."
Nadira wrapped her arms tighter around his waist and held onto him, willing herself with all of her strength not to cry.
As if sensing her pain at his words he turned and gave her a soft smile and combed his black claws into her hair. Climbing onto his lap, Nadira stayed silent as her knees settled on either side of him, and their chests touched. Wrapping his hands around her hips, he drew her in closer and rested his head against her shoulder.
"I was utterly alone until you."
