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She did not shout.
Margaret guided Lena into the back room with precise, deliberate movements. Before Lena could fully process what was happening, Margaret produced a pair of heavy scissors—the kind meant for fabric, not hair. In that instant, Lena understood this was not anger. It was punishment.
“Do you know why women like you keep their hair long?” Margaret asked coldly, gripping Lena’s dark braid. “To attract attention. To pretend you have value.”
“Please,” she whispered, reaching up instinctively. “Don’t.”
The scissors snapped shut with a sound far louder than it should have been. The braid fell to the floor—final, severed. Margaret continued without hesitation, cutting unevenly, ignoring Lena’s sobs, her pleas, the years woven into every strand.
“You’re leaving,” she said flatly. “I won’t keep a shameless woman in my home.”
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