Chapter 19

Summary

• Yara goes to a high-end salon feeling out of place and frugal, concerned about spending money on herself.
• She's greeted warmly at the salon and meets Rebecca, her stylist, who suggests a significant haircut and color, despite Yara's hesitation.
• Yara agrees to the change, looking for something different, though she is filled with self-doubt and memories of her critical mother.
• As Rebecca works, applying color and then cutting Yara's hair, Yara grapples with her reflection and painful past memories.
• After her hair is styled, Yara is taken aback by her transformation and struggles internally with feelings of discomfort and undesirability.
• Nadia, her family, and her in-laws compliment Yara's new look, but Yara remains unsure and surprised by their reactions.
• Fadi, Yara's husband, reacts with mixed feelings about her hair change and inadvertently implies he preferred it before.
• Yara questions her decision and reflects on her self-worth, feeling a deep need for Fadi's affection and approval.
• In a moment of vulnerability, Yara craves the reassurance and love from Fadi, feeling disconnected and yearning for genuine connection.
• She ponders whether her true curse is being unlovable, a fear stemming from feeling unloved even in her own family.
• The chapter ends with Yara contemplatively looking out the window, enveloped in the growing darkness, pondering her feelings of isolation.