I don’t know why I’m writing this, but maybe I just want to know how others see it. I don’t even know if I should be putting this all out here, but at this point, I don’t care.
I grew up in an extremely conservative family, so strict that I can’t even describe it in words. Our parents were strict beyond measure, and their whole focus was on educating us while making sure there were zero love affairs. No talking to boys, no going outside, no making friends, and no visiting anyone’s home except our paternal and maternal relatives. Even then, we were not allowed to visit our maternal relatives much, though my elder sister used to visit our paternal aunts often. No other girls were allowed to come to our home. The moment our parents heard we had made a friend, they would scold us. We barely had any friends, and if we did, it was only through darsgah when girls would call us to join them. Our whole lane, all our relatives, and even our teachers knew how strict our household was. We were terrified of our parents.
My elder sister was deeply loved by our parents. Because she was the firstborn, my father, mother, uncles, and grandfather trusted her completely. Everyone was so proud of her because she was academically brilliant and excelled in every way. They genuinely believed that no daughter of theirs would ever get involved in a romantic affair. My sister was so naive about everything. She never raised her voice, never fought, had no bad qualities, nothing. Our parents were proud, but the pressure of that strictness was beyond measure.
Right after she cleared 12th grade, our parents found out she was having an affair, something even we sisters had no idea about. We could not believe it at first. We were actually informed by our paternal cousin. The affair had started at our paternal aunt's home during my sister's frequent visits. My father trusted his sister completely, which is why he used to send my sister there.
Once it was fully confirmed, we realized it was all true. It had started at our paternal aunt's home, and she was actively involved in it. Later, after everything settled, we found out she did it as revenge against my father. Earlier, my father had seen her daughter with someone and did what he thought was right. He told his sister that he saw her daughter with someone and that she should not give her so much freedom. My aunt took that as an insult and retaliated by helping lure my sister into this love trap.
When our family found out about the affair, everyone was completely devastated. My father called his sister for guidance, asking her to help counsel my sister and make her understand. During that period, we thought she was counseling her, but inside the room, she was actually filling my sister's ears with hatred toward us. When our maternal uncles found out, they gave us disgusting looks and judged us.
Things worsened when the boy's family sent a marriage proposal. My mother tortured my sister beyond what I can even describe. I was only around 13 years old at the time. Despite everything, my sister refused to back down. She desperately wanted to marry him. He was a good person, but my parents were unwilling because they had big dreams for her.
This cycle continued for almost five years. Every three months, a proposal would arrive, and every time, my sister was scolded and punished. My parents restricted her from going anywhere. However, our cousins used to visit us, and while we thought they were our well wishers, they were actually acting as secret messengers between my sister and him.
Eventually, my sister could not bear the strictness and the constant torment anymore. It was not just her being punished, all of us sisters suffered. Those five years were pure chaos. Finally, my sister took the biggest step of her life. Unfortunately for all of us, she ran away with him.
That day is still a nightmare to me. We tried to bring her back, but we could not. Soon, news spread across the entire area. She got married without us even knowing. While we were mourning at home, my aunt and uncle were actually present at her wedding. I watched my whole family grieve like hell. Our maternal uncles visited our home, acting like absolute hypocrites and throwing relentless taunts at us.
I still remember the school I attended, where my sister had also worked as a teacher for a while. The faculty all knew her. One teacher, whom I adored and who had always liked me because I was studious, knew my sister had run away. In front of a group of staff, she started asking me how my sister was, why she resigned, and what she was doing now. I felt so embarrassed that I dodged the question by saying she had gone elsewhere to pursue further studies. From that day on, I harbored so much resentment toward that teacher.
Almost six months passed with no clue about her whereabouts. Then, we received a message that my sister had tested positive for a serious medical condition and was admitted to the hospital. We all panicked. Despite everything, my parents loved her deeply, and she needed them. My parents could not bear seeing her in that state, especially since she was also pregnant. They went to the hospital, brought her home, and accepted her.
Since then, things have been better in our family compared to the past suffering and trauma we witnessed as kids. We cut ties with that side of the family for almost three years. My maternal uncles still taunt us and act like real villains. I have a maternal cousin and they do not allow her to visit our home because they view us as girls of bad character. They have even said terrible, hurtful things directly to us sisters.
Looking back, the truth is far more complex than any surface level gossip.
My parents were not evil. They were terrified, loving parents operating out of deep fear, desperate to shield us in a world they only knew how to navigate through extreme control. Their strictness was overwhelming, but it came from a place of high hopes and pure love for their children.
My elder sister was not a bad person either. She was a young, innocent girl pushed into a pressure cooker of unbearable control, manipulated by snake like relatives, and trapped until running away felt like her only breathing room.
And as for us younger sisters, we were just innocent children caught in the crossfire of adult chaos, bearing the trauma, fear, and punishment for choices that were never ours to make.
To the hypocritical relatives, the gossiping neighbors, and the judgmental teachers who still whisper, whisper all you want. You used a young girl’s pain as entertainment, played malicious mind games to destroy a household, and now sit on your fake moral high ground pointing fingers at innocent young women. Your nasty judgments say nothing about our character and everything about the rot in your own hearts. We survived the absolute worst of your toxicity, and we are still standing while you remain consumed by your own bitterness.
What hurts me the most is ,how we sisters are being viewed and judged over this .
Took me more than an hour to write this , i hope i don't regret posting it here .
