talk things through. I would tell him I

ll loved me, I wo

per wife. One day, I would stand by his sid

plan. Her eyes flickered for a m

she gently removed the

e you looking like that. Maybe he

hem. She had been the top student in our class, and I'd

elf to match

ed my manicure, skipped the makeup,

replaced with jeans that c

e a total academic overachiever n

n the mirror and man

Babur would finally

omeone who knew how to dress up.

oward the apartment where I

I replayed the scene of

gize for everything. Maybe he would even take out a r

hurried all the wa

She had golden curls, flawless ma

o her curves. She looked

hated that version of me was

ould catch up. I screamed and ru

ickered in Babur's eyes. The

the girl ask

o be captain of the school baseball team. Plenty of girls had crushes

pierced my hea

gth drained f

ound the girl and walked away

r. The smile on his face was sweet,

ng into the distance until

n to the ground. The pavement was hard. The r

ed pink, and he had laughed, wrapping his arm around my waist,

home. You can turn it

in my aunt's house, always l

lm and promised that I would b

had left pieces of myself in

away by his own hands, just like hi

door, I felt sorrow

it come

cared about dressing up. So I traded m

ng another girl dressed ex

timacy replayed in my

ing from the cor

to ask

for someone else, bu

there. My tears had nearly run dry when

in time to see Babur s

d at me, frowned, said nothi

or, I gathered what little strength