After finishing work and returning to the hotel, Hasan paused for a moment while walking down the corridor towards his room. He saw a strange man emerging from the area near his room door right before his eyes. Without even glancing at Hasan, the man adjusted his shirt and quickly left down the corridor. š
Suspicion and anger simultaneously arose in Hasan's heart. "What's happening in this room while I'm not here?" With that thought, he opened the door and entered the room.
As Asifa had no work that day, she was alone in the room. However, as soon as Hasan entered, Asifa came out of the bathroom, but there were no signs that she had just showered. This sight further intensified Hasan's suspicion. š”
"Who is the man who comes into this room when I'm not here?" Hasan, exploding with anger, pinned Asifa against the wall, grabbing her face firmly with both hands and shouted as he questioned her.
"Ouch, Hasanā¦ it hurtsā¦ please let me goā¦" She struggled to speak as tears flowed unknowingly from her eyes. š„
"Don't make me a devil, tell meā¦ who was the man leaving the room adjusting his clothes as I arrived?" he demanded in a raised voice, not loosening his grip.
"Oh Hasanā¦ he's a maintenance worker from the hotelā¦ there was a broken tap in the bathroomā¦ I called and he came to fix itā¦" Asixa told the truth, trembling with fear. š
But Hasan's suspicion did not disappear at once. Pushing her away, he wordlessly went into the bathroom to check if it was true. After seeing the tap that appeared to have been broken and was now fixed, he silently came out.
"Give me the towel," he said, showing no emotion. š£
Asifa silently handed him the towel and then sat on the bed. Hasan went back into the bathroom to shower. After the door closed, a heavy silence spread throughout the room.
Sitting on the bed, Asifa endured both the pain in her lip and the pain in her heart. She thought, "Why do I have to live every day in fear, submissive to Hasan's anger?"
But she still couldn't find an answer to that question, even for herself. š