Aliyah’s POV
At some point, I heard Papa arguing with Asher downstairs. Their voices rose, then dropped again, muffled but sharp. I didn’t need to hear the words to know they were about me.
Finally, in the evening, the house went quiet. Too quiet. I sat up slowly, wiping my tears. My reflection in the mirror startled me. My face was pale, my eyes sunken, my lips dry. I barely recognized myself.
I pressed my hand to the mirror, whispering to the broken girl staring back at me. “You can’t fall apart. Not now. You have to be strong. For the baby.”
The faintest kick answered me, and a shaky smile tugged at my lips. “We’ll be fine,” I whispered. “We’ll start over. Somewhere far away. No one needs to know.”
But deep down, a small voice reminded me of something I didn’t want to believe.
Ru
