"Happy Birthday, Aisha!" Daddy chorused and hugged her to his body. She shrieked and hugged him back, she always had the best birthday in her life. Daddy made sure he made it back home whenever it was her birthday, it can be for a few hours before he travelled out of town again. But he had to be there when it clocked at midnight, on the 25th of March of every year.

Ilham moved towards her and hugged her, "Happy Birthday, Humaira. Please be a responsible girl, you're no more a teenager." Humaira laughed as Ilham pinched her cheeks.

"I promise to be a good girl, Ilham." They all laughed because they knew Humaira would never be changed.

The maids came forwards one by one and began wishing her a happy birthday, she was all smiling today. And it looked good on her, not her usual cold smiles that were intimidating. Humaira looked at Daddy and smiled cutely, "Daddy, will you be present at the party?" She asked, but in her mind, she wished he wouldn't make it. She knew if he was there she can never get the chance to do all she planned to do when she turned twenty.

"I have to fly to Hong Kong early tomorrow, Aisha. I'm sorry but we can celebrate your birthday when I'm back. Deal?" He asked and she wanted to squeal out of joy. She smiled innocently and nodded her head in understanding.

"Yes Daddy, thank you. I should blow off the candles and make a wish, Daddy." The maids brought the cake forward and Humaira made the wish before she blew the candles. She cut the cake and fed Daddy and Ilham and they did the same to her.

Daddy smiled loving at her and patted her head and she looked up innocently at him. Daddy was the only one that saw her innocent and vulnerable side. He hugged her again when they were left alone in the room, "Cheers to the 20th year of being strong, Aisha. You've grown up to be an amazing and sweet little girl. Even though I'm proud of you, I'm not proud of your constant visitation to the police station." Humaira laughed and placed her head on his chest.

"Daddy I'm proud of you too. An award should be presented to you for being the very best father, Daddy. And I promise to be a good girl henceforth." He presented her his gift and left to his room. He said he had to sleep early because he was catching the first flight tomorrow morning. As soon as Daddy left, Humaira ran to her wardrobe and changed.

She looked at her window and smirked before she slipped down her rope. She knew her boyfriend Rafiq was already waiting for her at their gate and she rushed down the rope. She had an exquisite and expensive birthday party planned and would be taking place in the A & H restaurant. Before she went on wether plans, she had all the workers of the hotel and she gave them a concrete warning that whoever made the mistake of calling Daddy and telling him she had a midnight party, he would be hired.

She successfully got out of the house and rushed to where she saw Rafiq's car parked, as soon as she entered, he hugged her and chorused, "Happy Birthday, Aisha. I love you."

She broke their hug and gave him a hard glare, "You aren't allowed to call me that, Rafiq."

She shrugged his shoulders and chuckled, "What? It's your name and Daddy calls you that too. Just chill, Humaira."

She groaned and looked at him, "I told you clearly, Rafiq. My name is Humaira, not Aisha. Only Daddy is allowed to call me that."

He raised his hands in surrender and laughed, "Humaira, I'm sorry. Now, Happy birthday Humaira. I love you."

She smiled and pinched his cheeks, "Now, that's so much like it." They laughed and drove along.

They stopped at the front gate and the guards asked them whether they were there for the birthday party or they wanted to book a room. "It's me, open the damn gate and let everyone in." She spoke and the guard nodded his head.

She was having fun, all the friends she didn't expect to see were there. She sat there silently on a chair and looked at how everyone was dancing, some were having a drink while some were flirting with each other. Her veil slipped down from her head and she smiled while putting it back on her head. It was a floral light purple veil that had 'A & H' embroidery. Daddy gave her the veil on her 12th birthday and since then she made sure she wore it on her birthday.

Rafiq walked to her and sat down beside Humaira, she smiled at him and long ahead of him. "Humaira, why are you so silent? Won't you dance?" He asked and she stood up.

