Nobody knew about the woman who sometimes appeared after midnight, when the house was quiet and the rest of the world had stopped watching.
Nobody knew that I kept a second bag hidden beneath the floor of my car.
Inside it were dresses my family would never have approved of, high heels, makeup, perfume, and a small collection of jewelry.
When I wanted to disappear from the life everyone had designed for me, I would wait until my parents went to sleep, slip out of the house, and drive to a quiet parking area several streets away.
There, with my heart beating against my ribs, I would change.
I would take off my hijab, let my long dark hair fall over my shoulders, apply lipstick, and look at myself in the mirror.
Then I would become Nour.
Nour was confident in ways Layla never dared to be.
She smiled at strangers. She laughed loudly. She enjoyed music, attention, and conversations that didn’t begin with questions about her family, her reputation, or when she planned to get married.
