Page 107 of The Mismatch

Then she would have noticed the way Laleh’s palm was cupping her stomach lightly. Her new necklace, the pendant in the shape of a heart with a small diamanté in the middle.

‘Laleh—’

‘Mum, I’m pregnant.’

CHAPTER 51

Soraya

Brighton, 2014

All eyes were on Parvin now.

‘What do you mean?’ Soraya said.

Tears ran down her sister’s face. She rubbed them away with the sleeve of her jumper.

‘I can’t hold it in anymore. I know.’

‘Know what?’ Amir asked.

‘Laleh left because she was pregnant. She has a daughter.Wehave a niece.’ She looked at her siblings.

In the silence that followed all Soraya could hear was her heart pounding in her ears, as it thumped uncontrollably. Laleh had gotten pregnant.We have a niece. So that was why her family shunned her sister. But also,thatwas why her family shunned one of its own members? It made so much sense, and yet made no sense at all.

Secrets threatened to ruin the Nazari family, and this one, after fifteen years, was finally exposed.

Finally they knew the truth about Laleh.

A change had to come now.

Their mum was looking pale, backing away from them until she was against a wall. She leant on it, the supportdesperately needed. Soraya felt sorry for her, despite now knowing what she had done.

‘What did you say?’ Amir asked his twin.

Parvin looked up quickly and then back down at her feet. Her fingers nervously removed the ring from her index finger before putting it back on. She did this three times until Amir grabbed her hand to stop her.

‘I said, what did you say?’ he repeated.

‘I’ve been speaking to her, to Laleh. I found her online a few months ago. She got pregnant when she was seventeen, that’s why she left. Her daughter’s name is Zara, and she’s fourteen now … she looks just like Laleh did.’

‘What? And no one thought to fucking tell us?’ Amir said angrily. ‘You kept this from me formonths? You’re meant to be my twin.’ He moved away from Parvin, shaking his head. ‘Well, where is she?’

Their parents were speechless, as though they had never expected this day to come. Perhaps they thought after fifteen years they had gotten lucky and would never need to explain disowning a pregnant seventeen-year-old.

‘Is no one going to answer me?’ Amir looked around the room.

Soraya had expected her dad to say something but he sat quietly on the sofa, his head slumped.

All she could do was watch the scene unfold; for the first time in her life she had nothing to say.

‘They live in Edinburgh,’ Parvin said. ‘She’s lived there since she left.’

‘I don’t get it,’ Amir said. ‘None of this makes sense. Why did she run away? Mum and Dad made out she left to be with her boyfriend, but she would have needed us if she was pregnant. Why leave?’

Parvin and Soraya stared blankly at their brother, who clearly had no idea how hypocrisy and misogyny worked in most Muslim households. Surprising, because they imagined he would be the one to enforce such rules.

‘It’s always been different for you, Amir,’ Soraya explained. ‘How come you’re allowed girlfriends but we can’t have boyfriends?’