Marriage is often a mixed bag of experiences, but for one Malaysian woman, her 20-year journey was far from the usual ups and downs.
In a candid online confession, a Malaysian woman has opened up about her two-decade-long marriage, marked by control and emotional neglect, beginning under the most challenging circumstances.
Married at 18
At just 18 years old, due to her family’s poverty, she found herself wedded to a man who never treated her kindly.
Her daily routine was dictated by her husband’s wishes, from cooking his preferred meals to enduring verbal abuse.
“Throughout my 20-year marriage, I was either ‘Hey’ (heh) up close or ‘Hoi’ (hoi) from a distance,” she shared.
“It might sound affectionate, but imagine hearing, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ just for being slow in following orders in the kitchen or yard.”
One incident she recalled vividly was when she craved Indian pancakes during her pregnancy.
After expressing her wish, her husband responded by throwing a packet of yellow noodles against the wall, mockingly saying, “This is your Indian pancake.”
Her pregnancy was particularly challenging, as her cravings were ignored, and her headaches during her first pregnancy were met with curses and accusations rather than comfort.
“I could only eat whatever my husband wanted to eat. My own appetite, what I wanted, what I dreamed of, it was all just a dream!”
Remarkably, she endured this situation for 20 years, a decision she made out of a sense of duty after her father passed away when she was still in school.
Her mother, citing financial struggles, urged her to marry for the family’s sake, leaving her with little choice but to comply.
This woman’s story is a sobering reminder of the unseen struggles many face behind closed doors, enduring relationships that diminish their autonomy and dignity.
