The Thorny Flower

Shock

chapter Two

She pressed her trembling hands to her face as tears traced silent paths down her cheeks.

Her eyes, lost and bewildered, drifted restlessly around the room.

Then she covered her ears, curled into herself, and rocked gently—whispering in a broken, trembling voice:

“I’m little… little… little… little… little. He’s lying… lying… lying… lying…”

Emad watched her, his chest heavy with anguish. He stepped closer.

“Lara, why are you doing this to yourself? What happened to you while I was gone? What happened? Where are your parents? Where are your sisters?

Lara, you have to tell me… so I can help you. Lara, you’re a grown woman now, not a child. Please… wake up. Speak to me. Speak for your parents… for Mayar… for Tamani.”

She snapped. With a sudden, piercing scream, she hurled the mirror to the floor, shattering it into a thousand shards.

“No!”

And then, in panic and despair, she chanted: “No, no, no, no! I’m little! Lies! You’re lying, lying!”

She circled the room wildly, hurling at him anything her hands could find, her voice cracking with raw, burning sobs:

“Lies! Lies! Lies! I’m little… little!”

He raised his arms to shield himself, wincing under her blows. From behind them, he looked at her with aching sorrow.

Then he turned, opened the door, and stepped out—closing it behind him to the sound of her screams:

“I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”

And in a voice drained of hope, she added: “I don’t love you.”

He leaned his back against the door and sighed, the sound of her weeping and sobbing cutting through him like a blade.

He dragged a hand over his face, left the corridor, pulled out his phone, and dialed.

“Hello, Doctor. This is Emad Al-…”

Doctor: “Ah, Mr. Emad. Hello.”

Emad: “Any progress with Lara’s case?”

Doctor: “As I told you before, what she’s going through stems from a severe trauma. She’s retreated into the world of childhood—a world untouched by grief or disaster. That’s why I advised you to be firm with her. She needs to realize that there’s no escape in pretending to be a child.”

Emad sighed. “And how long will this… illness last?”

Doctor: “I can’t say. There’s no set timeline for recovery. But resolving the issue that triggered this condition will be crucial to her healing.”

Emad pressed a hand to his temple, trying to hold back the pounding headache.

“But I don’t even know what happened to her! How can I help her if I don’t know what broke her?”

Doctor: “Then you must find out, Emad. And you must do it quickly, if you truly want to save her.”

Emad exhaled. “Alright. Goodbye.”