That evening, my trial exams had just ended. I sat on the floor, stacking books according to tomorrow's timetable, relieved the week was finally over.
Then Amma's voice cut through the stillness.
"Come here."
She had waited an entire week—she hadn't wanted to distract me from my studies, from memories that could cloud my focus. Now, she stood there, arms folded, eyes burning with questions.
"Who were you talking to on the phone?"
My heart skipped. I forced a shaky smile. "Icha... my friend."
But Amma's gaze didn't waver. She already knew. Or maybe she was testing me. Either way, the lie crumbled in my throat.
She asked again, sharper this time. And I felt it—the cornered truth.
"I... already told big bro," I whispered.
Her eyes narrowed. "Big bro? Call him down."
My chest tightened as I obeyed. Moments later, he stormed into the room, his face already dark with suspicion.
The cane lay across the table between us, thin and harmless-looking, yet carrying the sting of punishment I knew too well. My phone beside it glowed faintly—proof of my betrayal in Amma's eyes.
"What is this?" Amma's voice cracked. "Who is he? Tell me now."
I swallowed hard. Fear and love tangled inside me. I wanted to protect him. I wanted to protect us.
Still, the truth slipped out.
"He's... someone I love."
The silence was unbearable. Then came the whistle of the rattan slicing through air.
Whack! " i even know you're talking with him through your school phone. Your second brother having spy on you"
The pain seared across my arm. But it wasn't the sting that broke me—it was the shame, the helplessness.
"You dare bring shame to this house?" Amma's voice thundered.
I clenched my fists, choking out the only words that mattered.
"I need him."
Her face darkened. Another strike. Then another. Each lash tore at me, demanding I choose—her or him.
Suddenly, my brother's palm cracked across my cheek, the sound louder than the cane.
"Are you mad? You're ruining your life for some boy you've never even met!"
My cheek burned, my heart burned hotter. Tears blurred my eyes, but I lifted my chin.
"I don't care. He's mine."
The room fell silent. Amma's grip on the cane loosened, my brother's chest heaved with rage, but I refused to lower my eyes.
At that moment, I wasn't just a daughter or a sister. I was a girl in love, fighting against a storm bigger than herself.
Inside, though, fear gnawed at me.
What if they take everything away? What if they find him and destroy him?
But one truth refused to die inside me.
I need him.