she asked directly. “You bring me to another family dinner and sit there while they act like I’m trash?” “No,” Kasim said firmly. “No more dinners. No more humiliation.”
He lifted his eyes to hers. “Tomorrow morning, I’m going to talk to my mother plainly. No hedging, no excuses. I’m setting terms.”
Joanna stared at him, hardly believing what she was hearing. “I’m going to tell her that if she doesn’t change the way she treats you, I’m leaving the house and the family business. I’ll get an apartment, and we’ll live on our own.”
Joanna’s mouth fell open, but no words came. Kasim kept going. “If I have to, we’ll leave the country altogether. I’ll move for you, and we’ll start from scratch like regular people.”
“I’m ready for that. Honestly, I’ve wanted it for a long time. I was just too afraid. But for you—and for us—I’m done being afraid.” As he said it, he stepped closer.
Now only inches separated them. Inside Joanna, something gave way—not her heart breaking, but the grip of her anger loosening.
“I’m not asking you to walk away from your family forever. I don’t have the right to ask that,” Joanna whispered, tears in her eyes. “I’m asking myself to stop being afraid to live my own life,” he answered quietly but firmly.
Kasim stepped closer still. “But there’s one thing I want to understand, Joanna. Why did you hide the fact that you knew our language?” he asked.
She let out a long breath. “Because…” She looked him straight in the eye. “I wanted the truth. Not the polished version. Not the nice front people put up. The real truth about how they saw me.”
“Maybe it was harsh. But I deserved to know.” “And now you do,” he said bitterly. “Yes,” she answered.
He gently covered her hands with his. “Then maybe it’s good you found out. Because this is what finally made me understand that I don’t want to keep living between two worlds. I’m making my choice.”
He pressed her hands lightly against his chest. “And I choose you.” For a second, her breath caught and the room seemed to go still.
She hadn’t believed she could feel anything but pain after everything that had happened. But now she felt a small, steady warmth spreading through her. “Kasim,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. “I want to believe you.”
“Then let me prove it with actions, not words,” he said. He released her hands, pulled out his phone, and dialed his mother right there in front of her. “Mom, we need to talk seriously about me and Joanna,” he said, his voice firm.
“Tomorrow morning. Face-to-face. And no, I’m not asking. If you still want a relationship with your son, you’ll hear me out.” There was a long pause while he listened to his mother’s emotional response….
