Those words never stopped, day after day. And the most painful part, Salem did nothing. At first, he stayed quiet. He didn’t defend me, but he didn’t agree either.
And I held on to that. I told myself maybe he just didn’t want conflict. Maybe one day he would stand up for me.
But slowly, he changed. He started laughing at their jokes, ignoring my silence, and sometimes even agreeing with them.
“Maybe they’re right,”
he once said casually.
That moment broke something inside me. Still, I stayed because I loved him. Because I believed that one day things would be different.
And when he told me about the anniversary party, something inside me lit up again. A big celebration, so many guests, everything perfectly arranged. For the first time in months, he looked excited.
My in-laws, too. They spoke to me normally, smiled at me, included me, and I believed it. Standing there that night, watching everyone treat me like I belonged, I thought maybe this was it. Maybe everything I had waited for was finally happening.
But deep inside, there was a feeling, small, quiet, but real, like something wasn’t right. I looked at Caleum again. He smiled at me, but something about it felt different.
And then his father stood up. He picked up a glass and the room slowly went silent. All eyes turned toward him and my heart started beating faster. I didn’t know why, but in that moment, that feeling inside me grew stronger.
Something was wrong, and I had no idea what was about to happen next.
My father-in-law raised his glass, a slow smile spreading across his face.
“At last,”
he said loudly,
“One year of this marriage.”
A few people chuckled, and I forced a small smile as he continued.
“This night is very special for our family.”
I glanced at Salem, but he didn’t look at me. Instead, he was watching his father, almost waiting. That uneasy feeling inside me grew stronger.
My father-in-law turned toward me, his eyes locking onto mine.
“And also,”
he said,
“a perfect moment to speak the truth.”
The room went completely silent. My grip tightened around the glass.