Chapter 46

Summary

• Yara expresses her thoughts of leaving her husband to Esther in a therapy session.
• Her husband Fadi texted her an old happy family photo, which makes Yara reflect on the pretense of happiness at the time it was taken.
• Esther points out Yara's habit of putting others' needs first and seeking validation.
• Yara fears the logistics of divorce, the prospect of living alone, financial independence, and disapproval from her family and community.
• She acknowledges her privilege of education and compares her situation to her mother, who lacked such advantages.
• Esther questions Yara’s ability to provide for her daughters after leaving her job.
• Yara takes pride in her foresight to obtain a college education to avoid being trapped in a marriage like her mother.
• Yara is held back by the fear of making a wrong decision that could harm her daughters, and the potential of passing on her trauma to them.
• Esther emphasizes the legitimacy of these fears and the possibility of breaking the cycle of trauma.
• Yara feels torn between wanting to change and fearing the unknown outcomes of change.
• Esther reassures her that she is not alone and offers help in healing and preventing the transfer of emotional wounds to her daughters.
• Yara acknowledges the complexity of change as a mix of courage, fear, steps forward, and backward.
• Esther challenges Yara to consider if her current loneliness and situation might be worse than the fear of an uncertain future.