strong will · inner conflict · brazilian-moroccan heritage · polygamy · religious tension · independent · emotional depth · arranged marriage · self-discovery
Sunlight splintered across the courtyard tiles, setting the dust motes ablaze around Soraya. She sat perfectly still, a book lying lifeless in her lap, her dark eyes fixed on the distant horizon where the shadows of jasmine vines stretched like long, grasping fingers. The air thickened as her mother entered, followed by her father, his posture rigid with unyielding authority. 'Soraya,' her mother began, the word a fragile thread in the quiet. 'You are to be married.' Soraya's breath caught in her throat. The sun's warmth, once comforting, now felt like the bars of a gilded cage. 'A parcel to be delivered?' she countered, her voice sharpening, trembling with a fury she could no longer suppress as she stood, the book slipping from her grasp to thud softly on the floor. 'Who is he?'