Pregnant for my father’s enemy

Chapter 1 Layla’s POV I had spent my entire life being controlled. Not in obvious ways. Not with chains or locked doors. But with rules. Endless rules. Rules that shaped every part of my existence until I no longer knew where my father ended and where I began. What to wear. Where to go. Who to speak to. Who to avoid. Every decision was made for me. Every breath was supervised. And tonight… for the first time in my life… I was about to break one of those rules. “Come on, dear,” Eunice said softly, her hands resting gently on my shoulders. “It’s just one night.” I stared at her reflection through the mirror in front of me, my heart pounding louder with each passing second. “One night won’t hurt,” she added. One night. It sounded simple. But nothing in my life had ever been simple. “But… but…” My voice trembled, betraying the fear tightening inside my chest. “But what?” Eunice asked, tilting her head slightly. She already knew the answer. She just wanted to hear me say it. “Don’t you like parties?” she continued. I stayed silent. She leaned closer, her eyes locking onto mine with unsettling intensity. “Or do you enjoy being locked up and isolated like a child?” Her words stung more than they should have. Because they were true. I hated it. I hated the suffocating control. I hated the loneliness. I hated watching life pass by through windows instead of living it. But most of all, I hated how powerless I was to stop it. “Do you?” she pressed. “Answer me.” My fingers tightened against the edge of my dress. Eunice was my best friend. My only friend. She had been in my life for as long as I could remember. She was the only person my father trusted enough to let near me. While other girls had groups of friends, sleepovers, and late-night outings, I had Eunice. Only Eunice. She was everything I wasn’t. Confident. Bold. Free. She moved through the world like it belonged to her. While I moved through mine like a guest. “My dad,” I whispered finally, my voice barely audible. “What would I tell him?” That was the real problem. My father. The man whose approval determined every step I took. The man whose disappointment terrified me more than anything else. He wasn’t cruel. He didn’t shout or hit or threaten. But his control was absolute. And his word was law. Eunice rolled her eyes dramatically and turned back to the mirror, brushing her long hair with slow, deliberate strokes. “Fatima,” she said calmly, “do you really think we’re going to tell him the truth?” I blinked. “What do you mean?” She sighed, turning to face me fully now. “We’ll tell him you’re coming to my house.” I frowned. “To your house?” She nodded. “To study. Our final exams are in two weeks. He’ll never refuse something related to your education.” My heart skipped. Lie to him? The idea alone made my stomach twist with guilt. But beneath the guilt… There was something else. Something unfamiliar. Excitement. Freedom. I imagined it for a moment. Music. Lights. People. Life. A world beyond the prison I had always known. “I don’t know…” I said weakly. Eunice walked toward my wardrobe and opened it without hesitation, scanning through my clothes like she owned them. Then she pulled out a red dress. It was short. Bold. Nothing like the modest clothes my father approved of. She held it up in front of me. “Wear this.” My eyes widened. “I can’t wear that.” “Yes, you can,” she said firmly. My heart raced as I stared at the dress. It was beautiful. Dangerous. Forbidden. Everything I wasn’t allowed to be. “You’re twenty-one, Fatima,” Eunice continued. “Not a child.” Her words echoed inside me. Twenty-one. An adult. Yet I had never felt like one. Never lived like one. Never been allowed to be one. “I’ll talk to him,” Eunice said suddenly. My eyes snapped toward her. “What?” “I’ll convince him,” she said confidently. Before I could stop her, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the door. “Eunice, wait—” But she was already walking down the hallway. My heart pounded violently against my chest with every step. Fear. Guilt. Excitement. They all mixed together until I couldn’t tell them apart. We stopped just outside the living room. My father was sitting on his usual chair, a cup of coffee resting calmly in his hand. Even from a distance, his presence was overwhelming. Powerful. Unmovable. I suddenly couldn’t breathe. “Go,” Eunice whispered. “I can’t,” I whispered back. She gave me a small push. “Trust me.” Trust me. Those words would destroy everything. We stepped into the room together. My father looked up slowly. His sharp eyes immediately found mine. “What is it?” he asked calmly. But there was nothing calm about him. My throat went dry. “Daddy, I..” My voice failed me. Eunice stepped forward smoothly. “Sir,” she said respectfully, “I wanted to ask for your permission.” He raised an eyebrow. “Permission for what?” “For Fatima to come to my house,” she continued. “My parents would love to see her. And we also want to study together for our exams.” Silence filled the room. Heavy. Terrifying. He stared at both of us without speaking. I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff. One word from him could destroy everything. Or set me free. Finally, he spoke. “When will she return?” My heart stopped. “Tomorrow morning, sir,” Eunice answered quickly. He studied my face carefully. Searching. Evaluating. Judging. Then finally, he nodded. “Alright.” I froze. Alright? That was it? Just like that? “You may go,” he said calmly. Relief exploded inside me so suddenly my legs almost gave out beneath me. “Thank you, Daddy,” I whispered, barely able to contain my emotions. For the first time in my life… I had permission. For the first time in my life… I was free. I didn’t know it yet. But that night… Would destroy everything.