The Billionaire’s Timed Wife (Vows of Convenience #2)

Prologue

Age Seven

Butterflies.

Flowers and sunny days.

Think of that, Adeela.

Faiza, the woman who takes care of me, always gives me that advice when the fights start, but this time, it’s not working.

My parents seem angry again.

His yelling. Her crying.

My baba’s[2] shouting scares me, and when my umiy[3] starts to cry, my heart aches.

“Please, Arif, be reasonable. How can I leave without my daughter? Adeela is my whole world.”

Mommy is leaving?

That can’t be true!

“You’re the one who said you were unhappy with our marriage!”

“No, I said I was miserable because your other wives humiliate me every single day for not having been born here and for being your fourth zawja[4]. A simple word from you could have fixed that.”

“No woman will ever tell me what to do. Get out of my sight. I’ve already rejected you three times out loud[5]. We’re divorced now, and you’ll leave my house immediately. You should thank me for choosing today to repudiate you. Look at all the jewelry you’re wearing. You can keep it.[6]“

“I don’t want anything but my daughter. Keep your wealth.”

They stay silent for a while, but then my father starts yelling again.

“What are you doing? Have you lost your mind, Daisy? Why are you giving the jewelry back? You’ll regret this, you foolish woman. You’ll need it to survive!”

“No. I only need Adeela. She’s my true treasure. The only joy in my life.”

Faiza tries to cover my ears, but I’m not listening to anything anymore, except the fact that my mother won’t live with us anymore.

“Say goodbye to your treasure, then. You’ll never see her again.”

I hear a door slam and try to get up to follow her, but Faiza won’t let me.

“Shhhh, everything will be fine. I’ll take care of you, my girl. You can’t go there. You know how your father punishes you when he’s angry. Last time, he forbade you from having dinner for three nights, remember?”

“I don’t care, Faiza. I want my mommy.”

I usually don’t let people see me cry, because Mommy explained that one of my father’s rules is to never show sadness in front of anyone, but today, I can’t hold back the tears.

“If you want to see your mother again, then pray, child, and your wish will come true.”

“My mommy said I’m her treasure, Faiza. And she’s mine. I’ll pray really hard, and one day, I’ll live with her again.”