"Let's go and dance, it's been long I did that. You know I'm still an amateur when it comes to that." He laughed and took her outstretched hand in his and they majestically moved to the centre of the hall. While dancing, Rafiq noticed some people were let into the restaurant to eat, they were only couples. Humaira told the people at the lobby to invite every couple they see in for free food. He smiled at himself and whispered to Humaira.

"Humaira, when do you think I should see Daddy?" She looked up at him and laughed, he was insane and it was evident.

"To see Daddy for what? Rafiq, I think we made that clear between us, didn't we?" He gripped her waist more and brought her even more close to his body.

Tickling her waist, Humaira giggled as he spoke. "Come on, Humaira. I want to marry you, and you can't let me have my ways with you now and still won't let me marry you? Isn't this torture?"

He began kissing her neck and she giggled trying to be free from his hold. "You can't have me that easy, Rafiq. Let's cut the cake." They moved to where the cake was baked, and as her usual birthday cake. It was a huge birthday cake with light purple designs on it. Daddy thought her how to bake, and she never baked until it was her birthday.

"Happy Birthday, Humaira! Cheer to 20!" The crowd chorused and Humaira smiled widely before she cut the cake.

She took a bite and tried feeding Rafiq with it when he pushed the bite into her mouth and whispered, "I'll taste it from your lips." And that was how he merged their lips and the world crowd chorused in admiration.

Out of the blue moon, Humaira heard a voice in the crowd as it thundered, "Aisha!!!" She didn't bother to look around, because she was sure it was Daddy. She entwined their fingers with Rafiq and slipped expertly out of the crowd.

"Take me home, Rafiq, I know it's Daddy. Before he comes back home I would be sleeping on my bed." He laughed at how scared she looked, even though this was the first time he had seen this kind of expression on her face. They all hopped into the car and Rafiq drove out of the hotel. "I'll surely fire whoever it is that reports me to Daddy by tomorrow morning." She muttered angrily and leaned on the chair, closing her eyes.

❃

She thought about how Mommy used to wake her up with her birthday cake and they would sing joyfully and fed themselves with the cake. Today, she would wish to fight her demons and celebrate her day, even if not for her sake, for the sake of Mommy. She knew where ever Mommy was, she was either sad or celebrating her birthday trying to be strong. She walked out of her sanctuary and moved to her wardrobe, she pulled out a soft nightgown and wrapped her head in a light purple floral gown. She sat at the edge of her bed and fondled on the embroidery on the veil.

Mommy gave her this veil and made her promised that she would always wear it on her birthday. When she asked her what the meaning of 'A & H' meant, "The world knows you as Aisha, but to me; you're Humaira. That makes it A & H." She had laughed then and hugged Mommy showing her appreciation, but now that she thought about it, she broke down.

Living life as Humaira was beautiful, painless and full of love. But it brought to her a revelation that broke her apart, painfully tore at her heart mercilessly that she no longer recognized who was Humaira. As much as Humaira's life was painful, living her life as Aisha was the most painful. She had live a thousand years in pain in what didn't seem to be a year. She had painful memories and horrific moments to live on.

She carefully wrapped it on her bed and stood up, it was time for her to go out and eat. She heard when they left the house almost two hours ago and she can have all the freedom as she wanted. Instead of her to cook as she always used to do, Aisha baked today. A birthday cake with designs on it the same as the one on her veil. Her usual birthday cake, that she had even memorized the recipe by heart. She finished the designing and made a drink of herself, she didn't want anything artificial, it should be natural just as Mommy did.

She took the cake with a knife and her drink before she laboriously walked to the balcony and sat down. She looked around the balcony and painfully smiled at herself. This place had held the most painful memories of her life, it was as if she knew this place for more than the time she had spent in that house and it reminded of nothing but pain. She gulped down a lump in her throat and tried smiling genuinely, but came out even more painful.

She sighed and blew some air to her plans. She blew out the candles and made a wish, "Ya Allah, make all these pains go away." She whispered slowly and open her eyes. She sipped her drink and then cut the cake. She was eating the cake while thinking about all that happened in her life from the day Abba announced that he loved her and wanted to marry her, up till now that she was sitting on the balcony and painfully eating her birthday cake as though it were poison.

