Chapter 25
I’m a bundle of nerves as I wait for my mother’s call.
Jazmina offered to stay with me, but I know this is something I need to do alone. After twelve years without seeing or speaking to her, I don’t want anyone witnessing our reunion, not even my best friend.
Overwhelmed by what’s about to happen, my mind seeks an escape, drifting back to the sleepless night I’ve just had.
I tossed and turned for hours, for the first time truly analyzing the giant step I’m about to take, committing myself to Kaled.
When he asked me to marry him, I felt a mix of fear and excitement in equal measure. I suppose marrying a prince is every girl’s dream, and not just any prince but the prince of my emirate.
But what happened yesterday in that elegant boutique’s fitting room made me see the vast gulf between us, not only in terms of age. In our country, it’s common for women to marry older men. I’m talking about experience.
The things he made me feel and the words he whispered still play in my mind, leaving me trembling.
What confused me the most was that I didn’t care. I felt no shame, no hesitation, simply because it felt so right to be in his arms.
It wasn’t becoming aware that the saleswoman was standing outside that made me angry but the fact that he pulled away. His self-control was far stronger than mine, and even though he wanted me, he still remembered that the world around us existed.
That realization felt almost symbolic, like a preview of what our marriage will be: him always knowing where to draw the line, being guarded, certain of what he wants. And me, surrendering completely, already falling, needing more and more.
I don’t know how to protect my heart from falling in love with Kaled. Yes, because even in my inexperience, I understand that the union he proposed doesn’t come with a promise of love.
A three-year contract. Where did I even get that idea?
And why did he agree to it? Because he truly doesn’t intend to betray me or because, deep down, he knows he won’t be faithful after that and simply doesn’t care?
After what happened in the store, he drove me home in silence.
Like the coward I am, I excused myself and ran straight to my room to change for dinner.
He took Jazmina and me to another beautiful restaurant, but this time I could hardly taste the food. I was too tense.
I could feel his eyes on me throughout the meal, and every time our gazes met, it was like sparks were flying between us. The desire was so palpable it made me dizzy.
My friend and future sister-in-law didn’t seem to notice a thing, chatting happily about her day at the spa. I tried to focus on her words, but I was completely consumed by his presence.
The sudden ring of my phone startles me, yanking me back to the present. To the real world.
I let it ring one more time before mustering the courage to answer.
“Adeela?” The voice on the other end sounds as though it’s coming straight out of my dreams.
Soft. Gentle.
The same voice I remember from the woman whose face has almost faded from my memory, the woman who used to stay by my side until I fell asleep.
“Mom?”
Instead of a reply, there’s a deep, shaky sigh, followed by the sound of uncontrollable sobbing. “My merciful God . . . I thought I’d never hear your voice again, my daughter!”
“Don’t cry, Mom. You shouldn’t get upset. Please, calm down.” Despite my words, I’m crying too. All the emotion of our separation, the years of absence, the pain of being kept apart, it all surges up at once after more than a decade of being locked away.
“I tried to reach you, my child. All these years, I did everything in my power to see you again, but your father never allowed me to get close.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, anger rising so fast it makes me nauseous. “He has no power over me anymore, Mom. I’m getting married in a few weeks to the prince of Rheadur, and there’s nothing Arif can do to stop me from being near you.”
Only after I say it do I realize I called that man by his name, not by the title my bloodline dictates. But even if it wasn’t deliberate, the truth stands: he was never a father to me. A real father would never separate a mother and child for selfish reasons.
“Prince? Do you mean the youngest son of Sheikh Kamran? I knew someone powerful was paying for my treatment and medical tests, and that it had something to do with you, but I thought God had finally softened your father’s heart, that his hatred had faded.”
I listen, stunned.
Is she still in love with him? After all these years, can she still think of him as her husband?
Instead of digging deeper into that painful thought, I change the subject. I can’t bear to make her suffer more. How would it break her to know that my father knew she was sick and still did nothing to help her?
“Yes, that’s him,” I answer simply. “My fiancé is paying for everything.” I don’t mention that Jazmina’s father is no longer sheikh or that there’s a strong chance Kaled himself will take the title soon.
“And because of that, Mom, you don’t have to worry about anything anymore.
You’re safe now. And soon, you’ll be well. ”
“The hospital room they put me in is beautiful,” she says. “It looks like a hotel suite. The doctors are kind, but . . .”
“But what? Tell me.”
“Would there be any chance . . . I mean, your future husband doesn’t have financial problems . . . Would there be a way for you to come visit me?”
“I’m coming to the United States, Mom. I just need my visa approved. Nothing will stop me from seeing you now.”
There’s a pause, and then more tears. My heart clenches. Her pain is a mirror of mine.
“I’m sorry for losing control, but I can’t believe this. Seeing you again has always been the greatest goal of my life.”
“You don’t need to hold back with me,” I tell her gently. “But please don’t get too emotional—it’s not good for your health. Just think that in a few days, we’ll be together again.” The realization fills my eyes with tears. “Now there’s something I want to ask of you.”
“What is it? I could never say no to you, my daughter. Every breath I have left in this world belongs to you.”
“Don’t say that—you’re going to live a long time. And that’s exactly why I want you to come live in Rheadur. I can’t stand being apart any longer. No amount of time will ever make up for the years we lost.”
“Rheadur? How could that be possible? When I left, your father swore I could never return. He banished me. I tried to stay, even applied for tourist visas in the early years, when I still . . .”
“When you still what?”
“When I still had some savings left,” she says quickly. “Every time, my request was denied.”
“Well, I assure you, you’ll be welcome in Rheadur. You don’t need to decide right now, but Kaled promised that if you come with us, you’ll be protected. I’ll feel much better keeping an eye on your treatment myself.”
“There’s nothing to think about, my dear. I’ve spent years praying for the day I could hold you again, and now that God is giving me that chance, I’ll never say no.”