“Hey, you little brat! What did you do to Rayya?”
Mona’s shout shattered the calm in the living room, instantly filling it with tension.
Yasmin turned around. Mona was standing at the top of the stairs, her face red and her eyes blazing with anger. Without waiting for an explanation, she hurried toward them.
Her hand immediately yanked the bag Yasmin was holding.
“You insolent child! You’re barely this old, and you already dare hurt your younger sister?” she yelled.
Yasmin tried to hold on to the bag.
“It’s mine!”
“Let go!”
Mona pulled the bag with all her strength. Yasmin’s body was dragged along with it until she lost her balance and fell hard onto the floor. Her knee slammed against the tile.
Pain shot through her knee. But what made her chest ache even more was that no one asked what had really happened.
No one wanted to hear her. Mona was still standing over her, her face twisted with rage. She even raised her hand, as if she was about to slap Yasmin.
Yasmin instinctively backed away. Fortunately, Rayya quickly stepped between them.
“Mom, stop!” she cried. “This is my fault. I used Yasmin’s bag without asking.”
Yasmin stared at Rayya. The girl looked pale. But Mona turned sharply toward her daughter.
“Who says it’s hers?” she said. “Your father bought it. That automatically makes it yours too, Rayya!”
Yasmin clenched her fists. She almost laughed in frustration. Mona had twisted the situation around that easily.
Dad had bought the bag, but he had clearly given it to her. She had even saved it to use in her school competition. Before Yasmin could defend herself, footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Dad came downstairs. He looked tired, but his eyes immediately settled on them.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “It’s barely morning, and you’re already making a scene like you’re at the market.”
Mona changed in an instant. The anger on her face was replaced by sadness. She approached Dad and took hold of his arm.
“Look at your daughter,” she said in a deliberately gentle voice. “Yasmin pushed Rayya down. All over a bag.”
Yasmin immediately looked at Dad. “But that’s not what happened—”
“Teach her some manners,” Mona continued, cutting Yasmin off. “Rayya is never rude. She’s a sweet girl who never causes trouble.”
Dad shifted his gaze to Yasmin. “Is that true, Yasmin?”
Yasmin fell silent for a moment. She knew that look. Dad had already believed Mona. Her chest felt tight.
“If Yasmin tells you what happened, will you believe her?” she finally asked.
Dad frowned. “What do you mean?”
“If Yasmin explains everything, will you believe her?” Yasmin’s voice began to tremble. “Or will you still take that woman’s side?”
“Yasmin!” Dad reprimanded her.
Yasmin could no longer hold back her emotions. “You believe Mona more than you believe Yasmin and Mom!”
SMACK!
Dad’s slap landed across her cheek. The sound left everyone frozen. Yasmin staggered and held her cheek. Tears immediately welled in her eyes.
“You insolent child!” Dad shouted. “Your mouth is unbelievably disrespectful! It’s like your mother never taught you any manners!”
“Mom!”
Footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Lastri ran downstairs and hurried straight to Yasmin, who was sitting on the floor.
“Why did you hit Yasmin?” she asked in a panic.
Lastri held her daughter’s face. Her cheek was already turning red.
“Look at her cheek. It’s bruising!” Lastri pulled Yasmin into her arms.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Don’t cry.”
Yasmin’s tears finally spilled over. Lastri herself looked like she was struggling not to cry.
“You were never like this before,” she said, looking at her husband. “Why have you changed?”
Dad only stared at them coldly.
“Teach your daughter to be respectful, Lastri. Yasmin is still young, but she already has a filthy mouth. She’s the village chief’s daughter. She should know how to behave.”
Lastri didn’t answer. She simply took Yasmin by the hand and led her upstairs to their room. Yasmin kept holding her cheek the entire way. The heat and pain were still there. Dad had never hurt her before.
In the past, whenever Yasmin was afraid or got into trouble at school, Dad was the first person she ran to. But everything had changed since Mona came to live with them.
Once they reached the room, Lastri fetched some warm water and a clean cloth. She gently wiped Yasmin’s cheek.
“Does it still hurt?” Yasmin nodded.
“Mom...” Her voice was soft. “Why did Dad change?”
Lastri was silent for a long time. Then she gave a weak smile.
“Maybe Dad has a lot on his mind, sweetheart. Don’t hate him, okay?”
Yasmin stared at her mother in confusion. “Why do you always defend Dad?”
Lastri didn’t answer. Yasmin lowered her head, still thinking about what had happened.
Rayya had snatched her new bag. When Yasmin tried to take it back, she was the one who got yelled at. Dad had even slapped her without hearing her explanation. None of it was fair.
But Yasmin didn’t yet know that what happened that morning wasn’t the only thing making her suspicious.
A short while earlier, before Dad left for work, Yasmin had seen something from the stairs.
Mona had been standing across from Dad near the living room. Her voice was soft, but Yasmin could still hear her.
“Darling, this house can’t have two queens,” Mona said with a faint smile. “See for yourself. Yasmin has only been here one day, and she’s already causing trouble. I’m worried Rayya and Raina will be affected by her bad influence.”
Dad was silent. Mona continued.
“My children are comfortable living here. I don’t want them to feel disturbed.”
“Farhan can’t live in a rented house,” Dad finally replied. “He’s my favorite child.”
“But what about my children?” Mona shot back. “All three of them need to be comfortable too. They’re good kids. Don’t let Yasmin influence them.”
Dad let out a long sigh. “We’ll talk about this again later. I have to go. Something important came up.”
Dad picked up his phone and walked toward the door. Mona followed him out to the yard. After Dad left, Yasmin saw something that puzzled her.
Mona went back inside for a moment, grabbed a bag, then hurried outside again. Not long afterward, a luxury car stopped in front of the house. A man got out of the driver’s seat.
Yasmin, still standing near her bedroom window, watched the man from a distance.
He looked around the same age as Mona. His clothes were neat, his hair was perfectly styled, and his appearance made him look much more like a businessman than a driver.
Mona hurried toward him. The man opened the car door for her. She got in and sat beside him.
A moment later, the man said something Yasmin couldn’t hear from where she stood. Mona laughed. The man laughed too. They looked extremely close. Yasmin furrowed her brow.
“Who is that man?” Yasmin murmured.