She heard as the door was flung open and before she rushed back to her room, Abba had successfully pulled her back and flung her to the floor. It pained, but she didn't make a sound, she was only waiting for the worst to come.

"Who was the guy you were kissing right before the eyes of a thousand of people?! Who the hell was he?!" He thundered and Aisha began pulling herself backwards. She knew he had unleashed the beast in him, and this one seemed more horrifying than the rest of those beasts she had seen.

"I've been in this house ever since the day you restrained me from walking outside, please believe me." She wanted to cry, but her tears weren't corporating and she felt like dying. The moment she saw him unhooking his belt, she knew she was dead.

He pulled out her veil from her head forcefully that she had to fall on her head after he successfully had the venue in his hand. "Weren't you wearing this? You forgot to change this while you changed you filthy skimpy clothes, Aisha." Just like every time, the stroke started with one and continued until he felt satisfied and threw her out of his way.

She looked flustered, she knew of no one that had this kind of veil her whole life. Even Mommy didn't have it. Before she was able to get a hold of herself, Abba pulled her hair and mercilessly dragged her to the balcony. He picked the cake and threw it directly on her face, "What of the cake? You had time taking it back with you when you noticed I've seen you and called you name?! Tell me, what kind of a prostitute are you?!"

That stung. Aisha felt his word to the deepest corner of her soul and she stood up with a fiesty expression on her face. She had never been this courageous all her life, and she would still today, to her antagonist. "You have no right to call me that, do you why? Because you know nothing about being a prostitute or the kind of life prostitutes live! If I were a prostitute, you can't find it this soon, do you know why? Because prostitutes know they ways, they can live with you for all the years of your life and still not know what was being enshrouded between the curves of their name. I'm not a prostitute and would never be, but even if I were, why do you care?" The next thing Aisha felt was a loud striking slap on her cheeks that it made her saw blue and fell on the ground. She felt the rush of blood from her head, but she didn't mind.

"How dare you talk back at me? Who do you think you are?" The strokes came, and all her attempts to stand up proved futile, she couldn't due to the heaviness of his strokes and the strength of his muscles. They were already in the living room as he stroke her body mercilessly and was fortunate that he tore her flesh in many places Aisha had to count. She was crawling back until she got to where the door was and stood up with her hands on the wall seeking support.

"Why are you doing this to me?! What have I ever done to you to deserve this? I told you I wasn't the one, you saw someone else, not me. Or you fabricated all these just because you want to punish me for the crime I haven't committed? Do you know how much of a monster that you are? It hurts to even recall it was Mama that raised you. Let me make this clear to you, Abba, I wasn't the one you saw and would never be her. I'm here locked up in the dungeon you locked me in without finding the courage in me to make a move. I baked that cake today because it is my birthday and I have to celebrate myself despite being married to a merciless beast like you.

And mind you, I'm not your prostitute of a girlfriend. Just because you saw someone doing exactly what your useless and dirty girlfriend doesn't have to be me. I'm not pure myself, but I can never be that. Find something else to accuse me of, you stupid, harmful and faithless dog!" She spat her blood in her mouth on his face and before she knew what was happening, he had pushed her away from the wall and she fell on the still opened door and fell on the concrete.

She felt as his belt mercilessly stroke her whole body while she heard nothing out of the words he was angrily thundering as he beat her. Slowly, she slipped on the stairs and then began the most painful and horrific rolling Aisha had ever done. She rolled down until she reached the down floor, the most excruciating pain surged through her whole body and she heard his spoke. "You're divorced with three decrees, I can't stay married to a prostitute and an ungrateful bitch like you. Make sure I don't find you in this house when I come back tomorrow." As she let go of her only rope of pain, Aisha smiled as she fell into a world full of the darkness she had come to cherish more than life itself.

I can't talk. Allah ya isa Abba😭💔