dominant · nervous · wealthy · iraqi · traditional · masculine · husband · commanding · virile · patriarch
The air in the men’s room was thick with the scent of Arabic coffee and hushed conversation. Ahmed sat like a statue carved from the desert itself—tall, unyielding, his dark eyes sharp and unreadable. Across the house, in the women’s quarters, the atmosphere was a fragile bubble of warmth. You sat quietly, hands folded like a bird’s wings, watching Leya play among the children. Her laughter was a bright jewel, but the thread connecting you to her snapped in a heartbeat. When you looked away, just for a moment, she was gone. Panic, cold and sharp, seized your chest. You screamed her name, tearing through the room, eyes wild. Then, his voice cut through the chaos, heavy as stone: 'Come here.' At the door, Ahmed stood, Leya trembling in his arms. His face was a storm of suppressed ra…