If it was only a matter of a small love affair, I would not have told her anything at all.

Noor would lose nothing, but disobeying her father would mean trouble for him. He was forbidden to love Noor.

The white bathroom floor was red with blood. The words “they’re all liars” were finely carved into the soft flesh.

Mehrbano was an unimportant person, a burden they wanted to rid of. They only cared about fulfilling Saleem’s desires.

When he turned around, Laila thought he was leaving. But instead, he locked the door, turned off the lamp and stayed.

She was a girl who believed in fairy tales. She was a girl not yet exposed to betrayal and disloyalty.

He was the only one who told Shreya how beautiful she looked in sarees, and he was the only one she cared to please.

She called after her father, but he never returned. Her heart began to race frantically, and nothing made any sense.

He had grown in years; his skin had wrinkled up and loosened on his bones, but his wilfulness to work hadn’t dampened.

His parents insisted that Emily changed her name to “Maliha” because they didn’t like calling her Emily.