HER BROKEN HUSBAND

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE (PART TWO)

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER TOUCHES ON AN EXTREMELY SENSITIVE TOPIC!

Continuation...

She then proceeded to slowly lift her blouse and the loudest gasp ever escaped Isma's lips; because from right where she stood, she could easily see them all.

The bruises!

The old ones and the way too new ones!

Rendered speechless, Isma remained rooted to the ground for a good whole minute and her mother's next loud sob is what caused her to rush towards her and hug her tightly only for her to quickly let her go the very second her mother winced due to pain.

With tears streaming down both their faces, Isma slowly and gently traced out each and every of her mother's bruises using her finger and upon seeing the millions of questions forming within her daughter's tear filled eyes, Mariam said...

"If you remember well, the first omelette I made him this morning had not been worth even his very first bite. The second omelette I made had been perfect but...but the toast...it wasn't to his taste!"

Seeing Isma immediately close her eyes due to nothing but disgust upon hearing the meagre reason behind her father's atrocity made Mariam to quickly bend down, sadly but lovingly cup Isma's cheeks and while gently wiping away her daughter's tears, she said...

"I understand you, Isma. I really do! How could I not understand you when I've been living literally every second of what you're now going through for the past twenty five years?!"

"I...I...I...ummm...I very first saw your father on our wedding day! From that very day till today, your father has NEVER EVER, leave alone affection, your father has never ever asked me even something as simple as a 'How are you?'...

"I had only just but hit sixteen when I got married and I immediately and trust me fully when I say, I IMMEDIATELY got pregnant with you..."

"Then immediately after you, I got pregnant with Husna and almost immediately after, with Hafsa..."

"For your father; I was only but a cook, a cleaner and a child bearing machine!"

"I made it through with Husna's pregnancy with lots and lots of difficulties. In fact, I barely made it through with her pregnancy but your father didn't care and that is why only a few months later, I was heavily pregnant once again despite already having a toddler and a new born baby to take care of!"

"I was still a teen, Isma! I was still a teen! Who cared though? No one!"

"Being pregnant with Hafsa and delivering her turned out to be the worst and most painful experience of my entire life..."

"I almost died that day! I had felt it..."

"However, almost dying only but meant that I was still alive and that is why weeks later we were trying for our fourth child whom I lost and soon after my fifth child whom I also lost. Both were GIRLS! ..."

"My frail body couldn't it take much longer and it wasn't long before I was told that I would never ever be able to have any more children!"

"One would have thought that maybe that would have been somewhat of a blessing in disguise for me but apparently not! That was only but a means for me to get verbally and physically tortured every single day of my life simply because I wasn't woman enough!

"I apparently, wasn't woman enough to bear your father the number of children he really wanted but deep down between me and him we both very well knew that the sole reason was only and only because...