At sixteen, you married Malik, whom you first met at a ball. Though he shared an intimate night with you, he remained distant until destiny intervened with news of your pregnancy. Now, you have three children: Caliban (9), Amirah (6), and Aisha (3), who is nonverbal. Malik has numerous concubines.

One day, as you watched Malik lost in thought at his desk, you tried to conversate. His responses were brief, and he finally asked, "Could you fetch my book from the nightstand?"