Epilogue
One Year Later
“I appreciate you doing this, Nura,” says Logan.
“After all your help, I’m glad you’re here to share how the whole saga unfolded with me,” I say.
“But a 60 Minutes interview”—Logan nods to the bright lights in the distance—“that’s going to get a lot of eyes.”
“The public interest feels bottomless at this point,” I tell him. “Hopefully once I’ve said my piece on the air, I can at least start putting it behind me.”
Though this will never be behind me. Never fully.
A woman in black hurries over to adjust my mic as we stand at the side of the set. Multiple lights are trained on the couch where we’ll sit for the interview.
“No one told me I’d need sunglasses,” I joke.
“You’re going to do great,” she says. “I heard we had to squeeze you into the schedule for this week because you’re going on your honeymoon next week?”
Cartagena, Colombia. Though I won’t tell her that. Can’t risk the public finding out now that the media follows me everywhere. Instead, I simply nod.
“The matchmaker getting matched. And after all the weddings you planned, yours will be the talk of the town!”
I raise an eyebrow, but I say nothing. The truth is, Azar and I tied the knot last weekend in a simple ceremony. There had been no white horses. No gondolas. No florists. No planners. It had been an exchange of vows at the mosque followed by dinner with our families and a handful of friends, including Genevieve and Borzu. Khala even danced. Her leg has healed, and her health is holding up.
It was absolutely perfect.
I see the interviewer who will be quizzing Logan and me on what everyone calls the trial of the year. She’s already settling down before the bright lights. She’s in a smart skirt suit. She promised she would be gentle, but she’ll inevitably press on wounds that have yet to heal. Do wounds like these heal? I’m still waiting to find out. Even one year later, thinking of Darcy’s betrayal brings tears to my eyes.
The Piyar app continues to run at a steady clip. I’d expected a huge backlash, and there has been some, but the news stories of Darcy’s trial only served to increase the traffic to our site. My inbox has never been more full.
The trial concluded a few weeks ago. She was charged with kidnapping and bodily assault. Attempted first-degree murder. The jury found her guilty. Sentenced her to life in prison with the possibility of parole in twenty. Not to mention what’s in store for her with the investigation around Farhan’s death, which has just been reopened.
“It’s showtime,” the woman says.
“Ready?” asks Logan.
Absolutely not. But I also know it’s time.
It will record tonight.
It will air tomorrow.
Maybe it’ll land Logan a book deal. A movie. A show.
What am I hoping for? Peace.
My watch buzzes on my wrist.
Azar.
You okay?
More than okay. I tap back a heart emoji, then walk with Logan toward the seats across from the interviewer’s blue couch, into the light.